Children living with chronic illness or disability had a chance to learn about the world of performing on Saturday.
University of Alberta medical students are running the Starlight Performance Camp that involves workshops in gymnastics, dance, cheerleading and fashion to help kids gain confidence through performance.
Camp co-leader Andrée Vincent said the camp can help show participants that their health condition doesn’t have to define them.
“The goal is to make the kids feel like stars, because in a lot of other camps the kids are mingled and mixed up with kids that are not restricted by conditions, and it’s a little harder for them to keep up,” Vincent said.
“We wanted to create a camp for those kids, and have a day where they can be the ones shining.”
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The one-day event took place Saturday children were at Ortona Gymnastics at the Saville Centre.
Participants are living with a variety of health conditions — this year’s group included a participants with Down syndrome and a child who underwent a double heart and lung transplant.
Vince and camp co-leader Roxanne Pinson, a fourth-year U of A medical student, are sharing their passion for cheerleading and gymnastics with the children because those activities helped them as kids.
“We felt those sports those activities really gave us that confidence as kids. It kept us active. It still keeps us active now because we’re still doing it recreationally,” Vincent said.
“That’s something we really wanted to get the kids into, to get them physically active and to also get them to discover the world of performance and hopefully build their confidence.”
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It’s the first year of the camp, which was funded by a grant from the Alberta Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association.
The camp included 20 other volunteers, most of whom are medical students.
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