Campers at the National Council on Substance Abuse’s (NCSA) Project S.O.F.T (Safeguarding Our Future Today) Camp 2023, were advised by Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams, to “choose wisely”.
Minister Abrahams visited the campers yesterday at the Eastern Caribbean Bible Camp, Ruby, St. Philip.
During his interaction with the children who are transitioning from primary to secondary school, he told them that secondary school was an exciting time, where they would meet new people, who may encourage them to participate in “bad” activities like using drugs or behaving badly in class. He encouraged them to say ‘No’ and do the right thing.
“Choose wisely; your choices have consequences…. Everybody in here knows right from wrong. We can talk to you as much as we want, but when the time comes to make the right choice, the only person who can make that choice for you, is yourself,” Minister Abrahams stated.
He told the children that as they got older their thoughts would change, what they want for a career now might not necessarily be what they want to do later, however, they should always work towards what it is that they want to do diligently.
Minister Abrahams again urged the campers to: “Choose the things that lead to success and leave out the things that lead to failure and imprisonment. Do the things and make the choices that lead to you realising your dreams, and I wish you all the best of luck going forward.”
Camp Project S.O.F.T is a one-week residential camp that caters to students who sat the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination. The camp is now in its 21st year of operation.
Director of the camp, Mosiah Hoyte, shared that this year’s cohort comprised 25 boys and 16 girls, including visually impaired student, Ashton Hoyte, who will be heading off to Harrison College in September.
According to him, the camp is designed to prepare children, and their families, for entry into secondary school, by discussing various topics and challenges likely to be encountered in their new environment. These include how to handle bullying in schools, anger management, stress management, how to communicate with your parents, and the effects of drug use, including the use of marijuana, tobacco and vaping, as well as drug-refusal skills.
The camp also seeks to help with adolescent development, as sessions are held to highlight what can be expected as they transition into teenagers, and how they can deal with those changes effectively.
“We have creative sessions where we have four artists who come in and equip the children with skills in dance, drama, song and art. The kids are also exposed to sports and fun activities; we have jeopardy, games night, and we are having a breadfruit roast tonight. So they will have a diverse experience while at the camp,” Mr. Hoyte said.
‘Uncle Mosiah’ as he is called by the children, noted that after the camp is finished the interaction with the kids does not end there. He noted that there are follow-up sessions with both the children and their parents and visits to schools to see how they are progressing. “When children know that they’re supported and people are looking out for them, they tend to perform better in school because they know somebody’s really interested in them. So it’s more than just a one-week camp,” Camp Director Hoyte said.