International Summer Camps
As we work with GCI kids, we recognize their need to live as normal a life as possible. This includes having fun, learning more about the world around them, learning new languages (especially English), interacting with children different from them and working together to be of service to others.
In the near future, two-week summer camps for children between six and 15 years old will engage GCI kids, who come from a life of extreme poverty, in intercultural enrichment experiences with children from other socio-economic backgrounds. These camps will build bridges between children of various cultures, help GCI kids learn English and promote opportunities to relate to people outside their original environments. As they doing these things, they will also have fun and learn how it feels to give to others.
Each camp will run for 12 days, with approximately 80 GCI children and 40 other children from the local communities attending each camp. The camps will be led by teachers from the U.S. and China, assisted by youth leaders and interns. Youth participating in the Great Expectations program will be among the camp staff.
Each camp will involve:
- English training
- Cultural activities, such as field trips, working on a farm and exploring the links between human beings and nature
- Skill-building experiences
- Games and supervised activities that offer age-appropriate personal development
- A community-service outreach experience
- Theatrical performances based on what the children have learned
This camp program offers a holistic experience that can help bridge gaps between children of different socio-economic levels and between people with different languages, cultures and backgrounds. In this way, the program will build relationships that will promote worldwide peace and understanding.