Safe Schools keeps students engaged and connected during summer

Camp Next earlier this summer.School may have been out this summer, but hundreds of Surrey students were able to stay busy thanks to the district’s Safe Schools team and its summer programs.

Each summer, Safe Schools hosts a variety of support and mentorship programs for Surrey’s youth, including camping trips, sports camps, art projects and more. While some programs were scaled back during the pandemic, this summer marked something of a return to normalcy.

“It was nice to be able to operate as we had pre-pandemic and we were happy to be able to sign up as many kids as we did for this summer,” said Sarah McKay, Manager of Safe Schools.

Emphasizing that keeping students engaged during the summer months is just as important as during the school year, McKay said the pandemic put a strain on what they were able to offer over the previous two years, and so it was important to be able to come back this year with a full offering for students who may otherwise struggle over the summer months.

“Summer can be a really challenging time for some kids, especially if school is a place where they thrive because of consistent connection to safe and caring adults,” explained McKay. “That social component is also crucial and so if that can’t be mimicked in the summer months, it can be a real struggle for kids.”

With the various programs back in full force for 2022, McKay said many offerings saw increases in registration, such as Camp Next, a summer sports/activities program that had a turnout of more than 350 students. Held at L.A. Matheson Secondary, Camp Next sees secondary students mentor elementary students in exercises and activities designed to improve physical literacy.

“People couldn’t register fast enough for Camp Next, I don’t think forms have ever been returned quicker,” said McKay. “It’s such a huge part of the community in the L.A. Matheson area, there’s no rec centre out there so it really comes down to safe gatherings and making sure we have a safe space for activities to happen.”

Other program examples include yoga meditation sessions, animal therapy and community service stewardship initiatives in partnership with the City of Surrey. One of the most well-received programs this year was one involving camping trips to Squamish with Safe Schools outreach workers.

“The kids just loved being able to get out of the city and the feedback was phenomenal. For many of them it was a great time to reflect on choices and life opportunities,” said McKay.

However, despite the positive feedback from all these programs, McKay noted that the effects of the pandemic are still being felt.

While one of the goals of these programs are to keep students engaged and connected during the summer months, McKay said that there is a sense of hesitancy in some of the participants that wasn’t present prior to the pandemic.

“There was a definite increase in need for these programs, but also a challenge with the level of comfortability from participants. It presented a unique challenge for us as we had large numbers of registrants, but also a noted increase in hesitancy during program participation.”

And while students may be taking longer to open up and engage with the programs they’re enrolled in, McKay said that once they reached a level of comfort that allowed them to fully engage, participants came away from the programs with glowing reviews.

“Before I wasn’t getting out of the house much, wasn’t talking to anyone really and stayed to myself but this girls group has made me realize that despite no matter how different you may feel from others just showing up and trying can actually do a lot. I haven’t enjoyed myself like this in a long time and I feel a lot more open to trying things out of my comfort zone now,” read one testimonial.

“It’s been fun [at equine therapy]! The horses are really special, and the dogs. Getting away from the city is really fun and peaceful. I wish I could do this all year because it’s so special,” read another.

Testimonials like these are what keep McKay and the Safe Schools team committed and focused on providing the best possible service for Surrey students during the summer months.

“The need for social, in-person engagement is increasing everywhere for kids,” said McKay. “There’s so much negative stuff online and its easy to get sucked into that, so there’s more focus on putting the phones down, screens off and making face-to-face connections. We want to continue offering that each year.”