The MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Ms. Berenice Sinxeve encouraged the youth attending the 2019 National Youth Camp to grab opportunities presented to them to learn and acquire new skills. MEC Sinxeve was interacting with the youths during the opening ceremony at Warrenton Resort in the Frances Baard District on Sunday, 01 December 2019. She was accompanied by the Head of Department Ms. Ruth Palm and Chief Director for Programmes Mr. David Mdutyana.
Two hundred youths from across the Northern Cape have gathered at the resort for the eighth annual Youth Camp. The seven day gathering will run until Friday, 06 December 2019. It has been put together by the Provincial and National Departments of Sport, Arts and Culture together with other strategic partners. It is hosted under the theme: “One Heart One Africa;”
The 2019 Youth Camp has attracted participants who were doing grade eleven during the 2019 academic year. The group went through a stringent recruitment and selection process which was verified by the National Department of Sport and Recreation.
The Youth Camp motto – Learn, Lead and Serve – captures the essence of its focus, which is to nurture the spirit of social cohesion and nation building, and provide young South Africans with leadership and life skills and values that will help them develop into proud and patriotic leader citizens.
The youths were excitingly introduced to their facilitators and caretakers for the week. They participated in song, poetry and dance that kept them entertained. During the opening facilitators outlined the activities that will take place during the course of the week. They were provided with green and white tracksuits as well as matching footwear. Excited participant from Kuruman Neo Balepile excitingly stated that this was the first time he has ever left his home town and he can’t wait to make new friends.
A day during the seven-day-long camp was set aside for community service, where Trailblazers visited impoverished communities in the vicinity of the camp venue to do community work.