The cadet camp, held from July 1 to 8, 2018, in Entrepeñas, was an inclusive camp thanks to the enriching participation of four young deaf people.
Teenagers from 12 to 16 years old shared a week full of activities, with the peculiarity that this year four of them were deaf. This detail piqued the youth’s interest in Spanish Sign Language (LSE) to communicate with them. The two young deaf girls had been to these camps before, but it was the two boys’ first time attending a camp at the Centro de Actividades Múltiples (CAM) in Entrepeñas.
Breaking down communication barriers
All the participants wanted to know everything about the LSE and, above all, they wanted to get to know these four young people and make them feel comfortable and integrated. At the same time, this group of deaf people wanted to participate in everything, without the difficulty with which they live daily in society, the famous "communication barrier".
That is why the director of the Ministry of the Deaf, Taida L. Rivero, came to the camp, providing an interpretation service, to facilitate the removal of barriers.
JAE in favor of the integration of the Deaf
The director of the Deaf Ministry narrates her experience:
"It was a challenging week for everyone, especially for the leaders of the deaf children, because these youngsters had to adapt to their "patrol" with this added difficulty. It filled me with satisfaction to see the young people learn sign language with the deaf... I think it was shocking for them, not only to know a deaf person, but also to enter into their culture, their way of feeling and thinking.
I think it was very enriching for the listeners, because many questioned what it was like to live as a deaf person... and they empathized with this group of young deaf people. This was, at the same time, an opportunity to make this camp an unforgettable camp for them. Not only because they had to face certain challenges that helped them grow, but because the seed of the gospel was planted and who knows how it will germinate. I am grateful to JAE for opening the doors to the deaf youth and, above all, for giving me the opportunity to work in collaboration with this department, as important and special as the youth are".
