UWBC Funds School's Out Summer Camp
Posted on May 27, 2024 by
Youth Enjoying the Summer Camp
Thanks to United Way of BC (UWBC) for funding youth attending SHARE's School's Out Summer Camps, being 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, underhoused and are identified 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 who have been historically oppressed or identify as belonging to a marginalized group.
Each day of the program, the youth will participate in activities including mental health and wellbeing, 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; increased their connections with their peers, family, and other adults in the community. Through activities delivered by family support workers, facilitators, and community knowledge keepers (indigenous artists, librarians, counsellors, Burke Mountain Naturalists, seniors etc.) youth will be supported and encouraged to learn through multiple modalities and explore their creative, social, and academic skillsets. Youth will be 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 around their own health and encourage culinary passions that they may not have access to at home or school.