The City’s Recreation and Parks Department hosted another successful Camp Cape Town where learners participated in a wide range of outdoor team building activities which created an excellent opportunity to develop important leadership and life skills. Camp Cape Town is a stepping-stone to the City’s Recreational Leadership Development Programme (RLDP).

The seventh Camp Cape Town was held this week at the City of Cape Town’s Zandvlei Resort in Muizenberg. The annual event is an opportunity for leaners that showed exceptional character and active participation in the various programmes that are offered by the City’s Recreation and Parks Department. These learners are then afforded the opportunity to attend the camp and qualify for the City’s three-year RLDP.

The camp was attended by 120 learners, from which 36 were selected to participate in the RLDP, which is one of many youth development programmes managed by this City’s department which is designed to create opportunities for the youth to become active citizens and residents.

The City has a responsibility to create opportunities for young people to be part of development incentives so that they can learn important life skills and improve their ability to become leaders.

‘These programmes offer a chance for personal development that will be to the benefit of their personal lives but also to their future chosen career paths. We help to shape them so that they are enabled to lead by example and be role models for other young people,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

Camp Cape Town also provides the opportunity to learn how to use leisure time more meaningfully and combine it with physical activities which promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Of the many activities that are on offer at the camp, the most popular outdoor activities included a hike up Muizenberg mountain, kayaking, and educational walks along the coast and the Zandvlei Estuary.

‘An appreciation for, and conservation of our valuable fauna and flora is but one of the many laws that nature teaches us. The camp also taught the participants how to interact with nature and how we as residents should interact and work together to achieve a common goal,’ said Councillor Badroodien.

Those learners who moved on to the three-year RLDP programme will focus on critical areas such as personal development, responsibilities that come with being a member of the community and how to use recreational activities to empower young people by transferring knowledge and learning skills. They will also play a leading role at workshops and volunteer sessions at afterschool and holiday programmes.

‘For many of these young participants the camp is a step towards becoming tomorrow’s leaders. We are extremely proud of what they have achieved over such a short period of time. I would like to congratulate those who will be participating in the leadership programme and I hope that they will make use of every opportunity to learn new skills that will improve their confidence and self-esteem.

‘These young leaders are now equipped and will be able to share their knowledge and play an integral role within their communities,’ said Councillor Badroodien.

Source: City Of Cape Town