AESOP for girls: Academic Enrichment and Sports Ottawa Program
Students making a difference through meaningful summer employment
A day camp for girls for girls takes place in an inner-city neighbourhood, Academic Enrichment and Sports Ottawa Program (AESOP).offering a combination of math and language tutoring, sports and leisure activities, as well as fascinating outings.
Through this camp, girls aged 10 to 14 can spend part of their summer doing constructive activities that would otherwise be un-accessible to them for financial reasons. .
Since the summer of 2005, university and college students get to experience first hand what it means to put one’s expertise at the service of those in need by helping Neeje run AESOP for girls.
AESOP
started small: in its first week in 2005, only 5 or 6 girls attended.
Several others had been unable to solve transportation problems or
other difficulties. Camp staff went ahead anyway and their efforts
were soon rewarded. “Once they started realizing the camp is
fun and they were actually learning things, we noticed that in the
second week, a lot of their friends were calling for applications”,
says Valente. “That alone has been wonderful because it shows
that the girls actually enjoyed it and were getting something out
of it.”
Lita Ryall, then a student in Recreational and Leisure Services at Ottawa’s Algonquin College, was able to apply her knowledge for the benefit of AESOP campers at the camp’s first edition. “I was in charge of the afternoon recreation and sports, crafts, teaching games, leadership activities, etc.”, she explains. Her role involved leading team building activities, trust games, teaching communication to help the girls get along with each other, etc. “I learned about their family life, their social status; the way different people grow up and take things for granted, how excited the girls are to have this opportunity. They would have sat at home and do nothing all day whereas they got to come and go swimming and do arts and crafts. They would not have been able to do that if it hadn’t been provided to them, especially in this location, a pretty rough part of town. I think they really benefited.”
Character building talks are also a part of AESOP’s programme. Campers were encouraged to come up with their own ideas on how to practice certain virtues such as generosity, modesty, optimism and cheerfulness, kindness, etc. One day, they went outside and illustrated their ideas on the sidewalk and parking lot through chalk painting. Another day, they made bird feeders to be delivered to a nursing home, putting into practice what had been discussed about being generous and thinking of others.
“The parents comment every day they’re really glad their daughters aren’t at home, sitting in front of the television, doing nothing”, says Valente.
For information on AESOP: info@neeje.ca
If you have any questions please contact our AESOP Director Heather Thompson
Telephone: 613.748.9081
E-mail: celebrindal2003@yahoo.com
Neeje Produces an AESOP News Letter which
is available here in PDF format.:
•AESOP Newsletter 2008
•AESOP Newsletter 2009
•AESOP Flyer 2010