Youngsters who think summer day camp is boring and only for children might have a change of heart after hearing from members of Government's "Boys to Men'' camp.

According to members of the camp, based at Devonshire Recreational Club, it has put Bermuda in a new light and opened their eyes to the opportunities.

Georon Trott and Jaceon Tuckett, both 13, spoke to The Royal Gazette before another day of activity recently about the camp which aims to help develop mature attitudes in boys between the ages of 11 and 13.

Georon said he thought he would find the camp boring, at first.

"I really enjoy the camp because the counsellors are fair and like to have fun,'' he said. "We also go to a lot of different places.'' Georon, who attends Warwick Academy, joined Boys to Men last year on the advice of his mother.

He said he especially enjoyed the jet skiing and a visit to the Perfume Factory.

In addition to the activities Georon said he also liked the atmosphere of the camp.

"It was great not to have a lot of little children around,'' he said.

Because of his age, Georon will not be able to return next year but he happily urged others to try it.

"The Boys to Men camp has helped me to be more like a man,'' said the high schooler.

Jaceon, who also joined the camp last year, said he too initially had his doubts about whether he would enjoy it.

"I thought there would be a lot of little children at the camp but it turned out pretty good,'' he said.

The St. George's Secondary student said before attending Boys to Men he did not know that he could do so many things.

"By going to so many places I have been able to get more ideas about careers,'' he said.

Jaceon also noted that he enjoyed the camp's educational trips.

"It depends on where we go,'' he added. "I liked the Perfume Factory because I learned how perfume was made from flowers.'' Among his favourite camp activities were jet skiing, swimming and walking along nature trails.

Jaceon said he returned to the camp this year because he had so much fun last year. And he plans to return again next year before his 14th birthday.

"I think I'll try it for one more year,'' Jaceon said.

Camp director Nyon Steede said he was pleased with the way the camp was progressing since it started last year.

"The camp has grown tremendously in a year,'' Mr. Steede stressed. "Last year during the peak week of camp there were eleven boys, this year there were 37.'' Mr. Steede noted that while the boys participated in sports, an emphasis was also placed on revealing the many available career opportunities.

"A lot of camps do a lot of swimming,'' he said. "I try to expose the boys to as much as possible by visiting places such as Cable and Wireless, the Perfume Factory, and Bermuda Glass Blowing where they can learn about different career opportunities.

"Many of the boys thought that going to Bermuda Glass Blowing would not be interesting and I had a hard time getting them there,'' he recalled. "But when they saw all the things that could be done with glass, I had a hard time getting them to leave.'' The camp director said he was also amazed at the number of youngsters who had never been to certain places around the Island.

"There were kids who had never been to the Perfume Factory,'' Mr. Steede noted. "Some did not know where it was located and others did not even know that it existed.'' The camp, which ran for four weeks last year, was extended to five weeks this year. It is scheduled to end next week.