Breaking stereotypes at the summer camp

A Maltese boy and a refugee child had been playing together the whole morning and were getting along incredibly well until, as children are want to do, they fell out over a trifle thing.

Mid-squabble, the Maltese child said: “You will never have a girlfriend because you’re black!”

But the very second it came out of his mouth, the boy was horrified by what he had uttered: “Oh, no! I am so, so sorry. I didn’t mean that,” he kept apologising to his friend. In no time they were back to laughing and chasing each other.

This is a true story which captures precisely the spirit of the multi-cultural summer camp to be held at the end of August by the Organisation for Friendship in Diversity.

“We all froze and went all ears at the boys’ tiff at last year’s summer camp. But then, we all gave out a collective sigh of relief – it was just the positive outcome we had been hoping for,” said Stephanie Micallef, 24, OFD member.

“This is what we wanted to achieve through the summer camp – creating awareness of diversity and cultivating friendships,” she added.

Through cultural understanding and friendship, it’s easy to chal-lenge stereotypes that lead to discrimination.

“The boys were able to go beyond the stereotypical labels because they got to know each other and had fostered a respect for their diversity,” said Ms Micallef, who read Peace and Conflict Studies at university in Austria.

OFD is a youth-led NGO working with children and adults from local and migrant communities, to promote social inclusion by means of hands-on community building activities. Their main work focuses on an annual summer camp – a two-week fully funded camp catering for children from diverse ethnic backgrounds including local, refugee, migrant and mixed-race.

“Last year was a successful pilot project. So this year, we’re going bigger and we’re catering for 60 kids,” said Ms Micallef. Thanks to a year of intense fund-raising, and with the help of generous sponsors, the OFD is able to organise the summer camp for free.

The camp is project-based and value-oriented so that all the activities – including sports, drama, arts and crafts, cookery and pottery – are infused with the values of friendship, respect, communication and inclusion.

“We create a common ground where children have the opportunity to interact and the ability to learn and play together and to enjoy each other’s company,” said Ms Micallef.

Parents too end up mingling with each other successfully, with the children being a common element.

“It’s a perfect way to break the divide between the groups. The more we are open to finding common grounds the less the stereotypes and the easier the integration process,” said Ms Micallef.

OFD aims to highlight the human element of the refugee.

“We have to see the refugee as less criminal and more human,” she said.

Last year, the final projects, including a theatrical performance and art and photo exhibition were held at St James Cavalier, Valletta. OFD plans to do the same at the end of this year’s summer camp – which still has some vacant places.

Summer Camp Malta 2010 is free of charge and open to all children aged 5-11. It will be held from August 23 – September 3, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Sacred Heart School. For more information on enrolment log on to www.ofd.org.mt, e-mail info@ofd.org.mt or phone Stephanie Micallef on 7979 0066.