The Mountie who founded Burnaby RCMP’s youth soccer camp may have moved on to another job far from Metro Vancouver, but his heart is still with Burnaby kids.
Const. Kwame Amoateng (or just “Kwame” to the kids) started the camp for kids aged four to 13 in 2017.
The first camp, at Edmonds Park, drew about 18 kids, mostly from the Hillside Gardens housing complex – home to a diverse mix of families, including many newcomers and refugees.
Amoateng had gotten to know the neighbourhood during his days as a general duty officer, and he wanted to do something to build on the positive attitudes most younger kids in the neighbourhood still have toward police.
He also wanted to give them something to do while their parents were at work.
The camp was a hit, and a second was added at the Bonsor Recreation Centre last year.
Amoateng transferred to another position outside of the Burnaby detachment earlier this year, but he flew back to run the two camps again this year – with the full support of his current and past RCMP bosses.
“Youth, for almost every police department, is a priority,” he said, “so whenever you mention something good for kids, it’s very rare they turn it down. Basically I’m here away on duty.”
The first camp ran at Bonsor from Monday to Wednesday with about 45 kids.
More than 60 kids are expected at a second camp at Edmonds Park Thursday to Saturday.
“When we started it, I didn’t expect anything like this,” Amoateng said. “I thought it would just be maybe 20 kids kicking a ball around here and there, especially the more at-risk kids. Two years later, we’ve got more than 100 kids, and they’re all getting to know each other in the community.”
The camps are free and include skills training, snacks, lunch and demonstrations by various emergency responders, including the Burnaby Fire Department, the police dog service and the emergency response team.
“We’ve got a lot of support from the community,” Amoateng said. “The detachment’s really getting involved now and the city’s really getting involved.”
Local businesses have also gotten on board, with Me-n-Ed’s Pizza and Subway each donating one free day of pizzas and subs.
After finishing up the second camp this week, Amoateng will hand over the reins of the program to Burnaby RCMP’s youth section to run next year – with fellow soccer enthusiast Const. Tulsi Reddy taking the lead.
“I think something great was started by Kwame, and I love soccer,” he said. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have this opportunity back where I’m from in the South Pacific, so I think it’s great to get the kids all together. It’s positive for the community.”
