REPORT OF THE VILNIUS TEAM – ŽARA GYMNASIUM – 1
REPORT OF THE VILNIUS TEAM – ŽARA GYMNASIUM – 2
REPORT OF THE TURGELIAI AISTUVA TEAM
REPORT OF THE VILNIUS TEAM – SANTARA GYMNASIUM
REPORT OF THE LENTVARIS TEAM – 1
REPORT OF THE LENTVARIS TEAM – 2
INVITATION
U.S. Embassy Vilnius and LAKMA are organizing a week-long DEMOCRACY CAMP in Lithuania for teenagers from the U.S., Poland and Lithuania.
The camp aims to promote cross-cultural dialog through the shared camp experience; foster democratic values through discussion of human rights, media literacy, and inclusion of ethnic minorities, refugees and partner nations in this dialog; promote the English language as a tool to create inclusion by providing an intensive experience where English is used by students and teachers in a natural manner to discover new ideas and articulate their own ideas.
Time: July 17–23, 2017 (arrival 17th, departure 23rd)
Place: Dvarčėnų Dvaras, Alytus region www.dvarcenudvaras.lt
Age of students: 14–15 years. In Lithuania – students who have finished grade 7 or 8.
The camp is FREE OF CHARGE for both students and teachers. All costs will be covered, including transportation (Vilnius Bus Station – Dvarčėnai), accommodation, meals, and educational supplies. The Camp is sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Vilnius and organized by LAKMA with support from the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences.
Participating schools:
US – Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, Washington, host of the Global Teen SummitPoland – Gimnazjum im. Noblistów Polskich in Świdniku, host of the Holocaust Memorial Week
Lithuania – 6 schools from different regions (1 teacher and 6 students from each school)
English teachers interested in working at the camp are invited to apply by June 12, 2017.Please complete the online APPLICATION FORM: https://goo.gl/pZ1hQi
The six teachers selected for the camp will be contacted on June 14, 2017. The list of students will have to be submitted by June 21, 2017 to LAKMA president Eglė Petronienė: admin@lakmaonline.lt
Selected teachers will be required to participate in a three-day preparatory workshop in Vilnius, June 26–28, 2017. All costs (travel, accommodation, and meals) will be covered.
| WHO CAN APPLY? |
TEACHER profile:
* is a qualified teacher of English, with at least three years of experience of teaching teenagers
* (preferable) has experience using social media platforms (Facebook, Blogs, etc.)
* has permission of her/his school Principal to apply for the camp STUDENT profile:
* has sufficient knowledge of English (6+ years of studies)
* is interested in meeting peers from Lithuania, Poland and the U.S.
* has submitted to the teacher a written parental permission to participate at the camp
| WHAT ARE THE COMMITMENTS? |
Selected TEACHERS are expected to:
* participate in a preparatory workshop, June 26–28, 2017 in Vilnius
* complete a home assignment before the preparatory workshop
* work in a team with other teachers of English, counselors and volunteers
* organize educational activities for groups of students from ethnically-diverse backgrounds
* produce a written report about the camp to be posted on the school website / Facebook by September 15, 2017 (The International Day of Democracy)
* make a presentation about the camp for the school community
* submit a written report in English to LAKMA president by September 15, 2017
Selected STUDENTS are expected to:
* participate in camp activities throughout the week
* contribute to the written report about the camp to be posted on the school website / Facebook
* contribute to the oral presentation about the camp for the school community
| WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? |
The TEACHERS will:
* be working in an English-only environment for a week
* be working together with colleagues from Lithuania, Poland and the U.S.
* receive a stipend of 180 EUR to cover the working hours at the camp
* gain motivation and inspiration for the upcoming school year
* develop their social media skills* receive an educational certificate
The STUDENTS will:
* make new friends
* become better team players
* improve English skills through group activities
* meet interesting people, who have studied in the U.S. and guests from the U.S.
* live for a week in a beautiful environment, spend a lot of time outdoors and eat healthy food
* receive a certificate of participation
PREPARATORY WORKSHOP
On June 26–28, eight teachers from Lithuania and Poland attended a preparatory workshop for the Democracy Camp 2017 to be held between July 17–23 in Dvarčėnų dvaras, Alytus region, Lithuania. The camp is funded by the U.S. Embassy Lithuania and organized by the Board of LAKMA (Lithuanian Association of English Language Teachers), and will be attended by 48 teenagers from the the U.S., Poland and Lithuania.
Alla Juriavichene (Vilnius Santaros Gymnasium), Rasa Midverienė (Turgeliai Aistuvos Gymnasium), Irina Sidor (Vilnius Žaros Gymnasium), Saulius Skučas (Garliava Juozas Lukša Gymnasium), Neringa Šakinienė (Lentvaris Motiejus Šimelionis Gymnasium), Dalia Venckuvienė (Kupiškis Povilas Matulionis Gymnasium) from Lithuania and Beata Adasik and Marcin Pasnikowski (Gimnazjum Nr. 3 im. Noblistów Polskich in Świdniku and Zespol Szkol nr 2 in Swidniku) from Poland met with the camp organizers. Two teachers from Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, WA, U.S. – Ann Vogel and Laryssa Schmidt – will join the team in July.
The workshop was held in the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences which is an active partner of the U.S. Embassy and the LAKMA Association. The university highly values the benefits of such cooperation as the students are offered great opportunities to participate in various educational projects. This time Tomas Aleknavičius and Simas Laurikėnas, students of English Philology, will be able to act as Camp volunteers and assist the tutors in organizing the camp activities.
The U.S. Embassy Assistant Public Affairs Officer Althea Cawley-Murphree and LAKMA president Eglė Petronienė welcomed the future camp tutors and volunteers and wished them great success in implementing the ideas of the project. The U.S. Government program Alumni Coordinator Inga Sidrys and two US Embassy interns Alicia Nibarger and Sandra Ambotaitė shared their views on democratic values and emphasized their importance in modern society.
The workshop was moderated by Nida Burneikaitė, LAKMA Board member and teacher trainer. Working as a team, the participants have developed the conceptual framework for the camp program, shared their ideas and best practices of teaching teenagers, discussed the resources to be used at the camp and designed activities which would be appropriate for the purposes of the camp.