I have spent about two years of my life on residential
holidays with young people--no wonder my hair is white. They include
taking teenagers to freezing, end of season weeks at hi-di-hi camps:
weekends with small numbers of disruptive kids: and chartering a
war-battered Dakota to take a large crowd to Jersey.
But the most memorable holidays have been with
outdoor camps run by the Christian youth movement, Covenanters.
I live in a deprived estate in Glasgow and every August we take
25-30 youngsters on a seven hour coach trip to the camp site in
a farmer's field in Norfolk. After recovering from the shock of
no telly and no flush toilets, they enjoy running in the woods,
crabbing on the pier and participating in the camp concert. The
camps are important for four reasons.
First, they provide new experiences. The boys and girls learn to
canoe, go wall-climbing, and are taught to look after tents--even
in a gale and pouring rain. They share tents with and learn to mix
with children from very different backgrounds.
Second, the camps are an oasis of safety. Of course, kids squabble
and tired adults get irritated at camp. But consider these recent
incidents in our home area. The father of a nine year old dies from
a drug over-dose. A family feud in public ends with a son slashing
his father's face. A fight between two gangs results in our minibus
getting battered. Such trauma does not occur every day but it is
a part of life. By contrast, camp is a week where violence and fear
are absent.
Third, the camps have Christian teaching. Dave Wiles is the
regular camp padre. With his own dad often in prison, Dave, aged
19, was on probation. He was transformed by a Christian conversion
and is now leader of the Frontier Youth Trust. The other speaker
was Dave Jeal, a former football hooligan. Without glorifying their
backgrounds, they were able to present Christianity in a way which
engaged with the culture of many of the youngsters.
Fourth, the camps mean that some get their only holiday. In leisure,
as in much else, Britain is a very unequal society. Many families
have two holidays. The children of the prime minister enjoyed one
in Britain and two abroad. Yet around nine million families have
no holiday at all. Those on Income Support or minimum wages struggle
to survive let alone saving to go away. The fees for Covenanter
camps are not expensive, £95 plus travel and pocket money, but most
children have to be subsidised. Christians, who believe that God
created the resources of the world for the benefit of all, should
ensure that children from low-incomed families have the chance of
a holiday. They should also consider striving for a more equal society
so that all parents can afford a holiday with their children.
I interviewed an unemployed 20 year old. He spoke
warmly about Covenanters and said, "Camp was magic and the wide
game in the woods was brilliant". Nine years later, camp was still
significant to him. I am nearly 65 and at camp I now wash-up and
organise the board games. But if camp continues to be "magic" for
young people at the hard end then I want to go until I drop.
Bob Holman left an academic
career to live and work in Glasgow's notorious Easterhouse estates.
He is the author of Faith
in the Poor, Lion, and Champions for Children, The lives of modern
child care pioneers, The Policy Press, £14.99.
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