This year, the Labrador West Summer Program seeks to build children's self-confidence.
The program offers six weeks of activities to enjoy from July 5-Aug. 13 for children K-6.
Its motto is Up Top, which is what one says when giving a “high five” and is incorporated into the logo 2010, spelled out with a peace sign, an OK sign, and two hands giving a high five.
"Our theme this year is Up Top and I think that means being the very best you can be," said Melissa Lannon, summer program supervisor.
"We've tried to expand it a little bit in the last couple of years, trying self-confidence building in children, making it more about letting them be themselves.”
She said that today, all too often, children lack self-confidence and it's important to catch it early so they can grow up to be good and strong people.
All 14 team leaders received two weeks of training and are more than capable of taking care of the children, she said.
Moreover, she hopes, that since the leaders are teenagers themselves, they will bring much needed zest to the program.
Lannon said this year they've had the most number of kids signed up, about 140 of them, so the program's filled to capacity.
She doesn't know what did it, but believes that promotion of the program at schools helped spread the word.
This year, the program has a number of themed weeks in store for the children, including: Life of the Party, Sloppy Science, Superhero Week, Survive This, Wet and Wild Week, and Hollywood Week.
Some of the activities include having a luau, filling a pool with corn starch and water, visiting real heroes for the fire department, a scavenger hunt, and capping off with a talent show the last week.
One of their biggest attractions, said Lannon, is the tent city on July 28, which involves having a sleepover under the stars.
She also said that every Friday they try to go all out and amaze the kids with what they have set up.
Lannon said they try to get the kids involved in different physical activities, from karate to yoga, so they can beat a statistic that says 12 per cent of children get 90 minutes of physical activity per day.
She added that the program is a great way kids can try out an activity that they might like to continue doing throughout the year.
She also said there are many new children in the area, so the program is a way for them to make friends.
This year, they've also gone high-tech, she explained, giving children USB bracelets so they can be easily identified and to save on paper; the bracelets have jump drives that contain files of the schedules and announcements.
"One thing I would want them to walk away with is to be who they really are and I want them to get a better insight on how to help other people," said Lannon.
All she asks for if for the kids to come with a positive attitude and to allow themselves to get excited about what they're doing.
