Air Force touches down in Niverville
Advertisement
The Royal Canadian Air Force conducted drills at Hespeler Park Tuesday morning, playing out a scenario where they rescued injured children, while showing those same kids what their jobs are like.
Teresa Mistelbacher, supervisor of camps and recreation programming for Niverville said having this demonstration for the school-age campers was amazing.
Little Adventurers Camp is for campers aged 6-13, with different themes each day. Tuesday’s was courage.
“While we were planning our activities for courage, we thought we’d reach out to some of the most courageous people we could think of, which is in the military,” Mistelbacher said.
The 38 campers acted as volunteers during the search and rescue operation, while being able to select their level of participation. Some campers watched from the side while others ranged from acting as mildly hurt to needing help as soon as possible.
“Once (the techs) did their drop, the kids were assigned different levels of injuries or different activities that they could do as volunteers in the demonstration. (They worked) right alongside those search and rescue techs to simulate what a real-life experience might be like.”
She said 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron, based out of 17 Wing Winnipeg, were very happy to take part in the demonstration. It also included a hands-on workshop after the drills, including answering any questions the campers might have.
Mistelbacher said the camp is always looking at new ways of making the Adventure Camp unforgettable, and this was such a cool way of making that a possibility.
Other camps have also gotten those experiences, the University of Manitoba helped at Science Camp with STEM workshops. The Fire and Police Departments have also volunteered their time, including a forensic science session by the RCMP.
Different camps ran all summer long, with one more camp to go, Camp Olympics runs Aug. 26-30. While the 6–9-year-olds section is fully booked, the 3-6 and 9-13 age groups still have spots open, with registration closing this weekend. To book a spot you can go to nivervillerec.ca.
