Diversity key to national youth camp’s success
Port Alfred High School well represented in leaders
GREEN Fountain Farm just outside Port Alfred was again host to the annual Department of Sport, Recreation Arts and Culture (DSRAC) national youth camp last week, and diversity was the key to its success.
In order to qualify for admittance to the camp, Grade 10 and 11 pupils were required to write a test, the results of which led to their selection.
The youth camp is a national programme sponsored by DSRAC with the purpose of integration and harmony between children of all race groups.
This year, following many complaints with respect to the composition of previous camps, more white and coloured pupils were recruited. Port Alfred High School (PAHS) had a total of nine pupils in attendance.
During camp, each group had to elect a leader and three leaders were from PAHS.
At the end of the camp, the pupils elect one overall leader from the Eastern Cape camp. Sam Solz from PAHS was overwhelmingly voted to be the camp leader. She will now represent the Eastern Cape and will possibly be on the exchange programme with Lower Saxony in Germany.
“We had a total of 250 kids and some 35 officials,” manager of the Titi Jonas Multipurpose Community Centre and one of the event organisers Alroy Taai said.
“All activities were handled by the sport volunteers from the department and it worked well.”
However, Taai said he was disappointed that the pupils did not get to do the obstacle course, hiking, horse-riding and the much-enjoyed power-boating with Keryn's Dive School, and said he would raise these matters on the camp evaluation meeting with the department.