Around 150 students, parents, teachers and other community members gathered at Saanich's Cadboro-Gyro Park for games, lunch and making connections during the annual Deaf and Hard of Hearing Beach Day on Wednesday, May 28.
Over the day, the kids ranging from kindergarten to Grade 12 participated in an Amazing Race-style game for a trophy and medals while parents got to mingle and meet with some of the many agencies and organizations that work with children with hearing loss.
"[We aim to] have fun and make connections, and for the kids to meet other kids like themselves because typically they're like one or two only in a whole school so there's no one else really to identify with," said itinerant teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing Megan Jantz, while dressed as the title character from Where's Waldo as part of one of the many games the kids played.
"They're put in groups and they have different challenges that they're doing in order to solve the next clue. I was one of the stations. They had to find Waldo in the field, so I'm hiding in amongst all the other people and they're chasing me and whatnot," she said.
Joining the students – who came from across the south Island and the Gulf Islands – were delegates from the Family Network for Deaf Children, the B.C. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, the Provincial Outreach Program: Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and the Deaf Youth Today program, who had the opportunity to meet with some of the parents.
"These are all different agencies that our families can access in the community or through the school system to help support them. So it's just a nice neutral territory for our parents that are coming to be with their kids or volunteer for us to make connections," said Jantz. "That's a really huge part of something that we've really wanted to expand on and create, and it's wonderful. Like I know [one agency] connected with at least another five different families that they're like, 'Oh, they're not on our mailing list. Let's get you on our mailing list'."
Jantz says the event has been held on almost a yearly basis for around three decades, and she expects it to continue growing and expanding in the coming years.
"[The Amazing Races] started about probably eight years ago, and then we just keep expanding and growing," she said. "And we're finding our groups of students are wanting to come back either as a participant or volunteer. Our teenagers are wanting to come back and volunteer and help, that says something right there, you know?"
