The Regional Secretary for Presidency announced yesterday that the Azorean Government is preparing new laws on summer camp activities in the Azores. The announcement was made during the Secretary’s visit to the Arrifes Summer Camp, which is taking place at Casa do Povo dos Arrifes.
André Bradford sustains that the new summer camp regulation is “an important bet of the Azorean Government, given the legal void in this field” and adds that “it is necessary to guarantee, with a clear regulation framework, the quality requirements of summer camps in the Azores”.
The Secretary responsible for youth policies in the Region also declared that “it is important to continue promoting the training of the monitors and trainers who work with the teenagers in summer camps”. Besides that, and also according to André Bradford, the new regulation requires the creation of a “relatively simple process, so that the entities that wish to organize summer camps may take advantage of the existing supports and then easily manage all the bureaucratic process”.
In accordance with the Secretary, the new legislation will revise and adapt the summer camp finance support system: “the administrative rule that regulates these supports is from 2002 and it is outdated, especially due to the new summer camp supply and to the type of activities carried out on them”, said André Bradford.
At the end of the visit to the Arrifes Summer Camp, the Regional Secretary for Presidency highlighted the “quality and merit” of the work being developed in this summer camp, given this is its 3rd year of activity and that it involves about 20 teenagers.
André Bradford also highlighted the importance of summer camps, as they are a good “alternative for families, because teenagers can spend their deserved vacation learning in a fun informal way”.
The Secretary also mentioned the “Government’s effort to give families and teenagers a wide range of options for occupying their spare time during the summer, with company, safety, qualified service and a formative and pedagogical dimension”.
The Regional Directorate for Youth carries out its own programme, entitled “Young Holidays”, which comprehends 35 summer camps (residential and not residential) and involves over 600 teenagers and 150.000 Euros per year.