Have a summer to remember

In the News
May 29, 2013 –

Have a summer to remember
Boys and Girls Club day camps offer an array of activities and experiences for children

KINGSTON – The United Way believes in the idea that it takes a village to raise a child and that we all have a role to play in ensuring that every child has a chance to succeed in life.

The organization has guided and nurtured the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston & Area from the very beginning and allowed its programs to blossom. They believe that community impact is about achieving meaningful, long-term improvements to quality of life in our community — addressing not just the symptoms of problems but also getting at the root causes. It’s about making fundamental changes to community conditions.

Through the support of this campaign and donors such as the United Way, the Boys and Girls Club can create change and memories to last a lifetime. Their summer day camps offer an array of activities and experiences for children in a variety of settings. There are sports camps, computer camps, arts camps and science camps. There are day camps where children can develop their artistic flare or hone their chip shot, with a full range of programs that allow children to reap many benefits from the experience.

The main licensed clubhouse camps promote the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through programming and by providing nutritious snacks and lunches for all members. The Boys and Girls Club ensures that all camps are accessible to all children by providing subsidies to families and free outreach camps such as Read-E Summer Camp. The club strives to reach as many members of the community as possible and no child is ever denied access to a program due to inability to pay.

The staff members at the club design and implement programs that include fun activities, swimming and special trips for members. It gives children the chance to establish friendships, participate in special outings and be mentored by positive leaders within the Kingston community.

Another key focus of the summer camps is getting youth actively involved by providing programs that empower youth to volunteer and give back to the community. Through the LIT program (leadership, initiative, and teamwork) youth are supported and mentored by staff that focuses on providing leadership tools and hands on experience by volunteering with the club or outside agencies.

The Boys and Girls Club of Kingston & Area recognizes the importance of providing a safe, active, healthy and empowering summer camp environment for all children and youth. Whether it is through the new adventures, warm meals or friendly staff, it is evident that the club continues to touch the lives of many members.

Main Clubhouse Camps:

• Little Connections Camp (ages 4-5) — Focuses on play-based learning with an emphasis on social growth, daily routines, schedules and overall school readiness.
• Be Creative Camp (ages 6-12) — Focuses on three main areas of the arts: dramatic, musical and visual arts.
• Live and Learn Camp (ages 6-8) — This camp has a daily rotating schedule of four subject areas from the Ontario elementary curriculum: science and technology, health and physical education, social studies and the arts.
• Get Busy Camp (ages 9-12) — An all-encompassing program that focuses on building leadership and life skills, promoting healthy eating habits and physical activity while emphasizing the importance of personal wellness.
• Cool Moves Camp (ages 6-8) — Aimed at getting campers moving, thinking and having fun. Focusing on basic nutritional concepts, making healthy choices, physical literacy and the importance of a balanced lifestyle.
• LIT (leadership, initiative, teamwork) (ages 12-15) — Provides training to youth to help improve communication, teamwork and conflict resolution skills. Two different types of programs are offered — extreme leadership and sports leadership — with an end-of-summer leadership trip.

Outreach Summer Camps:

• Upper Canada: Read-E Summer Camp (Grades 2-6) — A free summer camp supported by the Upper Canada District School Board and Upper Canada Leger Centre in Gananoque, Lanark, Brockville, Prescott and Smiths Falls that will give children a head start in the fall. The program will help improve retention and build literacy skills while offering fun-filled activities to make the summer memorable.

Source: The Kingston Whig-Standard