DR. ÁKOS KOZMA GREETS ÁGOTA® CAMP ON ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the 25th ÁGOTA® Camp in Tass-Alsószenttamás on 4 August 2022. 

According to Dr. Ákos Kozma, "a human being is weak and vulnerable alone but their strength and courage are multiplied in the community and human relationships that are important to them and that stand up for them". The example of St. Agatha shows that no one can be a mere instrument of powers, an object of their will, that every person and child deserves equal respect, attention and appreciation, which is an important and eternal lesson, he said. 

"Rest, play and regeneration are not simply activities but fundamental rights of the child declared by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which adults sometimes tend to forget. This is a camp where everyone exercises their fundamental right because recreation, especially play, active and passive rest and fun are fundamental pillars of childhood, alongside learning, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights said. 

The opening ceremony was followed by an adult - student football match. Before the game, the Commissioner handed over 200 beach balls to János Kothencz, founder of the Ágota Foundation, as a gift for the children. Dr. Ákos Kozma, Ombudsman, and Attila Fülöp, State Secretary for Welfare Policy at the Ministry of the Interior, also joined the adults' team at the friendly football match. 

The national meeting and summer camp for children and young people in state care is held annually in the area known as ÁGOTA Village by the children's organisation ÁGOTA. This year, 360 young people in state care will spend ten days at the camp. At the event, support professionals, teachers, therapists and trained volunteers will spend time with the children.