Day camps integrate young Syrian refugees in Edmonton

Summer camps are a way to keep children busy during the summer, but for Syrian refugee children, they're a way to learn English and to becomeaccustomed to Canadian ways.

Reach Edmonton, a non-profit group, is funding the camps out of a$244,000 grantfrom the federal government to help integrate Syrian refugees.

Syrian children areplaced into nine separatecamps which focused on areas includingacademics, arts and sports.

Hanine Hajj Suleimanis learning how to play soccer at Free Footie Camp, a sport she'snever played before.

When asked about why her family left Syria, Hanine says "strangers came to the their house too much, so they don't like Syria anymore."

She's a fast learner and articulate for an eight-year-old. Shetranslates for some of the other children.

"This camp is beautiful," she's says in her new language.

But not only is she learning English, but she's also teaching Arabic to the camp coaches, whom she callsteachers.

"We told them if you say 'hello', it's 'marhabaan', and if you say 'games', 'aleab'," Haninesaid.

The children are encouraged to try to speak English with non-Syrian kidsand to work through frustrations resulting from the language barrier.

Sarah Forand, 20,FreeFootie'scamp coordinator,says the camp is a good fit for the refugees because many of the children were once immigrants themselvesand have had to adjust to cultural differences.

She says sometimes the Syrian children have to be reminded about personal spaceand behaviours that differ from those of theirCanadian campmates.

"We don't want to reprimand them immediately," Forand said. "We get a translator on the phone and teach them, instead of exiling them for differences."

The camps continue into the first week of August.