Youths lend a hand at Rockview
During the summer holidays, thousands of Belizean children participate in camps across the country. Today, News Five’s Alyssa Noble caught up with a couple kids hard at work on the Western Highway.
Alyssa Noble, Reporting
This month, Youth for the Future and the National Youth Cadet Service Corp are hosting a summer camp for kids aged 14-18. As part of their activities participants are volunteering at the Rockview Hospital.
Mark Munnings, Chief Disciplinary Officer, Youth Cadets
?Today?s activity is a part of a summer program that we are running at our campus. We chose the Rockview Hospital as the venue for our community service. The service that we will provide with the Rockview Hospital is the cleaning of the institution?s ground. It?s close to our campus, and it?s cost effective for us to just walk over here. And I think this is a special area because we thought this was an area we could assist and help people in.?
Ingrid Clare, Psychiatric Nurse, Rockview Hospital
?For today, they will only be washing down the walls, the outside part of the walls. What happened was that the hospital was recently painted and if you notice the walls are already, with the lots of rains that we had, mud splashed on the wall and dirt. So what we said we would let them do is just wash down and that?s all for today. They will be here for approximately four weeks; once a week on Thursdays in the afternoons.?
According to the volunteers, the experience has been meaningful.
Evan Williams, Camper, Orange Walk
?It has been a pleasure. The camp here is really challenging but quite fun. You get to know a lot of people; you get to learn more things and you know you get to share your knowledge with other people and so forth.?
Caryl Brannon, Y.F.F. Facilitator, Belize District
?It?s something positive that more people should get into because I mean they have the nurses and everything around so we are protected and we have our facilitators here. So I mean it?s nothing to be afraid of, you just need to work with each other and follow the rules. We are here not to make fun of these people but to help them out with the facilities.?
As for the staff, they?re just glad for the assistance.
Ingrid Clare
?I?m very thankful for the help that we?ll be getting. I am pretty sure that we can say that on behalf of the central region and the Minister as well. And so I hope to continue seeing them in the future as well. We always need help. Not only in the area of volunteering to do the work, but also in providing us with certain items. Clothing, if people have clothing that they don?t use, and they are willing to send it to Rockview, they can do so. What happened, we have the Port Loyola Health Center in Belize City so if they have any donations they can just take it there and they will ensure that it gets on the bus to us.?
Alyssa Noble reporting for News Five.
Aside from volunteering, campers are participating in programmes to encourage behaviour modification, build leadership skills and engage in sports and other outdoor activities. For more information on the camp please contact Youth for the Future Secretariat at 227-6282.
