THE Tavel Foundation Youth Organisation on Friday successfully brought the curtain down on its inaugural August youth camp at the Roxanne Burnham Gardens Park, East Ruimveldt.The camp which was conducted by the Founder/President coach Sampson Gilbert lasted three weeks and focused on football development both on and off the field including technical training, discipline as well as laws of the game.
According to coach Gilbert, “The camp was totally successful. It had children ranging from 4 to 17 and in the feedback I realised that they were more aware of things that they did not know (after) coming to camp. Things like how to socialise and manage their anger and how they carried themselves.”
He noted that the camp works with youths in the East Ruimveldt area and had the added bonus of using football as medium to harness the attention and spare time of the youngsters and set them on a path to focusing on life skills.
“We tried to make indelible impression in the minds of the children and how they recreated after the camp and how they conducted themselves after. I could see that the camp was successful,” the coach continued.
Among the other initiatives focused on during the three-week camp included nutrition, hydration, warm-ups, field trips to the museum, as well as education on the environment and the importance of keeping the environment clean.
The camp, which catered to 45 students, also featured officials from the Child Protection Agency speaking about child abuse and the importance of reporting abuse as well as their social behaviour.
The event will be an annual one according to coach Gilbert.