Over 340,000 Children and Youth Benefit from the National Camping Program During the Spring Holidays
In a recent statement, Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication Mehdi Bensaid revealed that more than 340,000 children and young people benefited from the National Camping Program over this year’s spring holidays. This announcement came in response to a written question from MP Lobna Al-Sghiri of the Progress and Socialism party, where he outlined the various measures taken to ensure the program’s successful organization.
Bensaid clarified that the National Camping Program is not limited to summer activities; it extends throughout the year, covering multiple areas such as thematic camps, educational getaways, capacity-building meetings, neighborhood camps, scouting activities, training sessions, and summer camps.
He pointed out that the program’s management is carried out in partnership with the National Federation of Camping according to a precise agenda. This year, a ministerial decision was issued to organize and implement it. The ministry launched the program in January, with the participation of partners and stakeholders.
The minister explained that the ministry opened the application process for associations to submit participation requests centrally in January. These applications were reviewed in May by joint committees that included the relevant expert services and decentralized entities of the ministry, along with representatives from the National Federation of Camping, following a procedural guide to ensure transparency and governance.
A total of 872 educational associations applied to participate in the National Camping Program, including 45 national associations, 58 multi-branch associations, and 76 regional and local associations. In May, the ministry announced the accepted associations for the summer camps and distributed the benefits based on transparent criteria in June.
To ensure the program’s success, the ministry organized several preparatory meetings, including a national preparatory meeting for summer camps in June, involving all relevant partners from regulatory, health, and security institutions, as well as the National Federation of Camping and regional and provincial directors.
Additionally, the ministry held a national preparatory meeting for summer camp staff from June 17 to 19, with the participation of staff from the ministry, the National Federation of Camping, regional offices, institutional partners, and experts in program management.
As part of the preparations, the ministry conducted field visits to camping centers for inspection and allowed the regional directorates to prepare open camping spaces. In March, it also granted annual management allocations to the directorates to organize program areas.
On the health front, the ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, having signed a contract to secure participants in the programs. Furthermore, the nutrition program has been modified and standardized to suit the specifics of summer camps, in line with directives from the Ministry of Health.
The ministry has digitized the program through the national camping portal to enhance management efficiency and monitor implementation. Bensaid emphasized the ministry’s commitment to the program’s success, supported by royal backing, contributions from institutional partners, partnerships with educational associations, and managerial governance by the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication.
