YFDN hosts residential camp for 33 young people
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Youth-For-Development Network (YFDN), through its Youth Champions Initiative (YCI), has concluded its flagship residential camp, #CampHEART2Art 2026, bringing together 33 young people from 12 communities across four parishes for a five-day programme focused on leadership, life skills, creative expression and community-building.
According to a release from YFDN, the camp was held from August 12–16 at Tapioca Village Retreat in St Mary and featured sport, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, psychosocial support, innovation and cultural expression. The programme was rooted in the belief that “Sport is the entry point. The development is the destination.”
The camp brought together youth from Clarendon, Kingston, St James and St Catherine, many of whom were first-time travellers outside their home parish. Participants were organised into five cross-community family groups, where they built bonds of trust and solidarity that transcended geography, background and circumstance.
The camp launched on UN International Day of Youth (August 12) with an opening ceremony, anchored by a Youth Day SDG Declaration activity led by YCI Youth Champion Matthew Petgrave.
The ceremony also featured remarks from Errol Sinclair, owner of Tapioca Village Retreat; Camille Jackson Bailey of the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s Community Renewal Programme; and Camp Director Andre Wilson.
Youth also signed a Champions Charter, a collective commitment to growth, respect and community, and named their five family groups during an evening identity ceremony.
Across five days, participants engaged in workshops on Personal Finance, The Business of Sport, Forex Trading, DreamBuilder Entrepreneurship, CV Writing and Mock Interviews. They also participated in a Youth Innovation Space offering 3D and Vinyl Printing, Web Design and Game App Building.
The programme also included GBV Prevention and Psychosocial Support sessions, a 6-A-Side football tournament, and creative nights including ‘Who Mi Be’ Cultural Night and the ‘Riddim & Soul’ Open Mic Showcase.
The camp culminated in a Family Engagement Day featuring a Sip & Paint session, a Raising a Champion parent workshop, a shared family lunch and a closing Love Circle ceremony where every young person was celebrated in front of their family.
