Children Benefit from Literacy and Numeracy Summer Camp

Thirty-five children benefited from a two-week Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)-sponsored literacy and numeracy summer camp, held in Rosemount Gardens, Montego Bay, St. James.

The camp, which culminated on Friday (August 5), was designed to improve the youngsters’ conflict resolution skills, while impacting their education and personal development.

Children from six to 17 years of age were targeted and engaged in extracurricular activities as well as motivational talks.

The Rosemount Gardens Citizens Association hosted the initiative, with support from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), mathematics and literacy specialists, guidance counsellors and the Rosemount Gardens Moravian Church, where the camp was held.

President of the Association, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Yvonne Whyte-Powell, said the camp brought about life-changing experiences for the participants, adding that there were marked improvements in children’s mathematics skills as well as their deportment.

“There were some children, when they came here, they just sat there. They were here because their parents told them to come, but at the end of the camp you had greater participation,” she said.

“Even with the numeracy and the literacy, because when the assessment was done, the level of literacy was high at 67 per cent, but the numeracy was not so good… . At the end, there was considerable improvement. When we had maths quiz and the spelling quiz, those children who were struggling participated and they learned,” DSP Whyte-Powell told JIS News.

She pointed out that community members also played a pivotal role in the success of the camp.

Children who participated in the camp were eager to share their heartwarming experience.

Twelve-year-old Rafael Nadal Stephenson said he did not hesitate when he was asked to participate in the camp.

He told JIS News that he gained a wealth of knowledge and improved his interpersonal skills.

“I made a lot of friends. We went on a trip, and we had fun laughing and everything. On an event, there was a guest speaker; he was a Police Officer, and he came and talked to us how to identify a police officer,” he shared.

His sister, 13-year-old Malia, also had high praises for the camp, noting that she was grateful for the experience to meet new people and learn new topics that would contribute to her holistic development.

“Personally, I got to meet a lot of people and got closer to a lot of people. We did maths and spelling. I learned to spell new words and words that I really couldn’t get from the top of my head, and we got to do simplifying math around my age group,” Malia explained.

For her part, Mount Alvernia High student, 12-year-old Sherina Mills, said the camp was a beacon of hope for herself and other participants.

She shared that she was able to showcase her athletic prowess at the Camp’s Sports Day.

“It was a pretty good experience. There was sports day, sack race, water race, 50- metre race and I won all of those,” Sherina said.

Community member, Grace-Ann Leach, said the camp should have a positive and lasting impact on the youngsters.

“I believe that they are the future, and this is a positive a programme that will encourage them in a way that will guide them to the future. As I said, children are the future and I believe they can, and this will empower them to be great men and women of tomorrow,” she said.

Former President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), Janet Silvera, who gave the keynote address at the closing ceremony, said the camp would help to produce influential leaders of tomorrow.

“I understand that the entire community came together and was part of this tremendous project that has transformed the lives of the young people who are the future of this country. Know that it is you who are going to make a difference in this country. You are the leaders of tomorrow,” she said.

Ms. Silvera encouraged the community to help steer youngsters from a path of criminality and to protect them from the influence of violent and lewd music.

The camp was held under the theme ‘I can make a difference’.