Tim Simon and Dominique Bidegain were well-hidden, huddled up in an oak tree winning in a game of Sardines.
All the backyards, the playground, the laundry room, even the broom closet had all been carefully searched.
"We've looked everywhere!" said one of the kids.
It wasn't until they turned their eyes upwards that they saw Simon and Bidegain, huddled up on the branches of an oak tree.
Simon and Bidegain, here in Squamish on the Canada World Youth exchange between Canada and Uruguay, split their volunteer workweek between day camps at Brennan Park and at Castle Rock Family Housing. Castle Rock's one day a week camp is sort of a pilot project for Brennan Park. They want to find out if it's worth it to send paid staff to run a summer camp for the kids that live there.
"The first day of work, our supervisor told us that this project was ours and we could do what we wanted with it," said Bidegain. The next week, on the day the camp was to start, five bouncy kids were waiting for them at the playground."The start was crazy," said Simon. He and Bidegain told the kids that it was their choice how they spent their days."It's good when they invent games, and use their imagination," Simon said. "This project is basically to have fun with the kids."
It's clear that Bidegain and Simon are enjoying themselves. But what's more important than the fun, they said, is how rewarding it has been to hang out with these kids.
"One kid said 'man, I thought summer was gonna be boring-I guess not!'" Simon explained. And, he said, when the kids found out that Simon and Bidegain were volunteers, and that nobody was paying them to spend time there, they couldn't believe it.This past weekend, Castle Rock held a barbecue in honour of Simon and Bidegain and the work they have done through Canada World Youth. The kids' mums and dads brought salads and cupcakes, and Simon and Bidegain were presented mounted photos of themselves in action, playing chess with the kids.
At the end of the afternoon, the kids' interest in cupcakes had begun to wane. They started dyeing people's hair. By 8 p.m., two visitors had streaks of purple, one had a pink moustache, and Simon had purple armpit hair.
Also this past weekend, on Saturday (Aug. 20) the Canada World Youths went to the Squamish Youth Centre in the morningto help out there, assembling and moving furniture, painting and cleaning rooms. Sunday (Aug. 21) the group joined the Squamish River Watershed Society in cleaning up Wilson Slough. Together, they extracted more than a pickup truck-load of stuff from the muck, including two shopping carts, an aquarium and a working bicycle.
Everyone is invited to the CWY "Educational Activity Days," where Canada World Youth Participants learn about Squamish. They are on Wednesdays, roughly from 9 a.m. to 5. p.m. Next week's topic is community (with a focus on social aspects) in Squamish. Location varies, so email [email protected] for information on where to go.
For more information on Canada World Youth, go to www.cwy-jcm.org.
