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ENJOY ENGLISH SUMMER CAMP 2
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With the financial support of the British Council AzETA Young Learners Special Interest Group started an English Language Project for the orphans in Qizildash in October 2004. Now the Project is continued with the fund of BP (British Petroleum).
Qizildash is a district in Gobustan region of Baku. There is a Vocational Training Lyceum # 8 where 50 orphans study. These are the children at the ages of 15-17. They get basic vocational training. They live in the Lyceum dormitory. The aim of AzETA Project is to teach them some English to enable them to apply for a job or admission to the Universities after graduating from the Lyceum.
With Hornby Educational Trust Project AzETA organised a summer camp on 15-22 August 2005 involving some children from Qizildash, some from “Umid Yeri” orphanage and some from Orphanage #3 where AzETA implements Projects to teach the orphans English (in both orphanages the children are at the ages of 7-17), and also involving the members of AzETA Enjoy English Club (the Club members are the talented children from different schools of Baku).
As a member of RENTA (Regional Network of Teachers’ Association) AzETA also closely co-operates with ETAG (English Teachers’ Association of Georgia) implementing joint projects. AzETA involved ETAG in this project, too, and invited some children from Georgia to the summer camp. So, it was a partner project.
The aim of the summer camp was to bring some orphans – beneficiaries of AzETA Qizildash Project together, to organise different contests, discussions with them alongside with organising a cross-cultural event where the children recited poems, sang songs, and demonstrated performances in Azerbaijani, English and Russian. The children also had a one-week English speaking environment where they had different daily activities focused on civic education and basic hygiene rules that helped them improve their English skills. The children were taken to the sightseeing and museums in both regions.
Seeing the effectiveness of the first summer camp, AzETA approached some donors to organise a second summer camp. AMEC, Rolls Royce, IREX and US FLEX programme approved the request and AzETA held a second summer camp for the beneficiaries of its English Language Project on 19-27 August 2006 in Qebele and Sheki with their financial support.
The summer camp started on 19 August in Qebele with an opening session where apart from AzETA President, the representatives of IREX and FLEX welcomed the children. The opening was followed by free time for the children where they enjoyed the beauty of the nature.
The next day the children were involved in different activities. The teachers had prepared different communicative activities and English only atmosphere were created during the summer camp. Although the children’s English was limited, they managed to express themselves with their limited English. Day two ended with a cultural event where famous poet Tajeddin Shahdagli was invited. He recited some poems for the children and answered the questions of the children about literature, poetry and his creative activities.
While in Qebele children were taken to the History Museum of Qebele, Nohur Golu (a lake), Yeddi Gozel (Seven Beauty) waterfall.
On Day 3 in the afternoon they were taken to Sheki where they stayed till the end of the summer camp, i.e. 25 August.
Apart from the teachers, the members of AzETA Enjoy English Club (EEC) also presented different activities. The members of this Club are the talented children from different secondary schools of Baku uniting under AzETA Young Learners SIG umbrella. The aim of involving them in giving presentations was to encourage these orphans through demonstrating them how their peers fluently spoke English. This encouraged the orphans very much and they were more active in the activities given by their peers. They requested to establish EEC in Qizildash, too.
EEC members would also help the teachers in organisational matters during the summer camp. They would encourage the orphans to speak English only during the summer camp and would help them during the activities.
Catherine Thompson, English Language Fellow who is based in Ganja also attended the summer with her own expenses and stayed with the children in Sheki for 2 days. She gave different interesting activities,
At the closing ceremony the children were given symbolic presents to remember the camp. Some children shared their impressions at the closing ceremony thanking the donors and organisers of the summer camp which left them with fond memories. The teachers also shared their impressions wishing to organise such events in future, too, as they help the children feel belonging to the world. When asked the word they learned at the summer camp, the children unanimously said: FRIENDSHIP. They were very happy to leave the camp having made new friends. |
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