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Last week we reported that Camp D'Silva in Pine Ridge was shut down on the day of a parent's showcase, and many parents were outraged following its closure. We had reached out to the CEO, Adele Catzim Sanchez in the Ministry of Transport, Youth and Sports and to the Director of The Department of Youth Services Kevin Cadle for a comment but neither were able to provide us with an update. Today The Minister, Rodwell Ferguson gave the official word on the status of the camp and its operations. According to Ferguson the camp was opened prematurely and they are in the process of making adjustments.
Rodwell Feruguson, Minister of Youth Sports and Transport
"First of all the Mountain Pine Ridge Challenge is a very good program, but it was opened prematurely. And we are taking young people there, young minors between the age of 13 and 17 years old, take them out of society but you have to provide better services for them.And so the justice committee, that reports to the Ministry of Human Development Apparently went to do an investigation, and made certain recommendations to the minister of Human Development to say that what is happening here is not adequate for the young people. So we need to revisit, and so I think last Cabinet or two cabinets ago, Minister Dolores took to Cabinet to say that we need to figure out what we are going to do with this. The Cabinet looked at it as a very good programme so the cabinet said, you know what let us revisit the programme and look at how we can fill the gaps and then reopen at a later date."
The Ministry of Human development is working alongside the Department of Youth to revisit the programme and make adjustments. The camp is set to reopen in September.
