00:00With activities including mask-making, wire-bending, traditional carnival masquerade, dance and
00:06acting, the camp allows children to explore history creatively.
00:11The younger ones, they don't really have a knowledge of the history, they don't have
00:16a knowledge of the past, and not everything is bikini and beads, right?
00:24Carnival is not only the costume, it's also the theatre.
00:27So we try to implement some of those art forms in what we do here.
00:34On the impact that the camp has had on children, Donna Gittens-Charles, the assistant camp
00:38coordinator, adds that there is more than just the physical skills that the children
00:42gain.
00:43The children here, they are gaining self-awareness, they are gaining awareness of who they are
00:53and what they can be.
00:54They are also tapping into their creative energies, and they are becoming more confident
00:59in themselves.
01:01Some of them, they first came and didn't even want to say their names, and now you can talk
01:05to them and carry on a conversation with them, they are more open and willing to learn.
01:11Kalinda James, a parent, says camps such as these are important in shaping the lives of
01:16young children and informing them about history in creative ways.
01:21He hopes his daughter is able to make connections and interact more while also gaining skills
01:26at the age of three.
01:28Speaking about the goals of the camp, Naya Thompson, coordinator of Zante, says creating
01:34a positive impact on the participants is key.
01:38So the goal, the aim is to, as you said, impact their lives, to make them think about their
01:45country, to make them have a deeper appreciation for our history and our people, and to know
01:51that we had struggles, we had moments where we can be proud of, things that we can be
01:57proud of, things that you can become something authentic with in Trinidad and Tobago, whether
02:04that be a traditional character, or you can pursue crafts, or any music, sound, playing
02:11pan, so it's just to show that we have a strong history that can be or should be celebrated.
02:23Zante Camp will showcase the skills of the children acquired during the four weeks on
02:27August 4th.
02:28We have a final showcase where we have a display of all the arts and crafts that the kids would
02:35have done over the past four weeks, and also they are going to put on a play, so the play
02:41has costumes and different carnival characters, and hopefully still it's working, we're working
02:47on it, so everything that they did during the four weeks again, in terms of dance, music,
02:54learning lines, they would perform on the 4th, so that's why it's so cute.
02:59Anyone interested in celebrating the achievements of the children with Zante Camp can join them
03:04at the Belmont Community Centre at 3pm, and also enjoy a showcase of Trinidad and Tobago's
03:10history.
03:11Faith Chariot, TV6 News.
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