Belize Council for the Visually Impaired
What can be said of the BCVI Summer Camps for Kids? They are exciting & fun learning experiences, and the camps are something that is looked forward to each year by staff, clients & volunteers alike.
The first Summer Camp was held in 1997 at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary & Jaguar Preserve, southwest from Dangriga in the Stann Creek District, about 10 miles away from any settlement. We had our share of scares from snakes to scorpions, but children, siblings & staff came away from that camp with happy memories.
Because of the success of that first camp, Summer Camps have become an annual activity of BCVI. Summer Camp 1998 was again held at the Jaguar Preserve, but the venue was changed for Summer Camp 1999. In this year it was held at the Santa Familia Monastery in Santa Elena Village in the Cayo District.
It was suggested that a theme for each Summer Camp be chosen, and the theme slogan would be placed on the camp T-shirts. The theme for 1999 was, "It's All about Reading." This theme meant that all the activities of the camp would incorporate reading & writing, whether in print or braille.
The convenience offered to us at the monastery encouraged us to return in 2000 when our theme was "Reaching for the Stars", and again in 2001 with a theme of "Exploring the World through Reading."
But learning is only part of what the Summer Camps offer. The children are taken on field trips to well-known areas of the country such as San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, where they enjoy swimming in the ocean & playing in the sand.
In keeping with the educational aspect of the camps, in 2004, for the first time, the children's stay was extended to include an extra week, during which they lodged in Belize City at the Stella Maris School. The participants took part in everything from arts & crafts to computer training.
With the help of the screen-reading computer software programme "JAWS", students were able to read & write e-mail & Microsoft Word documents. They also had the opportunity to surf on the Internet with the help of MyCuz.Net, who provided free Internet access.
We hope to continue providing this fun & educational event for all our children & young adults who are blind or visually impaired.
