Summer Skills Camp: Expectations and Concerns

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - "Every summer, I always carefully research life skills programs and summer skill camps for my 5th grade son to participate in. I hope he can practice independence, improve his communication skills, and get away from the computer screen. However, I have to consider every place, especially the hygiene conditions, food, and facilities," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan in Hac Thanh ward.

Students participate in group activities at the Hot Air Balloon Summer Camp.

Ms. Ngan’s story is not an isolated one. Currently, the demand for learning soft skills and life skills is increasing, especially in the context of the new general education program emphasizing “learning to be a human” and “learning by doing”. Classes on survival skills, communication skills, artistic creativity, physical activities, summer camps, experiential travel, etc. are increasingly diverse and are widely promoted by organizations. Most programs make commitments to safety, hygiene and comprehensive education. However, the reality does not always match expectations.

Recently, social media has been "stormy" around the "Eager Village" summer camp experience. The incident started when a social media account posted an article expressing frustration, and said that their child had many skin health problems such as rashes, dermatitis, not daring to go to the toilet for 8 days, and even psychological problems when their child was bullied. Immediately after that, many other accounts believed to be from parents who had let their children experience "Eager Village" also agreed, and reflected that the facilities and hygiene were not guaranteed to be safe and clean. The incident has raised concerns about ensuring hygiene and comprehensive education in classes, skill clubs, or summer camps for children.

Mr. Tran Quoc Hue in Ham Rong ward shared: "My wife and I are very supportive of letting our children experience the summer to learn life skills, but after the recent incident, I realized that not every place has the ability to organize it safely and scientifically . I have canceled two previous registrations for both children. It is better to let them stay home to learn to swim and draw than to send them to an unsanitary, uncontrolled environment."

In response to parents' confusion, Mr. Chu Duc Trung, representative of the Youth Media Summer Camp, said: "Our unit was significantly affected. Some parents refused to participate even though they had registered. However, we understand that transparency is the only key. To regain parents' trust in the skill club and experiential summer camp model, we have made public the list of personnel in charge of each group, medical conditions, cleaning schedules for the living areas, and have a clear code of conduct between students."

Every summer is a journey of discovery and growth for children. Classes, skill clubs or summer camps are where children learn to connect, share, be confident, be creative and face early life challenges. However, no journey is truly safe without careful preparation and adult supervision.

"Hygiene and safety are always the top priority but also the biggest challenge, especially for programs organized at resorts or rented locations. Therefore, after each season, we learn from experience and upgrade facilities, equip additional water filtration equipment, and periodically clean the entire area twice a day to ensure that when children come here, they will learn and experience the true meaning and hygiene", shared Mr. Nguyen Dang Phat, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Hot Air Balloon Summer Camp.

Hygiene and safety seem to be basic factors but are becoming the biggest worries of many parents during each summer vacation. While a series of units are competing to "draw" summer camp programs with "Western style", "becoming a person in just 7 days", what parents need is probably a hygienic environment, a guaranteed meal, a safe enough bed for their children, and the maturity of their children after each summer skill class.

The development of skill classes and summer camps is a positive trend. However, along with that, there needs to be stronger participation from the government, the education sector and social organizations themselves to build clear standards and effective monitoring frameworks, so that there is no longer confusion and anxiety, but summer is truly a season of true experience and growth for children.

Phuong Do

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/trai-he-ky-nang-nbsp-ky-vong-va-noi-lo-257177.htm