Kids camp aims to enhance children’s cultural knowledge

By Justin Sibbet - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on July 1, 2023.

All aboard the cultural express! There is a new kid’s camp coming to Lethbridge with the hopes of sparking some curiosity and education about the many cultural heritages that make up the community.

Beginning next week, children will be able to experience a fun-filled adventure with the Southern Alberta Ethnic Association.

Jackie Stambene, membership coordinator for the SAEA, says the week-long event is a brand-new summer camp with a focus on culture.

“We want to continue, as we do in all of our programs, promoting diversity, inclusion and culture,” said Stambene in a phone interview on Monday.

She says the camp is hoping to bring together everything that is expected from a summer camp to new heights.

“We’re really just trying to elevate the experience that kids have in day camps in a different way,” said Stambene. “We’re doing traditional day camp activities like songs, games, stories, going to the park.”

Furthermore, Stambene says the camp will also include a great educational aspect for the children.

“We’re really focusing on teaching the kids more about their community and more about the world around them,” said Stambene.

The event next week is the first of six and this one is, according to Stambene, an introductory camp focusing on the world at large.

The initial camp is titled “Around the World in 80 Days” and Stambene says it will deal with a wide variety of cultures while teaching kids all about their own history.

“We do activities with them for that week and send them home with lots of new information,” said Stambene.

She says the following weekly camps will then focus more specifically on select cultural groups.

“We’ve got ‘Asian Inspirations’ then we’ve got ‘Welcome to Canada’, we’ve got ‘Awesome Africa’ and ‘Multiculture Magic’,” said Stambene.

She says the SAEA hopes to showcase Africa and Asia first and foremost because those cultures represent a large portion of their members.

While Stambene says the future camps are still in the planning stages, the direction for the SAEA is already crystal clear.

“We’re really trying to focus on the member groups that we have here, as well as a few others,” said Stambene. “We want them to support the program by having the ability to teach a game to the children … so the kids get to know who the members are.”

She says the SAEA felt this year would be a good opportunity to put this new summer camp program into motion, with the help of the Telus Community Grant.

“We’re just going ahead and trying it out,” said Stambene.

She says she hopes to see as many children as possible signed up for the camp, with the goal of around 10 kids per adult teacher, to which there are four.

“Have people give us a call, they can register online through Eventbrite,” said Stambene.

The camp next week is open for children ages 6-12, with Stambene saying the SAEA will sort the kids into two groups, 6-8 and 9-12.

The camp kicks off on Monday, July 3 and runs until Friday, July 7, with each day running from 9:00a.m. to 3:00p.m.

The entire week will cost $75 per child for SAEA members, or $150 per child for non-members.

For more information about next week’s camp, or for details on how to register, visit saea.ca.