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.

Summer Camp 2009 - "Inclusion"

This year, the camp focused on children who are blind who are integrated in mainstream schools, from pre-kindergarten to university. The theme, “Inclusion. Inklushan. Inclusión.,” speaks for itself and encompasses not only the objective for Camp, but the idea behind BCVI’s entire Rehabilitation Department – social and educational inclusion for all Belizeans, regardless of disability or race. (The theme was displayed in English, Kriol and Spanish - the three primary languages of Belize.)

The camp took place from 13th July to 24th July 2009 at the Stella Maris Compound in Belize City. The goal of this camp was to provide social, educational and independent living skills that will allow for smooth inclusion in all aspects of home, school and community life.

Over 20 blind and low vision clients between the ages of 4 to 24 were hosted for the two weeks. Many of them were accompanied by siblings or parents and were supervised and entertained by BCVIs Rehabilitation Field officers (RFOs) as well as other volunteers from our community. These 30 clients were carefully selected based on need and it allowed the RFOs and Rehab Coordinator to provide a more individualized assessment of the levels of performance for each camper.

After consultations with teachers, parents and RFOs, Individualized Education and Rehab Plans for the duration of two weeks were written for each participant based on skills needs. Lessons for the campers who are blind included Braille, cubarithm, English and Math, and Orientation and Mobility. Children with Low Vision were trained in use the low vision devices provided through BCVI. The equipment assists with reading, writing, Math and English. Extra curricular activities such as computer usage, physical exercises, Arts & Crafts and music were also enjoyed by the children in both groups.

In addition to educational development, BCVI also strives to promote and instill social inclusion. It is with this in mind, that field trips were organized for the campers. It was a countrywide effort and thanks to a donation from the Corozal City Council, the children enjoyed a day swimming at Miami Beach in the Corozal District. The Bacab Eco Resort also hosted the campers for a half day. BCVI staff members treated the children to two live sessions of the Live Broadcasting of DUETS a local talent show/competition with acting, music and dancing. There were also several outings to Belize City’s BTL Park where the children were free to play on the swing sets and run around to their heart’s content.

This was the smallest and most individualized Summer Camp BCVI has ever conducted. The benefits of this one-on-one training are beyond measure, and Inclusion is well underway.