All Smiles (And Some Tears) at Ritsona Summer Camp
Lighthouse Relief developed summer programmes after identifying a need to provide school-aged children with a safe place to continue to learn and play during the summer months
By: Melissa Ross
Every weekday afternoon, the mere sight of Lighthouse Relief volunteers hoisting up our colourful Summer Camp sign in Ritsona refugee camp is enough to bring children in from all directions. Most have attended the programme since the school year ended in late June, so they know activities won’t begin until 13:00 — but that never stops some children from showing up early to try to get a head start on the fun.
Lighthouse Relief developed summer programmes after identifying a need to provide school-aged children with a safe place to continue to learn and play during the summer months and to allow them to regain a sense of normality even in the midst of a very difficult life transition. Like our year-long Child Friendly Space (CFS) for children aged 3 to 5, the purpose of our summer activities is to offer psychosocial support services that reinforce the resilience and well-being of children. These programmes allow kids to create art projects, play sports, build friendships, interact with volunteers, and learn about health and hygiene through fun thematic activities. To cater to the specific needs and interests of different age groups, we currently run two summer programmes: a Summer Camp for children aged 6–9, and a separate set of activities for 10–14 year olds in a space affectionately coined by participants as “Disco Ritsona.”
Anita Winch, the programme facilitator for Ritsona Summer Camp, notes that the programmes are also meant to support parents by providing them with quiet respite for a few hours in the afternoon.
In the spring, Summer Camp programme facilitators worked hard to plan a set of activities that could strategically and thoughtfully engage children in a meaningful way. Seeing their programmatic plans come to life over the summer — powered by skilled international volunteers from around the world — is described as an incredibly rewarding experience. Lucile Boccon Gibod, the facilitator for Disco Ritsona adds, “It’s important to me to keep the team energized and to remember the bigger goals.”
For volunteers, the day starts well before those children come running up in the afternoon. Each morning, they meet in the CFS workspace in Ritsona to organize the arts and crafts supplies, assign snack distribution roles, and finalize the daily schedule. One of many volunteers’ favourite daily activities is brainstorming new games to play with the younger children, which is essential to ensuring that kids remain entertained, active, and out of trouble.
One major programme goal is to help children recognize their emotions. Identifying and acknowledging feelings is profoundly important in this situation where past traumatic experiences cause some children to demonstrate erratic and sometimes aggressive behavior. Energy levels are high and anger can flash quickly, so volunteers are trained on how to respond to everything from mood swings to hurt feelings.
As an example, Lucile explains that if a child does not like their art project, volunteers are encouraged to acknowledge the child’s disatisfaction and reaffirm that it is okay to express their feelings. A positive affirmation such as, “No, it looks great!” undermines a child’s capacity for emotional recognition.
Volunteers also observe children’s behavior to monitor for symptoms of trauma and abuse. Lighthouse Relief is committed to identifying and referring the vulnerable cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence against children that can occur in many different contexts, including as a result of conflict and forced displacement. Daily interaction with the children allows volunteers to get to know each child individually and identify a range of behaviors, including positive changes.
Even on the tougher days, Lucile remains upbeat and truly believes that the programme makes a positive difference in the lives of the children even though there’s more that should be done. “It’s not enough for the children, but it’s good enough for what we can do. Every day is good enough,” she says with a smile.
A big part of maintaining a positive and welcoming environment is establishing agreed-upon rules for the summer programmes. The rules are posted on the wall in both English and Arabic and include: don’t hurt each other, be respectful of people and things, be kind and listen to each other, if you have a problem use words and talk to us, and be a good example to the young kids.
The parents of the children who attend Ritsona Summer Camp and Disco appreciate that the programmes give their children organized and constructive activities, and even occasionally participate themselves. Because Summer Camp is held in an open field in Ritsona, Anita says that some parents come to see what their children are doing. Mothers who participate in Lighthouse Relief’s Female Friendly Space (FFS) are especially likely to stop by, but fathers will also sometimes engage in a game of football or talk with male volunteers to practice their English.
Reflecting on the summer, Lucile sees that the children have made progress in their relationships with each other and the volunteers. Her hope is that when the programme ends and school begins, the children will continue to play with each other with the same respect instilled in them during their time at Ritsona Summer Camp and Disco.
Anita echoes the same sentiment, “It’s been really nice to build relationships with the kids and give them something fun to look forward to everyday. Hopefully they have also built positive peer relationships that will continue when they go back to school.”
Originally published at www.lighthouserelief.org.
