The Tribune

PASTOR Carlos Reid has questioned the rationale for cancelling summer camps and their associated activities after new restrictions that came into force Monday said the programmes are prohibited.

The news has been disappointing for Geneen Evans and her 12-year-old daughter who was looking forward to summertime fun.

Ms Evans recently experienced a house fire and they both were looking forward to better scenery outside of the damage the fire caused.

“I’m a single parent of one and I wanted her to be in a safe, fun, learning environment for the rest of the summer and it was a blow to both of us,” Ms Evans said. “So, I’m not feeling very good about it, but what could you? I understand the protocol and procedures, but at the same time, you’ve got kids at home, and you want them to be safe,” she said.

She added: “I recently had a fire at the house about three weeks ago. So, it was contained to the kitchen. Thank God the fireman got there on time, and you know, was waiting for, to save life and property. That’s the reason why I really wanted her to be somewhere other than, you know, than home.”

Ms Evans’ daughter is an athlete, and the track season is closed. She wanted her to do something else because “kids tend to get lazy” when they are stationary.

Her daughter was in the King’s Son Summer Camp.

“I was like, ‘Hey, you, do you want to do basketball?’ She said, yes and I was like, great. So for the past three weeks, we’ve been getting up and going to camp and she was eager to go.”

Pastor Reid is CEO of the King’s Son Mentoring Programme.

The pastor noted that COVID-19 is serious, and ways have to be found to prevent the spread of it but at the same time he said the country could not “roll over (and) play dead because life still has to go on”.

He further highlighted how the camp was also trying to prevent young boys from turning to gangs.

“When we look at these kids like we are fighting a bigger disease with them – the disease where gangs are impacting them. One of the major problems we have in this is like gang violence. When we look at what we’re trying to do, we’re trying to be able to prevent young people from becoming a part of this disease.

“I believe that summer camps can still go on. I believe that there could be some regulations that are put in place to make sure that we don’t contribute to the spread of COVID-19, but to just come down and shut down some things without providing clerical data. During the pandemic, during the course of this summer, has there been any data that has established to say that summer camps are contributing to the spread of this disease? There’s none.”

“Why not see how we can come to a table and see how we can now put some measures and some stipulations in place to make sure that it don’t come to that.”

He further expressed concern about not offering sufficient activities for children while they are at home during the summer months.

“Now what I do know to experience is that if we don’t provide alternative solutions during the summer, it’s going to contribute to the rise in gang violence, persons joining gangs, lawlessness, crime. So we know for a fact because clerical data could be provided on this,” he said.

“So, now you’re putting in a stipulation that you can’t provide clerical data, but disregarding the fact that clerical data do exist to say that you don’t have alternative programmes for these young people, (which) teaching them sense.”