Up to 1,000 foreign volunteers will teach some 100,000 Ukrainian children English, German and French languages, as well as leadership skills at school day camps this summer.
About 600 schools will be turned into learning camps under the Go Camp initiative, launched in 2016 as part of a Go Global project.
Yulia Mishyna, Global Office’s PR manager, said that for many children the program’s volunteers will be the first foreigners they encounter. Joint activities will “relax children and rid them of their complexes, leaving no other choice than to speak with the volunteer in their language,” Mishyna told the Kyiv Post.
“The language and culture barriers disappear as the kids learn that the world outside of their homes is wonderful and worth discovering,” she said.
And when kids become more open-minded, they become more conscious of their surroundings and learn what they can do for their country, she said.
Broad syllabus
Ukrainian reformist lawmaker Mustafa Nayyem brought the idea from Georgia at the end of 2015, where he had seen foreign language camps for children in action. He was inspired to create in 2016 a similar experience for Ukrainian children of the age from 10 to 15 in which volunteers from other countries would take part.
So last summer, at the first Go Camp, 9,000 children from 127 schools were taught English by 120 volunteers from 40 different countries.
In 2017, Go Camp is to be many times larger, and not only in terms of the number of participants. The syllabus will also expand, with two other languages, German and French, added this year, along with other disciplines, according to Global Office’s Head of Communication Department Tetiana Kyrylenko.
“We saw that there was a demand for more than languages, so volunteers will also teach kids leadership skills and critical thinking, and tell them personal success stories,” Kyrylenko says.
The format of the camp is very informal. Children do not just study in classrooms, but play games, and do outdoors activities. Every volunteer teaches kids something from their country, like football, salsa or cooking paella, Kyrylenko says.
The volunteers have to be above 18 years old and fluent in the language they will be teaching. No previous teaching experience is required. The volunteers will be checked for criminal record, Go Camp said.
Participating schools will host camps for two periods: May 29 to June 16, and June 12 to June 23.
Selection process
Choosing schools that will participate is not an easy task. In 2017, 601 schools were selected out of 888 that applied. Each school applied with a motivation video.
Kyrylenko says that schools from small towns and villages were the program’s top priority because the students there have fewer learning opportunities: Around 80 percent of the schools that made the cut are located in such areas.
“These kids tend to be the most motivated in their videos too. But then, if a really good school in a big city performs their task creatively and well, why not let them participate?” Mishyna says.
This year some eastern cities in areas that are not too close to the war zone can set up camps, something that was not allowed in 2016 for security reasons.
“Cities like Mariupol and Kramatorsk are relatively safe, and the volunteers themselves expressed a strong desire to go there.”
Schools located closer to the frontline can take part in Go Camp East, Go Camp’s sister project, which takes place in July-August and lets children from the east of Ukraine take part by coming to camps in Kyiv oblast.
Fundraising and support
Participation in the program costs each kid Hr 200 (about $7.50).
Along with the grant that Go Camp has received from the U.S. Embassy, the program got Ukrainian businesses contribute with either funding or goods, like train tickets or sim cards. The London office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is actively fundraising for Go Camp too. Donations can also be made on the Go Camp website. But most of the money came from a charity auction that took place in December, during which Ukrainian celebrities sold personal belongings.
Go Camp is currently testing another project, Go Camp After School, which are similar camps that take place after lessons in schools. They hope the project will develop into an all-year-round endeavor.
Several notable volunteers will help, including the ambassadors from the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, France and Canada. “They will be coming a few times and sharing their knowledge,” Kyrylenko says.
Go Camp is looking for volunteers, who are at least 18 years old, are eager to work with kids and are fluent in English, German or French.
