We have started our fourth and final week of English Summer Camp! Our students are giving us 100% in every session we have had in our program. We are happy to have each of them with us.
This week the students have been learning about the different meals they have each day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. They learned new vocabulary and how to present their favorite meal. They also participated in various indoor and outdoor activities to express themselves in front of different audiences. It’s truly incredible! They can now hold their own in a conversation with a foreigner and express their main ideas in English. It’s a remarkable achievement!
Figure 1: Students of the English Summer Camp explaining their favorite meals
Our students also created a card expressing in their own words how the English Summer Camp experience has impacted their lives, and many of them expressed their gratitude for the great and unforgettable experience that this project has meant to them. As some of our students mentioned, this experience gave them a new idea about the importance of willpower and self-confidence when pursuing a new goal in life. We are glad to have been part of their integral development and contributed to the change of mindset that will help to succeed in life. We hope to see them again and measure the impact of our work on a long-term basis.
Figure 2: Students creating a card about their final thoughts regarding the English Summer Camp experience.
Figure 3: Cards created by English Summer Camp students sharing their experiences
We are absolutely certain that our program will have a profoundly positive impact on the future! We aim to instill in our students a new sense of purpose and show them a whole new world of possibilities. All they need to do is put in the effort and seize the incredible opportunities that come their way, like the English Summer Camp!
Our Academic Coordinator, Teacher Fabian Polanco, publicly thanked our English teachers in the summer camp for their efforts and the successful completion of the classes. Daysury and Luz Stella are really great English teachers and we are in debt to them for the success of the program. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that our 120 students have completed the program and will be graduating soon to receive their well-deserved diplomas.
Figure 4: Teacher Fabian Polanco, Academic Coordinator of the English Summer Camp, thanks the English teachers of the program: Daysury and Luz Stela
In the closing ceremony, we will also have a raffle where the students can win different amazing prizes. Additionally, we will reward those students who actively participated in all our sessions and engaged in them. We really hope that this experience will give them the right incentives to always show determination, hard work, and commitment in every job or task that they are involved in.
Figure 5: Invitation to the Closing Ceremony of the English Summer Camp
Furthermore, we will be doing a closing ceremony on the 9th of August. We had sent the invitations for it, so that students can save the date and bring their relatives to it. In this way, all of them will be able to attend and celebrate this important achievement in the lives of the students.
I’m so excited to have this incredible opportunity because of International House and the Davis Projects for Peace! Without them, none of this would have been possible. Both institutions have given me the incredible opportunity to pursue a dream I had as a youth. I saw so many Colombian children not having access to quality educational opportunities, and now I’m able to help change that! I feel fulfilled to see how democratizing education can fight against violence and inequality in the country. We have the power to make a difference! All we need to do is be humble, creative, work hard, and show commitment when going ahead in the possible solutions to the most important ills affecting society.