THE Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) Guyana Chapter is once again staging environmental day camps for youths between the ages of 6 and 14 from Monday next during the current school holidays. The network will hold a total of four day camps: two in Georgetown, one in Berbice and one in Linden, all under the theme: Shaping young eco-changemakers, Public Relations Officer Onika Stellingburg disclosed.
The first camp, named Camp Manatee, will be held in Georgetown between July 20 and 24, the second, Camp Amazon Eco Warriors, will be held from July 27 to 31 also in Georgetown; the third camp, Camp Leatherback Turtle, will be held in Region 6 (East Berbice /Corentyne) from August 3 to 7, and the final camp for youngsters is to be held in Linden between August 10 and 14.
Stellingburg said that the programme is educational in nature and seeks to foster awareness of environmental issues and best practices among children.
The camps, she said, will give the participants a unique opportunity to explore, challenge themselves, collaborate with others and discover the beauty of nature and caring for the environment in a fun and safe space.
It is the second such Environmental Day Camp initiative being held by the CYEN, the first one being held last year
Topics to be covered throughout the programme include Pollution, Climate Change, the Three R’s of the Environment (Reduce, Re-use and Re-cycle), and programmes will feature full day sessions, both formal and informal.
She disclosed that as part of a Regional network, the Guyana Chapter CYEN Guyana is a non-profit youth driven organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life of Caribbean youth by facilitating and promoting their personal development and full involvement in all matters pertaining to sustainable development.
The CYEN Guyana is committed to driving this process at the national level through the use of specialised educational and training programmes as well as community empowerment.
The CYEN Guyana sees these as critical prerequisites for developing an ethic amongst Guyanese youth that will assist in the protection of both human and natural resources, not only in Guyana, but also in the Wider Caribbean, Stellingburg said.
Interested parents who wish to have their children participate in the camps are asked to contact CYEN members Ms. Cush, Tel # 601 4194, or Ms. Fortune 671 1847.
Parents are also invited to visit the CYEN website: www.cyen.org or E Mail the organisation at guyana@cyen.org or become a Facebook fan at: https://www.facebook.com/CYENGuyanaChapter to learn more about the network.
By Clifford Stanley