Fun is as essential to Camp Sizanani, as it is to any other camp. But it is not sufficient. Equally vital is the program of life skills, where kids learn how to protect themselves from a deadly disease and how to defend themselves from addiction, exploitation, and abusive behavior.
In life skills classes, campers in the throes of adolescence learn facts about sexuality and have the chance to speak openly about it. Myths about HIV/AIDS are replaced with objective knowledge, and understanding helps mitigate social stigmas. Kids who are infected learn how to live longer and more productive lives. Boys learn to respect girls, girls to respect themselves.
Life skills learning flows into the larger camping experience through arts and crafts, storytelling, poetry, theater, and other activities that to the campers appear to be pure fun. As campers develop trust in their counselors, a variety of settings lend themselves to uncovering and healing scars of abuse.
A typical schedule would include Sports, Drums and Dancing, Nutrition, Arts & Crafts, Adventure-Teamwork, Swimming (season-dependent), and Life Skills (proper nutrition/hygiene, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, healthy sexuality, gender stereotypes, etc.). Life skills tools are part of the fabric woven into every activity every day.
Typical Daily Schedule at Camp
- Breakfast
- 1st Period: Arts and Crafts/Nutrition
- 2nd Period: Life Skills
- 3rd Period: Swimming
- Lunch
- 4th Period: Adventure
- 5th Period: Sports
- 6th Period: Dance, drama, drumming
- Dinner
- Evening Program: Campfires, skits, games, story theater, bunk nights
Back at Home, the children continue to receive support through bi-weekly Kids Clubs Meetings.
Camp is only ten days. To maximize the experience, Global Camps Africa works in cooperation with HIVSA (HIV South Africa) to provide Saturday Kids Clubs for former campers at several locations in Soweto.
Hundreds of former campers attend the biweekly clubs. For five hours on Saturdays, the camp experience is reinforced through sports, games, theater, and expanded life skills classes. Counselors are present to offer the children support in dealing with personal problems.
2011 Camp Schedule
March/April 2011
March 26 – April 6
September/October 2011
September 28 – October 9
December 2011
December 10 – 21
2012 Camp Schedule
March/April 2012
March 27 – April 7
September/October 2012
September 25 – October 6
December 2012
December 4 – 15