This article is from page 82 of the 2008-07-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 82 JPG
SCENIC trips around the county were among the highlights for young- sters attending the summer camps in Shannon over the past few weeks.
Organised by the youth office in the town, the camps catered for those be- tween the ages of nine and 21, over a three-week period.
During the first week, those aged between nine and 13 attended. The highlights of the week were trips to Ailwee Cave and the Bird of Prey So iiKem to ter
Among the other events included in that summer camp were quasar, bowling, soccer, swimming and sto-
ry-telling.
The second week of the summer camp was for youth club members from Drumgeely and Skyview, along with those from Knocklisheen cen- tre. This camp ran over three days and included a day at Clare Leisure World and a day trip to Killary Ad- venture Centre in County Galway.
The third week was dedicated to the members of the Kick Back Café in Shannon. Geared to those aged between 16 and 21, the camp ran four days of events. A youth evaluation forum was organised, along with a quiz and pizza night, a day trip to La- hinch beach and a free cinema night in Ennis.
The group evaluation will be ad- dressed again in August when the CHIC RAI U IKE
The group has come up with new ideas on how the café can be run more efficiently over the coming months and these will be put to the test over the winter months.
Shannon Youth worker Cathal Dil- lon paid tribute to the work of the volunteers during the busy summer camp season.
“The three weeks of camps were tough going for the both the workers and the volunteers who I must give great credit to. In all, 10 young adults aged 17 and over trained to become summer camp volunteers in July.
They were involved in the hands- on preparation and planning for the camp days, but also helped to run the events and activities organised each day and supervise the young people throughout the camps,” he said.
“It was a gamble this year splitting up the camps to allow for all age groups and unfortunately this proba- bly led to the drop in numbers for the 9 to 13 year old camp, but the qual- ity of the work that took place dur- ing the camps and the enjoyment that the groups seemed to take from the camps was even greater than previ- ous years. Overall, I think that it was a great success” said Shannon youth worker, Pat Kerr.