Promoting his vision to get all children active, Minister of Youth and Sport the Hon. Mark Scotland met with young footballers at the East End Football Camp last Friday (31 July).
Visiting the district’s annual Cayman Scholastic Football Academy summer football camp co-sponsored by his Ministry, Mr. Scotland said “I cannot over-emphasise how important it is to get our children active. Sport is such a positive force – it keeps us physically healthy, but also strengthens us mentally.”
The East End football camp is part of a larger summer camp programme supported by the Ministry to give parents a choice of “affordable, healthy and wholesome activities” in which to enrol their kids during the summer, the Minister explained.
This year the Ministry has again worked with a number of non-governmental organizations and has provided financial support to ensure that some camps could be offered free of cost.
“We believe this endeavour will bear fruit on many levels: Our young talent will be able to develop their sporting and life skills, and it will also encourage children to put their vacation to good use,” Mr. Scotland said.
And according to Cayman Scholastic Football Academy’s Darrel Rankine, campers are already reaping some of these benefits: “Of course we are seeing their football skills improve, but we also see the kids making friends and building confidence—and that is equally important,” he said.
