WHITEHOUSE, Westmoreland — TWENTY-EIGHT youngsters from Westmoreland and St Elizabeth recently participated in the first-ever Poetry and Presentation Summer Camp facilitated by Sandals Whitehouse European Village and Spa.

The camp, driven by the slogan ‘play with your words: Create your poetic masterpiece’, ran from July 27 to August 2 at the Whitehouse Branch Library. Youngsters between the ages of 8 and 16 were given the opportunity to work with writers, English teachers, actors from the Tight Theatre Company, and representatives from the Jamaica Cultural and Development Commission’s St Elizabeth office. The week culminated with a Grand Poetry Show where participants took to the stage on Sunday, August 2 to showcase their poetic talents to colleagues, family members and the wider community.

The camp, which was conceptualised by Sandals Whitehouse’s General Manager Courtney Miller and hosted by the resort’s public relations department, represented the resort chain’s commitment to the holistic development of youths.

“The results of the camp were exactly what we hoped for; not only were the campers’ writing skills developed, but also their confidence and poise. Many of them recognised their talent there and we saw them grow in confidence throughout the week,” Miller said.

The youngsters also received formal training on stage presentation and public speaking from JCDC’s parish manager for St Elizabeth Casmarine Daley. They also benefited from life skills training, through sessions on self-esteem, conflict resolution, goal-setting, team work, self-value and leadership, conducted by Sandals Whitehouse managers Chris Ghita and Girdeen Myers, as well as Camp Hope’s Suzette Hardeen.

Sandals Whitehouse’s public relations manager and camp co-ordinator, Jervene Simpson, expressed her pleasure to be a part of the initiative and her pride in the youngsters.

“This is the camp’s first year and we are already having children wanting to sign up for next summer. Next year we hope to increase the number of available spaces so more youngsters can be given a voice through poetry and presentation. This camp really touched many of our participants. Many of them didn’t know they could write poems and stand in front of scores of people to present their pieces,” Simpson said.

She also hopes the youngsters will continue to apply all they have learnt and “put their thoughts on paper and sharing it with the world”.

One participant, Alessandra Brown, who walked away with the prize for top student in the high school category, said: “Camp was so much fun, I learnt so many things that I didn’t know much about, met a lot of fun and new people, and bonded so well with the campers and our camp co-ordinators. My confidence level soared throughout the week, especially after learning about all the presentation techniques. I felt really good sharing my Mi Culcha poem and getting rave reviews from the audience. Next year I am definitely signing up early for camp.”

Parents, community members and well-wishers were all in awe of the production on Sunday, with many revealing that they didn’t know that their children could create such great poetry and recite them so confidently. “Micale learnt so much over the past seven days at camp that she was even teaching me! When she went on that stage, took the microphone and recited her poem so boldly, my heart felt full. She made me proud and I am thankful to Sandals Whitehouse for giving her the opportunity to show off her talent. She even won a prize for most outspoken student!” shared Ann-Marie Jones, a proud parent.

All camp participants received a daily complimentary meal from Sandals Whitehouse, camp-branded T-shirts, and back to school packages courtesy of the Sandals Foundation.