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Media Releases 2006
$2 MILLION FOR ARTS AND SPORTS SUMMER CAMPS
Victoria, B.C. (May 24, 2007) – The Province will provide $2 million for students to attend 2010 Legacies Now Explorations arts, sport and recreation summer camps, Education Minister Shirley Bond announced today.
“The Explorations camps truly are an Olympic legacy, and our investment in last year’s camps has paid significant dividends,” said Bond. “The confidence and skills these children gained at camp and the school-community partnerships that formed will continue long after 2010.”
This summer, more than 3,000 students in 34 school districts will have the opportunity to participate in camps run by schools and districts in partnership with local community organizations and businesses. The funding builds on the $2.5 million invested last year and helps fulfil government’s commitment to increase access to arts, music and physical activity.
“Encouraging physical activity and developing the capacity for creativity and innovation are two of the most important gifts we can give our children,” said Olga Ilich, Minister of Tourism, Sports and the Arts and the Minister responsible for 2010 Legacies Now. “The Explorations program gives children the opportunity to enhance their learning through play in a fun and supportive summer camp environment.”
Government is providing 2010 Legacies Now with a total of $4.5 million as a legacy fund to provide Explorations camps for years to come. Last year, the camps received a total of $700,000 through Legacies Now. This year’s camps will receive about $500,000.
The program is creating legacies that extend well beyond the summer camp commitment. For example, after last year’s Explorations camp experience, the Pender Islands elementary-secondary school partnered with the Gulf Islands Centre for Ecological Learning to run Friday nature- and arts-based programs. Also, following the introduction of golf in the Central Coast school district’s camp, Golf BC contributed clubs and balls to start a school golf program.
“We’re helping children learn and get excited about opportunities in the arts and sport and recreation, but we’re also helping communities build links to foster those interests long after the camps themselves are complete. That’s the true legacy of this program,” said Lori Baxter, head of 2010 Legacies Now’s arts initiatives.
Explorations camps focus on arts, sport and recreation, or a combination of the two. They are available for students in kindergarten through Grade 7 who normally would not have access to sports or arts programs. The camps provide a wide range of new activities for students, including: First Nations art, music, drama, circus arts, mountain biking, and voyageur canoeing.
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For information on Legacies Now, visit www.2010Legaciesnow.com online.
Media Contact
Public Affairs Bureau
Ministry of Education
250-356-5963
www.gov.bc.ca
