By Andrew Coakley

FN Sports Editor

As one group of students whose main objective is to help the Grand Bahama YMCA leaves the island, another group of students have arrived with the same objective in mind.

Last week, a group of swimmers from the Metuchen Edison YMCA in New Jersey left the island after helping with maintenance work at the GB "Y".

This week a group of students from the St. Bonaven-ture University have arrived to assist the YMCA.

Students from St. Bona-venture were in town last year assisting the YMCA with a number of repairs to its complex.

This year, the overall goal of the students will be somewhat different.

According to Karon Johnson, Executive Director for the Grand Bahama YMCA noted that the students will focus more on assisting in terms of the academic side of things.

"This year, the students have decided to do things a little differently and they will assist us in our after school program," said Johnson, during a press conference on Thursday to announce the group's arrival.

"During the entire week that they are here, we will run an educational camp, which will take place from Monday through Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"It's a complimentary after school program, only with this we will be able to accommodate more kids than usual."

Johnson said that the After School Program will be open to 300 kids.

The program has been able to be expanded thanks to the teacher students from Bonaventure who are in town.

"These students from Bonaventure are very keen and interested in helping the community of Grand Bahama and it's not just here at the YMCA where they will render their service," Johnson added.

"They will be going throughout the Grand Bahama community.

"But the YMCA is very happy and pleased to have them here with us once again. Their work speaks for itself.

Anthony Coccia of St. Bonaventure University noted that the University has been coming to Grand Bahama for a number of years, and have carried out community service throughout the island.

Assisting the YMCA is just one aspect of the group's overall mission to Grand Bahama.

He noted that each year they assist the YMCA, they try to focus on something different. For instance, last year, the group of students participated in remodelling some of the meeting rooms at the YMCA, including the "Y's" Computer Lab.

"This year we will have a different focus," said Coccia. "This year we will be hosting the after school program for 300 kids. This will be our way to reach out to the community and provide extra assistance and help."

The assistance which the students from Bonaventure give to the YMCA and to the community of Grand Bahama does not give them extra credit as far as their college work is concerned, rather, it's a part of their community outreach effort which is considered an extra curricula activity.

"We're a part of an SFFE Group (Students for Free Enterprise), which is a Business Club at the University, which is open to all of the Majors," Coccia explained.

"We have anywhere between 35-45 people from Bonaventure in the group and that number includes faculty, undergraduates, and teachers."

The group will be in town until January 16 and in addition to the After School Program at the YMCA, they will be throughout the community of Grand Bahama, assisting in numerous community projects.

Another aspect of the Bonaventure group here in Grand Bahama is the undergraduate teacher program, which four of the visiting students will be participating in while here.

"This is the third year that we will have student/teachers here in Grand Bahama," explained Terry Moran, a Professor at St. Bonaventure.

"What will happen is when we return home, we will leave these four student/teachers here for six weeks, where they will be doing their student teaching program at schools here in The Bahamas.

"This program is a part of their requirement as Education majors. They have to do some student teaching. They could have done it up in New York, but they decided to do it right here in The Bahamas. So they will be teaching Bahamian students."

Karon Johnson is excited about having the students in town and even more excited about the After School Program which the students will be hosting for one week.

"We want to invite members of the public to call and sign up for the program, because I believe it will be beneficial to those who will take part in it," said Johnson.