It was a moment of excitement and joy for Xavier Jesuit School to finally host a fusion camp with the theme of “a deeper awareness of the environment and ecological footprint.” 19 students from Xavier Jesuit School, 24 scholarship students of Jesuit Service Cambodia from the public schools of the remote area of Banteay Meanchey, and 28 students from St. Francis Xavier Parish were thrilled with the sound of the music and the presence of new friends whom they had never met before.
The aim of the fusion camp was to raise the awareness of the deterioration of our environmental care in Cambodia to our young generation. It was also an opportunity for the students from the very remote villages to have a glimpse of Xavier Jesuit School’s programs to help widen their perspective of education in Cambodia. Furthermore, it was a way for the parish, JSC and XJS to in servicing the poor in Banteay Meanchey province.
As well as discussing the environmental crisis and the “I-can-do” solutions to these problems, the students planted 100 trees around the school’s campus together. On the second day of the camp, although the rain poured down heavily right after planting the trees, the students were able to enjoy a relaxing time through sport activities which included football, volleyball, table tennis, and badmintons. For some, these games were new to them.
At the end of the camp, a male student from O Bramouy Chaon commune approached a Jesuit scholastic and asked if he could come back again. He shared that he really enjoyed the camp and desired to join this event again.
The school hopes to host this event more often to allow the students from the remote villages to have access to our school facilities and to allow them to see that the world is bigger than their small village, and to take a break from their daily routine. Furthermore, the school wants to work more closely with the parish and Jesuit Service Cambodia to help the young students of Banteay Meanchey. These two entities have been the bedrock of this area long before the school came along. A very big thank you to the team for organizing and running the programs smoothly and enjoyable for all the participants.