At the start of the summer, St Mary's University College opened its doors to welcome back for a fifth year the Michaela Foundation Girls' Antrim Summer Camp. Each year the camp has been fully subscribed, which is testimony to the unique and dynamic partnership that exists between the College and the Michaela Foundation.
The Michaela Foundation Girls' Summer Camp is unlike any other. It gives young girls aged eleven to thirteen the opportunity to develop their confidence and self-esteem while participating in an array of inspiring activities across five elements of fun, faith, fashion, wellbeing and fáilte! The week-long camp culminates with a special Mass during which family and friends join together to celebrate.
The following are quotes from ‘campettes’ from the 2018 feedback survey:
“Amazing, fun-filled, motivational.”
“Great fun together with old and new friends.”
“Amazing, the best camp I have ever attended — just loved it all! Fabulous.”
The Antrim camp is delivered by a dedicated thirty-strong team of volunteer leaders (many of whom are St Mary’s students) who work together to deliver a week-long programme of fun-filled activities. The volunteers are instrumental in its success! Outside of their role as camp volunteers, the leaders also act as community role models to help share the ethos and values of the Michaela Foundation within their local communities. Through the Michaela Foundation, leaders receive pre-camp training in First Aid, Child Protection and participate in a National Leader Training Day. Each volunteer leader also has access to online training material and tutorials. Volunteers benefit by enhancing their CV and skill set, gaining new experience and building confidence.
Leader quotes obtained from the 2018 feedback survey:
“It was such an enthralling experience with an amazing bunch of leaders and campettes.”
“Can’t wait to apply for next year’s camp!”
“Life changing experience that I can’t wait to do all over again next year.”
“St Mary's University College, with which we share many values, enables us to provide an excellent setting for campettes to enjoy and express themselves".
More images of the 2018 camp can be viewed in the Gallery of Photos.
