ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — With students out of school for winter break, the city of Albany gave kids a chance to stay engaged and learn more about the community around them.

The downtown winter camp, hosted from Feb. 16 to Feb. 20, reportedly provides educational field trips to multiple city locations including the fire department, police department and Flint RiverQuarium. The program allows children to interact and build connections with places downtown.

Clifford Johnson, a recreation supervisor with the city, said the camp was inspired because many kids in the area don’t know what downtown has to offer.

“This idea came about because we had some kids that only knew about a three block radius of where they actually lived at in Albany,” Johnson said. “And so partnering with downtown Albany— They said, ‘Okay, this is a great idea.’”

Structured environment during break

Jonya McKinney, downtown event coordinator for Albany, said the camp provides a structured environment for children while their parents are at work.

“Their parents are at work. I mean, we have kids at home. We don’t know what they’re doing, what they’re exposed to,” McKinney said. “If we bring them out to our camp, we have a structure, very educational camp for them to visit.”

McKinney said she is excited about what the program offers children.

“The kids are excited. They’re happy to be here. They want to see what we have to offer. And we’re just happy to be here to show them what we have,” she said.

Desmond Edwards, a parent, said he is looking forward to his child gaining a deeper understanding of the community.

“It’s exciting, you know, to get a chance to learn the city itself. You know, even at a small age, we can understand as much as we can in the capacity that they do,” Edwards said. “Of course, the city itself is well represented, and we love our city, so we want the kids to get to know it.”

Officials said the camp helps children experience the city in a positive light while learning about downtown Albany during winter break.

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