Summer camp at YAC keeps children busy

This year, the camp is slated to run through Aug 18 and there will be plenty of activities for the kids to enjoy like swimming, arts and crafts, games and field trips.

The YAC opens at 6:15 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The center accepts 120 children each year, ages five through 13. Openings are available to dependent children of active duty service members, Department of Defense (DoD) employees, reservists and retirees. Although MWR sponsors YAC, a weekly fee is charged to families based on their monthly income.

Roudy Leonard plays the Wheel of Fortune game hoping to hit it big on game tickets. Photo by MC1(AW) Melissa Robertson-Leake

One counselor and one junior counselor are assigned to a group of 10 children who are broken up by age and gender. Junior counselors must be between the ages of 14-17 and be a DoD, active duty or retiree's family member. These counselors are responsible for coordinating the group's activities; acting as instructors, mentors and safety advocates.

Junior Counselor Stefon Wilson, 17, signed up to be a counselor because he enjoys working with children. " I wanted something meaningful to do this summer that's why I joined the YAC. I hope to make a positive impact on the kids here this summer," commented Wilson.

The girls have fun playing a competitive game with water guns. Photo by MC1(AW) Melissa Robertson-Leake

To help even the workload, separate counselors are tasked with the overall monitoring of indoor activities, while other counselors supervise outdoor activities.

The close to 30-member YAC staff puts a lot of effort into planning and preparation to ensure the camp runs smoothly. All counselors must go through a thorough background and health check prior to the opening of the summer program. Counselors spend two weeks in a classroom environment training with YAC modules, standard operating procedures, material safety data sheets, destructive weather warnings, communication skills and stages of youth development. To complete their training, counselors must be certified in first aid and CPR techniques.

A group of kids from the NAS Jax Youth Activities Center Summer Camp try to maneuver their canoes during an outing June 5. Unfortunately, the wind played a big factor sending them to shore. Photo by Kaylee LaRocque

"This year we have 15 counselors and 12 junior counselors. Every week is broken into a different mission. Last week, the children's mission was the obstacle course. We've took the children on a field trip to Adventure Landing to play laser tag which helped them complete the week's mission," said YAC Director Megan Elliot.

Not only did the children get to play laser tag and arcade games on this field trip, but they also had the opportunity to reacquaint with old friends and meet new ones.

A group of summer campers from the NAS Jax Youth Activities Center excitedly hold their guns while preparing to play a game of laser tag during a trip to Adventure Landing. Photo by MC1(AW) Melissa Robertson-Leake