Today, Dakajam erupted. A years of tradition in Meppel. Dakajam is a day camp for children from Meppel. They do activities throughout the week, follow treasure hunts and build tents on the defense area near Havelte. Every morning they are picked up with large buses and brought back in the afternoon, most of them so tired that they sleep.
It is an anniversary year. This year the camp is 75 years old. “Children can be busy in the forest. That doesn’t happen that much more. You hear and read that children have to go outside more and have to move more. That is exactly what we do here. Children just really like it,” coordinator Jan Jansen explains the success.
He has experienced a lot. This is his 51st edition. “It’s my thing, right? I just think it’s great to be busy with volunteers for a whole year to make this possible.”
In all those years he has also seen the camp change enormously. “The tents and the materials that we first had were minimal. That was old stuff, already then. That has all been renewed.” What is especially different is the technology. “We used to have no mobile phones at all. You can’t think of it anymore. But we do fit that it is a means. It should not be a main goal here. Then they will all stand behind the tree with a smartphone. That is not the intention.”
But the telephones are not missed at all by the 360 children, from 5 to 12 years old. They play tag, solve puzzles in an escapet tent, entertain themselves in the playground, collect branches to make a seat, climb into the trees or walk a treasure hunt.
“It went pretty well to set up the tent,” says 9-year-old Dewi. “We have made a small bench with many branches that we can sit on.” All children are divided into groups and each group makes its own tent. That is their home base for the rest of the week. They can eat, drink, and just sit there. And if it rains, they are dry there.
Where most have set up all their tent, that is not yet the case with the Teun group (8). “No, not really. There must be more rope,” he says. This group also enjoys that long that rope is not there yet. Just playing under the sail and hitting the sail is fun enough.
Elijah (9) is doing better. He is sitting on the edge of the forest in a large cabin of branches. “We found this.” A bit of luck for him and his group.
75 years ago, Dakajam, which stands for Daily Camps Youth Promotion Meppel, founded by Meppelers as an activity for children. “That’s what they called the asphalt youth. I think there was no asphalt at all, but good,” says Jan Jansen. “They have organized camp weeks, not compared to now. That has developed further and further.”
When Queen Juliana was visiting Meppel, she heard of this initiative and donated a thousand guilders to have it developed further. “And it has never disappeared again. We have had different locations.” Now it has been on the Defense area right behind the Johannes Postkazerne for many years, but the camps have also been to Holtingerzand and the Uffelterzand.
Dakajam lasts two weeks. This week it is for the youngest. Next week it is for children from 12 years old. They therefore stay overnight for the entire week. This is about 25 children.