Seventy-five girls from across the country participated in the third annual Camp Glow organised by the US Peace Corps Volunteers at the Kuru-Kuru Cooperative College on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.
The Camp Glow girls, ages 13 to 17, participated in activities that focused on teamwork, building self-esteem, goal setting, decision-making and creating healthy relationships and lifestyles, the Embassy said in a press release. The camp was held from August 12 to 19.
US Ambassador Brent Hardt visited the GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) girls on August 13 as a special part of the week of leadership activities. During an interactive session with them, the ambassador emphasised the importance for young women to take steps to embrace their potential as future leaders and strong women. He encouraged them to use the skills they learned at the camp to make a difference not only in their own lives but in the lives of members of their communities.
The United States is dedicated to supporting the development and empowerment of women and young girls in Guyana and views it as a crucial aspect of social and economic development. Camp Glow, a global young women’s empowerment camp was organised by the Gender and Development Volunteer Task Force of the US Peace Corps in Guyana.
The Peace Corps Guyana Gender and Development Task Force seeks to address issues of gender related to equality, human rights and access to services to build capacity and efficacy among women to improve the quality of life for all genders and to serve as a resource group for all volunteer work related to gender and development issues.
Camp counsellors and junior counsellors underwent training so that they could facilitate an environment that allowed staff and campers to grow and learn together, the Embassy said.
The girls were encouraged to participate during the sessions, lead discussions and to be open-minded and supportive towards one another. Some of the campers said they had never before had an opportunity to meet in an environment where they could let their voices be heard.
To ensure the success of the mission, Camp Glow and the Peace Corps volunteers collaborated with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and sport, and NGOs including Red Thread, Linden Care, Hope for All and Family Awareness Consciousness Togetherness. They also received support from Wings of Hope, Fenix Airways, Skywest, Bruster’s Ice Cream, and other local businesses.
Prominent women leaders including Simona Broomes of the Guyana Women Miner’s Organisation, Melcita Bovell of the Education Ministry, Dwynette Eversly of the Commonwealth Youth Programme Caribbean Centre, Imarah Radix of the S4 Foundation, Ingrid Goodman of PATOIS and successful women professionals from the US Embassy and Peace Corps Guyana were also invited to share their experiences in a series of inspirational talks with the girls.
Currently, Camp Glow is looking to expand its network of community partners and to increase its sustainability. Persons interested in learning more about the camp or in participating next year can visit the website http: //www.campglowguyana.org or email guyanagad @gmail.com
