Summer camps off and running

Almost 9 000 children have signed up for the National Summer Camp programme which got under way yesterday.However, there were some first day glitches in a few of the 62 camps.The DAILY NATION visited three schools where all the meals had arrived on time, though one school revealed that it had not received its “working material”.At Lawrence T. Gay Memorial, camp director Jacqueline Fletcher said they catered for 200 students from age four to 16 years old.She said during the next several weeks the students would be exposed to basketball, football, cricket, netball and athletics as well as jewellery making, tissue box making, tie-dye and splash painting.Camp Life Skills at the Parkinson Community Centre was also bustling with activity.At the smaller camp which is catering to 100 children, director Shelly Small said: “We recognise that sometimes the parents do not have the time to teach their children the necessary skills sometimes needed for survival.”Some of the skills will include sewing, ironing, fish-boning , keeping their surroundings clean along with craft, basketry and other activities. Meanwhile students at St Ambrose’s City Angels participated in mainly games since they had not received their working materials.Camp director Tanya Marshall said 100 students were scheduled to attend the camp which is again featuring art, craft, tie-dye and splash painting. Older campers will be exposed to nail art, hair braiding and some weaving.Marshall said the organisers were also looking towards a mini-carnival at the end of the camp.However, over at the St Catherine’s School in St Philip, things were not so rosy.  Camp director Samantha Skeete told the DAILY NATION  while she had 120 students only ten lunches had arrived at 12:30 p.m. She said when she queried whether or not more lunches were coming she was told by those delivering “that is all the ministry send”.An upset Skeete said she would return the lunches and close the camp at 1 p.m.Efforts to reach Minister of Youth Family and Sports Stephen Lashley to get a comment proved futile. (CT)