It’s wonderful to see a camp full of happy, carefree kids – and not a cellphone in sight, writes Glenda Thompson
Taking a cellphone or iPod away from a child these days is a little like ripping off an appendage. They’re guaranteed to whinge and whine and kick up a mighty fuss.
At Sugar Bay, the luxury holiday resort for children and teenagers at Zinkwazi, an hour from Durban on KZN’s North Coast, neither of these items is allowed, and there isn’t a single television set in sight either. Despite the lack of anything hi-tech, youngsters seem to glory in the joy of this child friendly, parent-free hideaway that can cater for up to 200 children.
With more than 15 000 summer camps scattered throughout the United States, it was just a matter of time before the idea caught on in South Africa. The question one has to ask, however, is why on earth it took so long?
Research by the American Camp Association (ACA) has confirmed that camps build skills necessary to prepare children to assume roles as successful adults.
“Camps help children make new friends and get to know others who come from different backgrounds. They also allow them to unplug the iPod and plug into the world around them,” the ACA explains.
According to studies by Cornell University in the US, being close to nature can help boost a child’s attention span. It can also help them to recover from pre-existing stresses or problems, protect their emotional development and reduce anxiety and depression.
With South African youngsters growing up in a country with one of the highest crime rates in the world – and the stress that accompanies it – it’s good to know there’s a little haven like Sugar Bay to help them get over the rough patches.
We arrived at the camp just as a small army of teenagers, armed to the teeth with paint gun equipment, was setting off for war games in the forest. This is just one of the multitude of activities offered. Others include exploring, hiking, biking, orienteering, snorkelling, raft building, wall climbing, body surfing, kayaking, fishing, beach volleyball, indoor cricket and hockey, a variety of rainy day games, arts and crafts, board games, camping out, and just generally having loads of fun.
“Most of our counsellors are ex-campers themselves, which makes it much easier for them to adapt to camp life and interact with the children. They also play an integral part in the Sugar Bay experience as they act as the children’s role models, mentors and trusted friends,” says Zoe Ellender, founder and co-owner of the camp. In 1999, when Zoe (a qualified lawyer) and her husband Nic (a mechanical engineer) were researching the viability of starting up the holiday camp idea in South Africa, they discovered that more than 3 000 South African school leavers and university graduates headed off to the States every year to become counsellors at one of the myriad camps in the States.
Zoe and Nic share a passion for children (they have two of their own) and the great outdoors, and spent a year researching the camp concept in South Africa. “There are smaller versions of holiday camps in the country but none that can cope with up to 200 children and operate all year round,” they pointed out. They scoured the country for a suitable venue and were delighted when they eventually found the Zinkwazi site: 7ha of land close to the beach and a bilharzia, croc and hippo-free lagoon.
They built the entire camp, which blends beautifully with the natural bush, from scratch, and since Sugar Bay opened its doors to its first 100 guests in 2000, they’ve never looked back!
Useful info: Contact Sugar Bay at 032 485 3778; fax 086 600 3779; or cellphone 082 525 9503; www.sugarbay.co.za