Police and Children Together Camp

The Police and Children Together Camp, commonly referred to as P.A.C.T. camp, has been held annually since July, 1996. Through this program, approximately 20 children annually in the community are invited to participate in a 5-day camp at the Touch of Nature preserve at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Camp activities are designed to improve self-esteem and confidence, teach life skills and teamwork techniques, and break down barriers and build relationships between police officers and children in our community. Carbondale and SIU police officers serve as camp counselors and participate with the children in all camp activities.

Twenty disadvantaged children between 9 and 12 years old are selected to participate in the camp in a referral process facilitated by the Boys and Girls Club of Carbondale, which currently staffs volunteers who participated in the camp as children.

The camp focuses on skill-building instruction during the morning and team building or confidence building activities in the afternoon. Campers also participate in a service project to "give back" to the camp and community. The camp offers many activities that might not otherwise be available to the participants. These activities include canoeing, rock climbing, high ropes confidence courses and a team building exercise.

The participants are provided breakfast and lunch and swim each day of the camp. Instruction at the camp consists of bullying, anger management, gang resistance, Think First (which teaches about the severity of brain injuries and how to avoid them), career decisions, and a canine demonstration.

The final day of camp concludes with a dinner and graduation ceremony in recognition of the participant's achievements. Graduations are important events, which include City government and community member speakers, as well as certificates of achievement and t-shirts. The participants, their families, police department representatives, as well as City officials and community leaders attend the dinner.