BEHIND THE SCENES AT SUPAKIDZ CAMPS

BEHIND

THE SCENES

CAMPS AT SUPAKIDZ BY ANDREW RAMSBOTTOM Children and Families Consultant, SUNZ Andrew heads up our SUPAkidz camps for primary-aged children.

His mum gave him a hug goodbye and reluctantly got into her car. As she drove off, she waved out of the open car window and called back,"Bye Gerald. Have a great time. I love you." The look on Gerald’s face hinted that he wasn’t convinced by his mum’s goodbye comments. The small group leader, who had earlier welcomed Gerald to camp with a big smile, noticed. He bent down and said, "Gerald your mum is awesome and we are going to have a blast this week at camp. Come on, let’s go and see what the other boys from our group are doing." At SUPAkidz camps, each camper is part of a small group (no more than six children) assigned to a particular leader. The leaders are trained to intentionally build relationships with the campers and give the children in their group a safe, fun and growth experience at camp. This is no easy task. However, it is this relationship-building that gives children like Gerald a sense of belonging and a safe place to make new friends and discover more about the God of the Bible. Relationship-building takes place as we play a wide variety of games, eat meals together, follow wake-up and bedtime routines, and spend time exploring the Bible. Some of the games we play are just for fun and some are designed to give campers new experiences and challenges. Sometimes small groups compete against other groups and other times it is all-in-together as a camp-wide game. The daily wake-up routine is a time where we teach the children how to have a quiet time with God, with the Bible and prayer as integral parts of the process. Our hope is that children will go home and continue this faith-forming habit. We know some children, who are now adults, who started this habit at a SUPAkidz camp! Our bedtime routine again includes the Bible and prayer, along with a time of reflection and sharing about the day. During the day also, time is dedicated to exploring the Bible in creative ways that allow time and space for campers and leaders to learn for themselves who God is. Our intentional focus on relationship-building helps campers leave camp with an experience of fun in a safe environment. They have made new friends, grow in themselves and faith, and some are changed for life. Gerald didn’t want to leave at the end of camp. His mum later emailed to ask when the next camp was happening. Gerald had enjoyed camp so much that he wanted to go again!