4-H Summer Camp Promotes Discipline Through Agriculture
By: , July 23, 2023
Photo: Mark Bell
Instructor, Prince Palmer (centre), leads a seed tray demonstration during the Jamaica 4-H Clubs’ Summer Camp held at the club’s training centre on the Denbigh Showground in Clarendon from July 10-15.
Photo: Mark Bell
Photo: Jamaicans are being encouraged to take the necessary precautions against COVID19 as they participate in festivities to mark Emancipation and Independence. The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, recently announced that there has been an uptick in the number of confirmed COVID19 cases and urged persons, especially the most vulnerable, “to employ infectionpreventionandcontrol mechanisms”. Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service Think Tank on July 28 at the agency’s head office in Kingston, Executive Director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission JCDC) Lenford Salmon, said that “personal responsibility will play a major role in controlling the spread of the virus during the celebratory events”. “We are asking people to exercise due care in how they conduct themselves in coming to the Stadium. Walk with your sanitiser, avoid going into very close spaces with people who are not from your own little bubble, and take all the precautions you can,” he said. Individuals who are sick should stay at home, while those attending the events are advised to wear a mask and practise proper hand and respiratory hygiene. A range of activities are slated to be held from August 1 to 6 islandwide to mark Jamaica’s 61st year of Independence, under the theme ‘Jamaica 61… Proud and Strong’. “We can't accommodate everybody in all the physical spaces, but we will accommodate you in the virtual space,” Mr. Salmon said. He noted that events will be carried live on the two national television stations and on the social media pages of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the JCDC.
Photo: Mark Bell
The Full Story
The Jamaica 4-H Clubs’ summer camp made its much-anticipated return this year, with clubbities from across the island converging at the Denbigh Showground in May Pen, Clarendon for six days of activities under the theme: ‘Using agriculture to promote discipline’.
The event, from July 10-15, was being held for the first time since the onset of Covid-19.
Youthful energy and creativity were on full display as the campers participated in an exciting roster of activities, where they were immersed in various life lessons while having fun.
Training And Placement Coordinator at the Jamaica 4-H Clubs and Camp Coordinator, Bernetta Kerr, tells JIS News that the focus on discipline is to prepare the youngsters for the realities of the future and the careers that they will take on.
“In our society today, discipline is of high importance (and) we want them to see that in being a nurse, doctor or agriculturalist, you must exercise some level of discipline,” Ms. Kerr says.
As such, the camp positively engaged 4-H members and unattached youth by getting them in one safe space where they were able to network, learn character building, and, be guided on a path of productivity from early.
“We want them to take on that path where they’re able to understand and recognise that responsibility is also important where they have to get up early, go to the field to get their field experience, come back and then get ready for the other sessions for the day. So, we are actually preparing them for real life situations when they take on whichever career path they choose,” the Camp Coordinator outlines.
A small group of campers made up the 2023 cohort, who formed close bonds during their six-day stay at the 4-H Club Training Centre at the Denbigh Showground.
Ms. Kerr says the organisers, still mindful of COVID-19, scaled back on the number of participants this year.
“We were oversubscribed because most parents wanted the children to come back out so that they’re able to socialise, interact and network. The number is smaller for better control (and) as we get back, we intend to boost up the capacity,” she points out.
Throughout the life of the camp, the youngsters, all between the ages of 12 and 18, participated in activities such as a dance battle, culture night, farm experience, career expo, a semi-formal dinner and a sports day.
There was also the crowning of a camp king and queen, based on the discipline, behaviour and deportment observed among participants.
National 4-H Boy and Girl of the Year, Ishmael Smythe and Natoya Williams, respectively, who attended the camp, tell JIS News that the platform allowed them to interact with, listen to and mentor their fellow club members.
“It’s been fun! I have made friends from as far as Westmoreland. We had a presentation from a youth farmer and the insights that she gave us, I don’t know if anybody else felt it, but I felt it. Her story was just empowering,” says 18-year-old Ishamael who is from St. Ann and specialises in agro-processing.
Natoya, 17, says, “It is my first time, so I wanted to come for the experience, and carry out my role as an ambassador for the club. I wanted to interact with my clubbites to know more about them and to hear of some challenges they may be facing and where I can assist.”
The Lacovia High School student adds that, “It has been good and I really loved the vibes that I saw and I felt.”