Siksika Mental Health Services organized a Social Skills Camp for children in Kindergarten through 6th grade during the summer season. The primary objective of the camp was to enhance the student’s social skills, which are essential for academic success, as they include verbal and nonverbal communication techniques.
The program spanned over four weeks, from July 19th to August 4th, and catered to 11-14 participants from various schools in the Siksika region, including Chief Old Sun School and Crowfoot School.
The Mental Health therapists from Siksika Health Services led the camp, including Samuel Acquah, Brittany Travis, Maria Red Gun, and Malvern Nyamade. They employed diverse instructional and interactive techniques to promote the students’ social-emotional learning. The campers gained important social skills such as empathy, emotional regulation, self-regulation, body awareness, and problem-solving.
Parents expressed gratitude for the camp’s success and exhibited a desire to enroll their children in future camps. Similarly, the students found the experience valuable and enriching. This successful camp underscores the significance of modifying instructional methods to accommodate each learner’s unique identity, abilities, and skill set.