Get Inspired

Outside the activity room at Abbotsford Collegiate School, it’s not exactly a perfect summer day, but the 20 or so kids attending the 2010 Legacies Now Explorations Camp don’t seem to notice or care.

At one table, eight-year-old Brooklyn is working on a sock puppet. Across the room, Tristan is painting a picture frame that will soon contain one of his pastel drawings. He says he is eight years old too, "but turning nine pretty soon." His sister Kiera has already finished her picture frame and takes a break from watching her brother to practice her cart-wheels.

In another part of the building, there are "the other kids." They are taking part in an almost identical camp where exploration of various art mediums is similarly interspersed with just enough play-time to provide the variety of activity that is essential to keeping young minds and bodies amused during the precious weeks of summer. The only difference is that these kids are from families that can afford the nominal participation fee required.

Back at the Explorations Camp, the activities, instruction, materials and lunches are provided free of charge to children aged six to 11 whose families face financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent them from taking part. Made possible by a partnership between the provincial Ministry of Education and 2010 Legacies Now, it is the last of six such camps offered at various Central Abbotsford locations in July and August.

Similar scenes have unfolded throughout the summer all across the province. The camps, which focus on arts, sport and recreation, or a combination of the two, continued the work done the previous summer and during the pilot program in 2005 to bring elementary schools, students and their communities together and build long-term partnerships to support and enhance the lives of children.  In urban areas, the focus is on providing a camp experience for kids whose families could otherwise not afford it.  In rural communities, Explorations delivers a high quality summer camp that the community lacks the resources or capacity to host.

"The school provides the space and we get money from the Kiwanis Club to buy art supplies and the Salvation Army provides the lunches, but we couldn’t do it without the grant from Legacies Now," says Jami Savage, executive director of the Central Abbotsford Community Schools Society. "We work with a fantastic group of school principals who identify the kids who are eligible to attend and help us to get them registered."

At the end of the summer, Savage reports back to the principals on their individual experiences to provide continuity and help monitor future progress.
As Serena and Jessica draw pastel scenes depicting their two-week camp experience, their instructor Susie White looks on, frequently offering words of encouragement and instruction. A recent graduate of University College of the Fraser Valley who majored in Visual Arts and English, Susie is one of two carefully selected local program specialists who have guided some 120 Abbotsford kids to explore a wide range of art activities including dance, music, drama, painting and drawing.

At an adjacent table, another program specialist, Paul Nguyen, works with another small group using water colors. Two high school students, Angela and Carly, are also on hand to increase the level of supervision and instruction, as well as to ensure that the experience is, above all, just plain fun.

"There are four instructors for every 20 kids, which is fantastic because kids need a lot of help and encouragement when working with crafts" says Susie. "In every other camp I’ve been involved with, the ratio is one to 10."

She recalls Leonard from an earlier class, whose mother explained that he was very quiet and withdrawn. Though he remained reserved with the rest of the kids, he became quite chatty with the leaders and seemed to gain confidence as the days went on. Chris was similarly quiet, but his considerable height made him look and feel older than the others. As a result, he was encouraged to help some of the younger kids.

"He went from quiet to awesome," says Susie.

Another student, who appeared to show signs of mild autism, gave up easily and occasionally threw things across the room. Eventually, Susie explained, he became more focused and was particularly proud of the sock puppet he completed, in the form of a shark.

"She’s a really nice leader," says Kiera pointing to Susie, who says she wants to be a teacher just like her. "She makes sure everyone has fun."

Tristan, meanwhile, has finished putting the final touches on his picture frame. He says he wants to come back next year because he likes art and also the trips to the swimming pool.

As the lunch break on the last day approaches, Angela and Carly move towards the centre of the room where Serena and Jessica and their pals are finishing up their drawings. In an obviously well-trained singing voice, Carly belts out a line: "there was a moose," and a boisterous chorus of impish voices parrots the line back in what has clearly become a regular form of musical call and answer.
"He liked to drink a lot of juice," sings Carly. The pattern repeats, line after rhyming line. It’s a familiar routine, and a happy one.

Reflecting on the moment, Susie offers one final observation. "It makes kids feel more confident when they are able to do something. I truly believe that we are helping them obtain a bit of self esteem, and that’s the most important thing of all."

After one last lunch and one last trip to the swimming pool, the kids will each get to choose ten books to take home from a large assortment that has been provided by 2010 Legacies Now Read and Make Progress (RAMP) program.
At that point, the 2010 Legacies Now Exploration Camps will officially came to a close after a second successful summer – a summer in which hundreds of youthful participants from throughout the province arrived, explored, and continued on their individual journeys, equipped with one or two more tools to help build their futures.

Just like all the other kids.