The Tribune

By Kathryn Campbell

THREE weeks of fun and excitement have been planned for the youngsters enrolled in the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development Urban Renewal's annual summer camp.

The camp kicked off Tuesday with an opening ceremony at Evangelistic Temple.

Bishop Hulan Hanna, chairman of the Urban Renewal Board, informed the youngsters that the summer programme was deliberately and carefully planned for them to enjoy.

He told the participants the camp was created because although traveling is customary during the summer, many of them are not able to travel due to circumstances over which they have no control.

Bishop Hanna said, "We have created a programme that will make you happy, cause you to have friends, cause you to grow in your awareness of the need to understand that other people are different from you; and you will leave the centres in the next three weeks being the best possible young people you can be."

He encouraged the camp facilitators to cause the programme be the success that it is envisioned to be.

"Embrace the young people to impact them in a very positive way. Some of our young people may not behave as properly as you would want them to; after all they are our young people.

"Even when they don't behave properly, I want us to be very careful how we respond to them, and what we say to them because at the end of the day we want to develop our children holistically.

"In the country we have challenges. I also know that all is not lost in this country.

"I know that The Bahamas is still the very best place in the world to live, be, and raise children. Let's put our arms around our children.

"Let's make them feel as special as they are. Let's go the extra mile. I want our children to have fun, fun fun."

He appealed to the facilitators to be "deliberate" and "intentional" in their efforts to make the young people feel at home.

Bishop Hanna acknowledged and thanked Shonel Ferguson, MP Fox Hill; Elaine Williams, director, Urban Renewal; Senator Jasmin Dareus, deputy director, Urban Renewal and Pat Francis, acting permanent secretary along with police officers, social workers and all involved in the summer camp for their commitment to community work.