Fishing day
It took me by surprise when speaking to these boys, how much they were the same as my two boys. Just looking at them, all seemed well. I came to the realization that working with these boys, or children for that matter, are going to involve some emotion, mostly me crying. It was difficult for me to comprehend the circumstances in which some of these boys were living. Yet, irrespective of this, they were still just boys.
We got permission from one of the industries in Vanderbijlpark to use their facilities which included a pond with some good size carp and catfish. We arranged for a Saturday in September and invited 12 boys to join us for the day.
The boys, aged between 8 and 13 years, all came from households with difficult circumstances - whether the conditions where financially or general living conditions.
They arrived just after 8:00. Looking at their faces we could see they did not know what to expect, but neither did we! We wanted to see whether the concept of Adventure camps with city kids would work and also what would it entail. The fishing was a dress rehearsal for a weekend camp we were planning.
Fishing was slow during the morning and it took some effort to entertain the boys. While some were willing to sit behind the rods, others quickly got bored and started playing around. Some came to help with the brunch we were preparing. Just before brunch was served the first fish was caught and that was all that was needed to get them interested again.
During the rest of the afternoon the fishing picked up and most of the boys had a chance to catch one or two. The day was concluded with a prize giving where all of the boys received something.
It was clear that boys will be boys and that it did not take much to entertain them or keep them busy. It was also clear that we could not handle them with gloves, because of where they come from and that we had to set some rules very quickly and also ensure that any issues be handled as soon as possible.
The day was fully enjoyed by everyone and preparations for our weekend camp with the boys could commence.
5