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Youth Minister Charles Griffith said the national summer camps were not set up to look after children.
Speaking at the start of the camp at Shirley Chisholm Primary School in Vauxhall, Christchurch last Tuesday, Griffith said the camps were very innovative and would be a huge benefit to the campers.
“This is an annual programme and one thing we hope to do is to go beyond just crafts. We have run a number of programmes that benefit the youth. We have embedded some life skills in some of the camps so it is not just a play and entertainment, as it usually has been in the past.
“As far as summer camps go, it’s a holistic thing; we’re not babysitting. We’ve been trying to impart skills to all the campers in these places as much as we can,” he said.
Griffith said there were nearly 3,000 campers at 47 sites. He said he hoped some of the skills taught would help campers compete in the National Independent Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA), adding that they would also learn about entrepreneurship and digital media.
“It is a great time for the youth of Barbados. Our programmes extend from block culture all the way to the Youth MC (Master of Ceremonies) programme. So all you need to do is contact the Ministry and get a list of some of our training programmes and you will realise that there is absolutely no need for the youth of this country to resort to violence because of the opportunities we provide,” he said.
The minister said this year the government had invested $500,000 in the five-week camp, which was run by more than 400 volunteers from the Volunteer Connections Program. He said this proved that the spirit of volunteerism was alive and well.
These camps for children aged 4 to 15 will end tomorrow.
The trip included visits to camps at Hilda Skeen Primary School in St Philip, Ellerton Community Centre in St George, Garshan Pavilion in St John, Bank Hall Nazarene Church in St Michael and West Terrace Primary School in St James.
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