Last year, 7News provided you with extensive coverage of an innovative program launched by the Belize Camping Experience.
It's called Harvest for Kids, and its purpose is to provide outreach to at risk Belize City Children to by giving them an opportunity to get out of their crime-ridden communities and visit farms around Belize.
The objective of the intervention is such that they get to see how the farming communities live, and how peaceful live outside of the city can be like.
Well, the Director of BCE dropped by yesterday, and he told us that the program is active once again:
Alexander Perez - Director, Belize Camping Experience
"The harvest from last year - with those funds we were able to do together with the whole country, we are now putting into practice. Summer camp started last week, we have over 9 camps in Belize and we're looking to reach over 1,500 kids this summer. One of the things that is very unique is that through the funds that we were able to raise through The Harvest for Kids - we have now improved the program, we have our own Belizean curriculum where we have a Belizean story of a young man who went through adversity and now he's very successful. It's something very relevant that our kids can relate to so we can have them more into making the right decisions.
Coming up we have a lot of things that we're doing - we've received more homemade cookies this year so our camp is getting home made cookies and snacks but they are also getting their campers books so at the end of the five days they will take their books home and they can do their activities there. We believe that the only way we will change a child is by building relationships so we have a lot of activities and games. We have one story and we have snacks and building relationship with the kids so it's totally different from a vacation Bible school that they have at a regular church. One of the things that make it unique is that our young people that are working with us - they are all over the country of Belize and when you come at BCE camps you will see the difference where all the young people are involved. We have a lot of silly camp songs and some Belizean songs and people just have to come and see it, what we're doing and we would love to help."
According to Perez, the Harvest for kids program will see approximately 77 acres of crops which the children to help to grow for this year.
Email
Print