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Preparations for Government’s annual National Summer Camp Programme are "progressing smoothly".
That is the word from Camp Manager, Haldene Dottin, who disclosed that some 70 camps would be catering for about 10,000 campers in five zones – north, south, east, west and central.
Mr. Dottin urged parents and guardians to collect application forms as soon as possible from the Ministry of Family, Culture, Sports and Youth at the Elsie Payne Complex, Constitution Road, St. Michael, and return completed forms to that location by this Friday, June 24.
"We want parents and guardians to provide all of the information that is required on the forms because it is necessary… and return them to the Ministry immediately because we have to enter it into our database," he explained.
Camps will run from July 4 to August 12 and campers must be between the ages of four and 15. Those parents and guardians who require additional information should call the National Camps Unit at 621-0074, 621-0075, 621-0060 or 621-0061.
Mr. Dottin said the project team coordinating the Programme had met with some of its stakeholders, namely camp directors and their assistants, counsellors, principals and senior youth commissioners, among others, from as early as last November/December to identify and resolve any?? negatives from last year’s camps.
"Wherever there were negatives, we are seeking to have those areas addressed; so we are hoping that those issues which plagued the camps last year would be nonexistent this year… For example, in relation to the school principals, we have given [them] an opportunity to make a contribution. Very early in our planning process, we met with the principals to hear their concerns and suggestions; and coming out of that meeting we have been able to work with them in a much closer way, in the hope that execution of the Programme would be smooth, with little or no problems," he stated.
The Camp Manager noted that in addition to the various sporting activities, the young people would be exposed to culture, dance, drama and arts and craft. He explained that during the Easter holiday, camp counsellors were trained by some cultural facilitators and he expressed the view that "we can look forward to some exciting results" from the cultural programme.
He added that resource persons from a number of organisations, including the National Nutrition Centre, are expected to visit the camps regularly and speak to the children about health and nutrition matters.