School is out, summer camp is in

School may be out for the summer, but that doesn’t mean the classrooms will be empty for the next two months.

Summer camps kicked off across the Maritimes, including a pair of programs run by the Greater Saint John Boys & Girls Club at Simonds High School.

“Everyone was super excited,” said BGC education coordinator Cleora Nice-Hart on the opening day of camp. “Parents are excited, kids are excited. It was very loud in here at around 9 a.m., councillors were chomping at the bit, both nervous and excited to see how the day was going to go.”

The first of the two camp programs happening out of the high school is called “Brain Gain”, which is offered for kids aged six to 11 designed to prevent summer learning loss. The camp has daily reading, writing, and match practices to keep kids sharp, while also ensuring there is plenty of time to play.

The camps' 2024 themes are “Zookids” and “Superhero Training.” The two-week programs come at a cost of just $25 and provides kids with a chance for some hands on learning of Saint John’s picturesque nature scenes, and even a special visit from Moncton’s travelling zoo.

Camper Bhavya Gogoi is looking forward to the next few weeks of camp, but the thing she enjoys most about it are the friendships.

“There's going to be many people you'll be able to trust,” she says to those worried about coming to camp. “There's counselors and you can make many friends and you might find some of your old friends there too.”

Joanna Hetherington is a first year counsellor with BGC. She is planning to work with kids in some fashion once she finishes university, making the camp counsellor job a perfect way to see what she is getting into.

She has fond memories of going to camp when she was a kid, and looks forward to recreating those for the next generation.

“Summer camp was an awesome experience to meet new people and create friendships and bonds that these kids can look for in their future, and to recognize faces going into school,” she says. “I'm super excited to be able to work with kids and to learn their personalities and what interests they have, because when I was little, those interests aren't the same as they are now.”

The BGC also holds youth camps for teens aged 12 to 16. The purpose of these programs is to help the youth find themselves and what they are passionate about by focusing on a new topic each week including art, sport, and science among others.

They are also taught new skills through various challenges and projects, meet others with similar interests, and even will have the chance to work in a retail store to get real-life work experience.

The Greater Saint John Boys & Girls Club hosts its Youth Camp at Simonds High School in Saint John, N.B. (Avery MacRae/CTV Atlantic)

For 14-year old Valeria Quintero, she is thrilled to still be able to have camp programs offered for herself and others her age.

“I feel like they shouldn't leave out the older kids.” Quintero says. “Because as I said, we don't have as much things to do like the younger kids, so it's nice to have options for older kids so we can have fun and do activities.”

“It helped me socialize more and have fun,” says fellow 14-year old camper Ana Lopez. “I used to be at home all the time until I came last year, and I had so much fun.”

Nice-Hart says summer camps are essential for all kids no matter their age, and everyone should have a chance to attend them if they so choose. Specifically on the older group, Nice-Hart says they are often neglected.

“We think that those youth at that point just don't really want to participate, and it's not that they don't want to participate it’s that we're not giving them what they want,” she points out. “They want access to jobs, they want transitional support, they want social emotional support, and they just don't know how to ask for it.”

She says it is important to support the youth during this age when they need less support in the public eye, but still need that help behind the scenes.

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