With spacious room and enthusiastic mentors, the Spring Break Creativity Camp is a chance for kids to explore their creative nature.
“The mission of the Okanagan School of the Arts is the awakening and expression of the creative spirit. What that means is how do we assist people to get in touch with what really excites them,” said Jane Shaak. “The younger that people are that they can find something they love, the better. There are music students so excited about their practice and learning is an absolute bliss for them, but they had to get through that curve to find their passion.”
The Spring Break Creativity Camp will be held March 19 to 23 and March 26 to 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The camp is open to kids aged six to 12 who are invited to sign up for full, or half days. The camp is held in the historical Shatford building which has a pottery studio, visual arts room, theatre and large outdoor grounds.
“The kids will work on different disciplines in the arts. Some kids are going to be really attracted to some more than others and vice versa, but it is a range of things for them to try out. It’s an opportunity to try things out and then if they do find they are really interested, then quite often they will go further into that and possible look at joining a full program on that discipline,” said Shaak.
Youth facilitators as well as artist mentors oversee the children who will get a chance to try a range of art disciplines from drawing, painting, pottery, recycled art and more.
The artists are from the community and donate their time to teaching the children.
“If anyone in the community feels like they have a talent they want to share or some little exercises or activities we would love to hear from them. It’s an enriching program and it is all about the community,” said Shaak.
Children are invited to bring their own food to eat together during a supervised lunch. The cost for the week is $185. There is also an option for half days in the morning from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at a cost of $125.
The Creativity Camp is also run during the summer months with activities tailored to the interest of children including music, dance, arts, crafts, writing and theatre.
For more information on the Spring Break or summer Creativity Camp, call 250-770-7668 or email info@shatfordcentre.com.