PLAY CENTRES AND SUMMER CAMPS: THE HIDDEN FACE OF VACATIONS FOR OUR KIDS | M6 | Zone Interdite

An apprenticeship to life in the community, independence, the first kiss… For children, summer camp is something of a school for life. In France these holidays are very popular: every year more than a million children go off to “colo”. However, since they enjoyed a golden age between 1930 and 1960, summer camps have changed a lot. Today the sector has become a market and offers are increasingly diverse. What does a summer camp of today look like? We went along on a number of holidays: from the most classic to the most exotic. 17-year-old Axell, Elise and their friends are getting ready for a holiday far removed from the camps of old. They are flying off for a week on the isle of Mauritius with its paradise beaches and blue waters. How is the sector renewing itself to attract teenagers? How are these high-end camps run? At camp the indispensable figure still remains the “mono”. Who are the monitors who look after our children? How are they trained? To find out it, we followed Juliette, 17 years old, during her training for the BAFA, the qualification awarded to future monitors. From the study of theory to her first stint under real conditions, this high school student will have to learn to manage children and, above all, to be responsible. Will she be able to fulfil the role? What is the BAFA training really worth? Despite security regulations and strict supervision, tragedies occur every year during these types of holidays. In August 2012 a 17-year-old at a summer camp drowned in the lake in which swimming was forbidden. In 2009 it was two teenagers of 16 and 17 who lost their lives at a summer camp in the United States. What are the risks attached to these holidays? Are these camps always well supervised? To find out we follow units of the departmental office for social cohesion. They are the people who check, inspect and supervise these vacations.