Picture: The 120 participants of the National Youth Camp/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The week-long camp that targeted Grade 10 learners and learners from special schools and aimed to address the holistic needs and challenges of young people has been completed. Some of the aspects discussed at the camp that was held at Warthog Adventure Camping Site in Brits were economic participation, educational skills development, character building, leadership skills, social cohesion, nation building, community service, sport and recreation activities and motivation.
The camp was organised by the North West Department of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation. The Head of Department, Itumeleng Mogorosi emphasised the importance of the participants to be fully committed to what they were taught and imparting lessons learned with communities they come from.
“We encouraged participants to use knowledge from Love Life stewards, lessons from Provincial Recreation (PRO-REC) facilitators, experience from NYDA outreach programme, and career guidance to emancipate themselves for their future.
“With this camp, we want you to be cognisant of your environment. Be mindful of challenges facing our society such as unemployment, substance abuse and Gender-Based Violence (GBV). We want you to be mindful of life’s challenges and be determined to overcome them,” he said.
Mogorosi further said the participants should be inspired with a sense of patriotism and create the future they want. He added that, the content of the youth camp included leadership, social cohesion, entrepreneurship, nation building and community outreach programme.
“The department took 30 learners from different schools in each district. These learners were divided into six different classes. We provided them with attire for the duration of their stay in the camp.
“The move sought to ensure that all participants had the same look and that there is no differentiation between the haves and the have-nots, based on social background and educational performance level,” said Mogorosi.
Meanwhile, one of the participants, Bokamoso Ncele (16) from Lichtenburg, praised the camp, saying she would encourage other young learners to compete in the Olympiads taking place in different schools, which have been identified by the North West Department of Education, where camp participants are then identified.
“The camp was very interesting and I enjoyed every single day of it. From classrooms to physical activities, which taught us so much about our country and our capabilities working together.
“I learned about what it takes to be a leader and different opportunities we have as youth. I was even able to come out of my shell and today I was able to be the 2023 youth camp closing ceremony’s Programme Director,” she said.
The Guardian 