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Gala teams up with Starcamp for national survey and launch of ‘Confidence Day’

Posted on: 23 Mar 2022

2022 sees the second year of Gala Retail’s sponsorship of Ireland’s No. 1 children’s activity camp, Starcamp, and the 2022 schedule is kicking off with the launch of ‘National Confidence Day’ and a special free online activity show from Starcamp with Gala Retail designed to promote confidence and self-esteem in children.

Gala Retail recently teamed up with Starcamp to conduct a survey of more than 1,500 parents from across Ireland to assess the impact that Covid-19 and subsequent restrictions has had on Irish children of Primary School age.

The survey results revealed that ‘confidence’ ranked above ‘academic excellence’ and ‘sporting skills’ as the top trait that respondents wish for their children, with 43% of respondents rating confidence as the most desirable trait.

Almost 50% of respondents feel that their child has been less sociable since the introduction of restrictions and a staggering two thirds of children (65%) have become more reliant on devices and technology since the pandemic began.

91% of parents surveyed said that they felt that group activities such as drama, sport and music are ‘very important’ for their child’s development.  

With the wellbeing of children in mind following the pandemic and lockdown restrictions of the last two years, Starcamp with Gala Retail has announced the launch of ‘National Confidence Day’ on 24th March and a free online show for children, packed with activities to promote confidence.

Speaking about the results of the survey and the decision to launch National Confidence Day, founder & Director of Starcamp, Aideen O’Grady said:

“Parents have spoken. The response to this survey indicates the level of concern for their children following the pandemic. Confidence is what they desire most for them and following a two-year period of restrictions of varying levels, it is unsurprising that this survey reveals the impact that these restrictions have had on their confidence and sociability. Almost all opportunities to develop confidence and social skills became unavailable at a crucial stage of their development.

“Confidence is a human right for every single child, bar none. It is the greatest building block for our next generation and we need to nurture it in them. Kids with confidence are more likely to try new things, think well of themselves, take pride in what they do and achieve and believe in themselves – invaluable gifts to take into adulthood. We don’t want the children of “covid years” to lose out.

“Therefore, the team at Starcamp, sponsored by Gala Retail, are launching ‘National Confidence Day’ in Ireland this 24th March. They have produced a very special, free, Starcamp with Gala Retail ‘Confidence Show’ available to stream online with some incredible content. It will be filled with fun, creative activities designed to help build confidence in kids, while having fun!”

CEO of Gala Retail, sponsor of Starcamp, Gary Desmond adds:

“Gala Retail is proud to sponsor Starcamp and support the delivery of a free, fun, online workshop for Irish children on National Confidence Day. This is designed to encourage confidence and self-esteem. As the survey results demonstrate, confidence is something that we should be instilling in our children, particularly after the events of the last two years and this free online production aims to engage children, encouraging confidence and building self-esteem through activities that incorporate crafts, music and drama with lots of fun along the way. We hope that National Confidence Day becomes a day that is celebrated nationwide, by all.”

The Starcamp with Gala Retail Confidence Day Show is FREE for all and will be available to access online on 24th March, visit https://starcamp.ie/confidence-day/ for more information.