“Born frees” conquer fears at Boland Youth Camp

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS), the National Department of Sport and Recreation, SRSA and LoveLife hosted 99 “born-free” youth at the Boland Regional Youth Camp in Grabouw from 29–31 August 2014. The event drew young people from the Cape Winelands and Overberg regions of the Western Cape.

The jam-packed programme included recreational and cultural activities as well as life skills discussions facilitated by LoveLife. Youngsters got to explore who they are, to develop their communication and leadership skills, and to experience the power of teamwork through physical activities.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the camp. I learned a lot that I can implement in my own life. The highlight was definitely the physical activities we did on Saturday,” said Danelle Joemat (19) from Elim. The recreational activities were facilitated by Back2Basics. These included raft building, as well as low rope and high rope courses which assisted the youth to build confidence and overcome their fears.

Leonie Kokaan, a LoveLife facilitator who works with youth every day, says she was really impressed with the calibre of participants at the camp. “It was a good experience. They were enthusiastic and participated well,” she said.

Regional camps have now been held in Boland, Metro, South Western Districts and West Coast. The most promising 300 participants will participate in the Western Cape provincial youth camp to take place in Tulbagh from 5–11 October.