Eighty youngsters from four Corporate Area primary schools have been equipped with basic skills in robotics and animation at a workshop staged by the Ministry of National Security.
The one-day summer camp, held on Thursday (July 20) at the University of Technology (UTech) campus in St. Andrew, engaged the students in interactive, hands-on activities that sparked their creativity while developing their problem-solving skills.
It was an initiative under the Music, Sports and Technology (MST) aspect of the Ministry’s youth crime prevention strategy.
The participating primary schools were St. Anne’s, St. Andrew, Mountain View and Norman Gardens.
The students, from grades four to six, were supported by their teachers, case managers and other team members from the Ministry’s Crime Prevention and Community Safety Branch and UTech coordinators.
Minister of State in the National Security Ministry, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, who observed the day’s activities, told JIS News that she was pleased to see the excitement on the faces of the children.
“This type of summer camp can only spark imagination and develop these young minds to become more creative with the exposure to animation, robotics, sports, and the arts,” she said.
“I hope that more parents will be eager to expose their children to these types of summer programmes in the future. Hands-on learning and exposure to creativity will open the minds to greater possibilities for our children,” she added.
The robotics and animation camp was an intervention under the Violence Prevention in Targeted Communities and Schools Programme, which is being spearheaded by the Ministry with funding support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Under the partnership, the USAID has provided grant funding of approximately $12 million to cover the delivery of music, sports and technology programmes during the summer period.
This support will extend into the new school year as the National Security Ministry continues to partner with the Education and Youth Ministry towards expanding extra-curricular activities in schools and the wider communities.
