Summer Camps For Three Youth Thanks to CKNW
Posted on May 30, 2024 by
Thanks to CKNW for funding three youths to attend SHARE's School's Out Summer Camps, held across the Tri-Cities.
SHARE's 'School's Out Summer Camp' aims to improve the lives of vulnerable refugee youth by providing them with learning activities and opportunities to connect with peers and their community over free full-day summer camps.
All program participants in SHARE's New Beginnings program are refugee families and claimants who have fled violence and political unrest. Most are racialized, live in poverty, are under-housed and identify as having at least three or more vulnerabilities: significant trauma/mental health challenges, physical disabilities, illiterate, etc. A priority area in SHARE's strategic plan is to remove barriers at SHARE for those historically oppressed or identified as belonging to a marginalized group.
Each day of the program, the youth will participate in activities that include mental health and well-being, financial education, learning about professions, personal hygiene and safety, arts and crafts, music and drama, gardening, sports and recreation, meal preparation, and more. The age and developmentally-appropriate activities allow them to develop their skills, confidence, independence, and leadership and increase their connections with their peers, family, and other adults. Through activities delivered by family support workers, facilitators, and community knowledge keepers (Indigenous artists, librarians, counsellors, Burke Mountain Naturalists, seniors, etc.), the program leaders support youth and encourage the youth participants to learn through multiple modalities and explore their creative, social, and academic skill sets. Youth are engaged in cross-cultural activities to help develop a deeper, more confident understanding of their peers, community, and themselves. Healthy, culturally appropriate eating and meal prep will support youth learning about their health and encourage culinary passions they may not have access to at home or school.