Youth learn about labour at camp

From August 1 to August 5, 2011, the New Brunswick Federation of Labour is hosting its 11th annual Blair Doucet Youth Summer Camp at the Université de Moncton. This year, 24 campers, 14 girls and 10 boys, are attending the camp. They can expect to learn, have fun and make friends during the week-long camp. In the mornings, campers will learn about the history of the labour movement, their rights as workers and labour’s role in the broader society. In the afternoons and evenings, they will discover some of the activities and attractions in the Greater Moncton area and surroundings.

The Blair Doucet Youth Summer Camp is open to New Brunswick youth with at least one parent that is a member of a labour union affiliated with the New Brunswick Federation of Labour. Children must also be in high school, namely grades 9 through 12, to be eligible to attend. The camp is free of charge to participants and each participant will receive a of $250 scholarship for their participation when they graduate from high school.

On Friday morning at 10 a.m., campers will participate in a mock bargaining session. The media are invited to attend this event as well as the closing ceremonies which commence at 11 a.m.

Blair Doucet, NBFL President from 1999 to 2005, founded the camp. He believed that the union movement should be brought to the youth of the province. Doucet passed away in February 2009. The summer camp is named in his memory.