Issue 7 | July 2011 - Get Ireland Active

CAMP ABILITIESSecond Successful CampAbilities Ireland ……CampAbilities Volunteers 2011Five action packed days for 25 childrenwith vision impairments ended with adrumming performance and awardsceremony to mark all of the sportingachievements of the campers as well asthe efforts of 50 volunteers that madeup CampAbilities 2011.Organised by the CARA NationalAdapted Physical Activity Centre,the Institute of Technology Tralee, theNational Learning Network and theNational Council for the Blind the campwas held this year in Fossa Killarneywhere all campers and staff stayed inthe majestic An Oige hostel. The decisionwas made to hold annual sportscamps for children with vision impairmentsas sports participation ratesamong people with vision impairmentsis particularly low in Ireland so a campwhich introduces children to varioussports in a supported way will hopefullyresult in many of them becomingmore active in future years. The campalso serves as a learning opportunityto sport, health and leisure studentsfrom the Institute of Technology Traleeand National Learning Network. It isalso hoped that these future physicaleducation teachers, sports coachesand instructors will have the knowledgeand skills to include people withvision impairments in their mainstreamclasses and sessions.One of the challenges for the organiserswill be to make sure that the campershave opportunities to continue theirsports when they return to theircommunities and schools. This will bedone by linking the local sports partnershipsin with each of the campers aswell as with national governing bodiesof sport to ensure more regular opportunitiesare available to young peoplewith vision impairments.“When we were asked to host participants of CampAbilities in the Dr CrokesEaster Camp, we were delighted to be involved It was hugely encouraging tosee our own players adapt so quickly and helped to reinforce basic communicationskills which are sometimes forgotten. It was a fantastic learning experiencefor both the coaches and players to see the way in which CampAbilitiescamp, swopping mobile numbers and facebook pages at the end of the session.CampAbilities has opened our eyes to new opportunities and we now hope toprovide a greater level of social inclusion and attract children and adults of allabilities and backgrounds through a number of initiatives in the future”.| 12