Camp builds lessons for life in Haynesville

National Summer Camp staff at the Haynesville Police Outpost say they have been surprised by how quickly young campers are grasping environmental concepts, as they use education to equip children with life skills in a community that earlier this year faced the effects of violence.

The children, between the ages of four and seven, were introduced on Thursday to the importance of healthy soil, biodegradable materials, and sustainable practices through the Save Soil Interactive Learning Programme.

During Thursday’s session, sustainability educator Candice Parris taught campers about biodegradable materials and protecting soil, while Shawn Parris demonstrated how coconut husks can be turned into eating utensils, giving the children a practical example of reducing, reusing and recycling materials.

The campers eager to answer questions. (Photo credit: Lauryn Escamilla / Barbados TODAY)

The educational session comes less than three months after a fatal stabbing behind the Haynesville Police Outpost, prompting renewed discussion about the importance of community intervention and positive youth engagement. Camp organisers believe exposing children to constructive activities from an early age can help shape a different future.

Youth commissioner for St James South, Ajani Batson, said he was impressed by how much the children had already retained.

Youth Commissioner for St James South Ajani Batson. (Photo credit: Lauryn Escamilla / Barbados TODAY)

“What actually shocked me the most is that the kids remembered all the words, all the big words,” he said. “Auntie Candace was going over the words just now, and when she had M for microorganism, all the kids were shouting out microorganism way before she could even say. The kids definitely are learning. The kids are taking in the information, and I’m really happy to see that they’re able to regurgitate or also let us know what they’re learning.”

He explained that the programme is designed to help children understand their relationship with the environment from an early age, “teaching children about the environment, teaching them about how we can interact with the environment, how the environment interacts with us, and it prepares the children for adulthood”. 

“They’re teaching them which stuff is biodegradable, which stuff is good for the environment in the garden and what is not good for the environment.”

Batson said the programme was introduced because of the growing number of young families in the constituency.

“My community is growing at a rapid rate. We have loads and loads of young children… so we thought that it would be very important for us to teach the kids about their environment and how to take care of it at as young of an age as possible. We try to start as young as possible to cement them in for the future.”

While the camp has traditionally focused on cultural activities such as stilt walking, drumming and dance, he said organisers wanted to strike a better balance this year.

“We can’t always be doing the cultural stuff. We also have to do the educational side of things. We also have to do the fundamentals for life for the kids,” he said, noting that partnerships with organisations involved in environmental education have broadened the camp’s offerings.

Batson added that the expanded programme has given children experiences they may not otherwise have had.

“They’ve loved it,” he said. “We’ve gone to the Bridgetown Port to do a tour. We went on the ARC 20 de Julio [visiting Colombian Navy destroyer]… and we did a whole lot more of other stuff that the kids wouldn’t have thought they would have been doing this year, which really impacted them.”

Reflecting on the summer, he said he was proud of what his campers had showcased at Wyndham Grand Resort.

“My campers, we did dance, we did stilt walking, and we did drumming, and I think we kind of stole the show. They keep learning every day. They keep bringing new things forward every single day, and that’s what we strive for.”

Camp assistant Shakerri Maxwell, who grew up in Haynesville, said the programme offers today’s children opportunities she believes can steer them away from negative influences.

(From left) Senior Camp Assistant Lorraine Ward, Camp assistant Shakerri Maxwell and Assistant Director Destiny Cummins. (Photo credit: Lauryn Escamilla / Barbados TODAY)

“I have lived in Haynesville since I was born,” she said. “The community changed a lot since I was younger as a result of the violence and as a result of the actions that are going on. It is very hurtful to see the children that I grew up with and the path that they have taken.

“It’s very important to have the camps as it gives the children of today a new experience from what I grew up with. Hopefully they don’t grow up to go down the same path as the other ones.”

Senior camp assistant Lorraine Ward said conflict resolution lessons are another critical part of the programme.

“It’s good to start from early to help to resolve conflict,” she said. “If they learn to resolve conflict from early, then that shall help reduce the fights and the shootings and so on.”

Assistant director Destiny Cummins also believes the camp is helping to reshape children’s outlook.

“When they feel as though they’re smart, they are loved, they are kind, which are some of the affirmations that we do daily, they understand there’s more than one path that they can take,” she said. “They learn how to handle conflict. They learn how to control their emotions. Above all else, their mind is not idle, so they’re not prone to fall into stereotypes or categories just because they live in Haynesville.”

Cummins said the ministry’s remedial reading programme has also made a noticeable difference.

“I think the children are benefiting from it greatly and we’ve seen an improvement in their behaviour. Hopefully we can shape who they are now from young, and it sticks so that the crime rate and everything within Haynesville will continue to decrease as they get older.”

(LE)