Resilience, Kindness, and Basketball: Jamaican Youth Camp Focuses on Positivity Post-Hurricane

More than 2,000 children and teenagers across western Jamaica are set to converge on Treasure Beach for the 12th annual PMBL Treasure Beach Jamaican Youth Basketball Camp next week. The event, a collaboration between the PMBL and the Breds Foundation, aims to impart lessons in sportsmanship, passion, and resilience through basketball.

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We are focusing on getting buses into areas that were affected by the hurricane so we’re spreading the word in Parrottee, in Galleon, the whole Black River area, you know, because we know that these children would not have had it easy in the last 10 months so this would be something to hopefully brighten up their summer.

This year's camp holds particular significance as it extends its reach to children affected by Hurricane Melissa, which devastated the western part of the island. Jason Henzell, who spearheads the Breds Foundation, highlighted the effort to organize transportation for children from areas impacted by the hurricane. "We are focusing on getting buses into areas that were affected by the hurricane so we’re spreading the word in Parrottee, in Galleon, the whole Black River area, you know, because we know that these children would not have had it easy in the last 10 months so this would be something to hopefully brighten up their summer," Henzell said.

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When Hurricane Beryl hit a couple years ago, we were contemplating if we were going to be able to come or not, and we started getting videos from our campers really imploring us to come down. And that regardless of the situation and the devastation, they still wanted to express themselves… this year, I feel the same way, that we’re really going to be a great distraction for them, hopefully kickstart their school year and really bring a tonne of positivity, energy, and joy to some kids who really deserve it and need it.

Jake Kind, the leader of the PMBL camps, expressed his unwavering commitment, drawing parallels to past challenges. "When Hurricane Beryl hit a couple years ago, we were contemplating if we were going to be able to come or not, and we started getting videos from our campers really imploring us to come down," Kind recalled. He believes the camp will serve as a "great distraction" and a positive start to the school year for the children, bringing much-needed positivity, energy, and joy.

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When I was sick and doing chemo, the only thing that was really going through my mind outside of being around so I could meet my eventual wife and have a child, which I did six months ago, is that I wanted to come down to this camp and put this on for these kids.

Kind emphasized the dedication of the volunteer coaches, who cover their own travel expenses to Jamaica. This ensures that every donated dollar directly benefits the camp and the children, who will receive three meals a day, a full basketball kit, and school supplies. Kind's personal connection to the camp is profound; he has only missed one staging, even while battling stage 3B colorectal cancer. "When I was sick and doing chemo, the only thing that was really going through my mind outside of being around so I could meet my eventual wife and have a child, which I did six months ago, is that I wanted to come down to this camp and put this on for these kids," he shared. He described Jamaica as the first place he felt truly at home as an adult, a sentiment that fuels his dedication to the camp and its community.

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It’s the people. It’s the kids. It’s the community. It’s the love, the energy, the shared joy that we get to experience every year. This is what I look forward to the other 51 weeks of the year…The first time I came to Jamaica 15 years ago was the first time as an adult I ever felt like I was at home.