SR/STA
28. 7. 2024, 08.47
Updated: 28/07/2024, 08:51
Almost 1,300 people from all over Slovenia will participate in the holidays and camps organized by Karitas this year. The activities are mostly carried out in Portorož, Soča and Rakitna, and as many as 947 children will be among the participants.
This year, Caritas is organizing 15 different holiday and camp programs, which will include a total of 947 children, 161 parents and 180 elderly people from the whole country. As announced by the organization, “these programs allow children, adolescents, families and the elderly to not only enjoy the company of others, but also to strengthen their health, improve their fitness, develop new social skills and gain strength for all the challenges that everyday life brings.” The programs, which take place from the beginning of May to the end of October, also include more than 280 volunteer animators, who are preparing for volunteer work at several training sessions in the spring.
The largest vacation projects are Pearl Vacations and Rainbow Vacations, which take place in Portorož in the summer and involve more than 350 socially disadvantaged children. The program according to the general secretary of Slovenian Caritas Peter Tomažič encourages socializing, playing, talking and, above all, lots of fun moments with peers. Children bathe in the sea and many of them also learn to swim.
The program includes games and creative workshops aimed at socializing children. “Caritas programs provide a safe and supportive environment where children can relax, learn new things and feel included and valued,” emphasizes Tomažič.
“After the initial nervousness and anticipation of the children, we have already swum concretely in this year’s Pearls. The children enjoy the water, allow themselves to be spoiled with delicacies from the hands of our technical team. And they diligently make gifts for their parents and their hidden friends.” said the leader of the first week of the Počitnica Biserov holiday Timotej Klemenčič.
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Afternoon on the road
In the Caritas home in Soča, the children from the Afternoon on the Road program are on vacation and are intended for children with learning and educational difficulties and from the Distance Adoption program for children from socially weak families. Children spend time in nature by the river Soča. Special emphasis is given to children with special needs. People with disabilities in mental or physical development also traditionally vacation in Soča. “It is extremely important for us to have the opportunity to vacation and spend free time with our peers and friends,” said one of the vacation participants.
Smaller vacations for specific groups of children and families take place in the Mlade Karitas cottage on Rakitna. Smaller camps are also held in various locations across Slovenia organized by diocesan Caritas. In June, 40 children accompanied by colleagues and volunteers from Ukraine arrived on the Slovenian coast.
Families facing social challenges
This year, 161 socially disadvantaged parents and 160 children from all over Slovenia are taking part in family summer vacations in Portorož. Families facing social challenges have the opportunity to spend quality time together in Sončna hísa in Portorož or Soča, where the emphasis is on socializing, creative workshops and family free time spent together. “We want to empower parents, raise their confidence and self-esteem, show them how to set boundaries, how to take care of themselves, because only then will they be happy parents to their children,” explains the professional worker at the Ljubljana Diocesan Caritas Alenka Petek.
Special vacations, which take place in the spring and autumn, are intended for the elderly and enable them to spend their free time actively, socialize, go for walks and relax. More than 180 socially disadvantaged seniors will have the opportunity to participate in these programs this year.
Source: svet24.si
