Belfast Children's ProjectCanadian Kids Pictures Kids Videos Welcome to the 2010 edition of our website. We are pleased to announce that the Belfast Children's Project - Saint John Inc is in full operation for July 2010. Fort William Youth Club is returning once again this year as it has since 1988. We are particularly excited to welcome New Lodge Youth Club to Saint John for the 2nd year. The children at New Lodge Youth Club are very excited about this adventure for them. For us, this means the opportunity to share our homes, culture and philosophy of living with another group. We are expanding in scope and purpose. We will be focusing on role modeling, for our visitors, how we live with respect and tolerance for each other’s beliefs, religion and culture as well as sharing some skills which they can practice in their communities in Belfast. We are looking for families who would like to participate in this wonderful experience during the month of July. If you have a child 11-13 years of age and are interested, go to our application section for more details as to how to apply. It costs approximately $1700.00-1800.00 to bring 1 child from Belfast plus expenses to run our summer program. The sum total for this project is in the vicinity of $20,000.00. Those interested in financially supporting this worthwhile project can send their donations to: Belfast Children's Project - Saint John Inc. c/o Ms Terry Mullin, Chairperson 5 Horsler Drive Saint John, NB E2M 4B4 Should you have any questions , suggestions please feel free to contact me at tmullin1@nb.sympatico.ca; or (506) 633-0236 / (506) 647-8694 Ms. Terry Mullin, Chairperson This year, a number of children are coming to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada from Belfast for a four-week vacation. The children are hosted by local families who have a child in the same age group as their guest from Belfast. We expect that the bonds of friendship formed during the summer will last a lifetime for both hosts and guests. This website is intended as a sort of real time scrapbook for the enjoyment of parents and children alike. Pictures and stories will be updated frequently as events unfold. During the month of July each year, 12 children aged 11-13 years of age (6 boys; 6 girls) (6 Catholic; 6 Protestant) in the company of two chaperones, are brought to Saint John, N.B. to spend the month of July with selected families that have a "host" child in the same age group. Saint John area families are encouraged to apply to host a child. A "Placement Committee" reviews the "profiles" of both groups and matches the Belfast child with the most appropriate host family according to the basic criteria of age, sex, and interests. The Executive of this project works in a close relationship with two Youth Clubs in Belfast. The Fort William Youth Club is in a protestant area of the city, while The New Lodge Youth Club is located in a Catholic area. Each club assigns a chaperone and they begin "outings” with the children who are coming to Saint John, as they would not know anyone from the other club. For the Canadian children, similar activities are planned in advance of the group arriving from Belfast Most of these activities are of a get-to-know-you nature involving only the host children, while others involve the entire host family. The "Social Committee" plans these activities as well as information meetings with the host parents. The "Program" Committee" plans and co-ordinates a number of group activities during July, otherwise the vacation is a one-on-one style with the visitor and the host family. Most group activities are designed for the children only, while others include family and friends. While a few of the activities are mandatory, most are of an optional nature for the families. Some of the activities that have endured over the years include:
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