Now in its third year, Burnaby RCMP’s Soccer Camp played host to over 60 kids in late August at two venues in the City.
The soccer camp was first conceived by former Burnaby RCMP Constable Kwame Amoateng in 2017 and has truly gone from strength to strength in the following years with many young people in Burnaby getting the opportunity to be mentored by police officers and staff from Burnaby detachment.
Despite transferring out of Burnaby in early 2019, Kwame ensured that he came back for this year’s camp. It’s amazing to see how much the camp has grown in the last few years and I look forward to continue seeing it grow, says Kwame. It gives these kids an opportunity to see us outside of the uniform, make connections and see us as people, not just police officers.
Over the course of two camps, one at Bonsor and another at Edmonds Park, local kids also learned about the work being done in the community by the police through our partners from the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team, Police Dog Services and Burnaby Bike Section.
Burnaby Fire Department were also on hand to give tours of their trucks and teach local kids about what it’s like to work as a fire fighter.
This year’s camp was also made possible thanks to a grant from BC Civil Forfeiture Office and assistance from the City of Burnaby.
This year in particular it has been incredible to see how the whole of Burnaby detachment has come together to support this great event, says Inspector Kathy Hartwig, Officer-in-Charge of Community Programs. Our Bike Section, Youth Investigative Team, Youth Services Unit and Community Response Team have all played a part in the success of this year’s camp which has given us an incredible opportunity to build relationships with young people in our community.