Tag Archives: summer camp

Kibera: Second Annual Summer Institute A Success!

A young girl at Kibera School for Girls smiles during this year's Summer Institute

A young girl at Kibera School for Girls smiles during this year's Summer Institute. Photo credit: KSG Facebook page

Summer always means fun in the sun for the girls at The Kibera School for Girls in Kenya! Last year, we wrote about their exciting times at summer camp, where they danced, played sports, put on plays and created works of art. Clearly, this is a talented (and fun-loving!) group of girls. This year, the girls participated in their second annual three-week educational camp, Summer Institute. Thanks to the help of an all-star group of volunteers and staff, the camp was another success!

Summer Institute started last year as a way to engage stellar college student volunteers with the young girls at The Kibera School. Volunteers led the girls in three weeks of playing, learning and mentoring. Mornings at Summer Institute are filled with educational activities, while the afternoons are spent playing sports, doing arts and crafts, making music or acting. Whether the girls were competing in an obstacle course or folding origami, practicing their public speaking or putting on a show, their smiles tell it all. Both volunteers and students alike seem to have had the time of their life over these past three weeks.

After scrolling though Summer Institute’s photos, it’s nearly impossible to not send in a volunteer application for next year’s camp. The Kibera School for Girls is looking for undergrad or graduate students who are eager to take on challenges and responsibility, while forming meaningful relationships with KSG’s students and staff at the 2013 Summer Institute. Applicants should also love being around children and have a passion for Shining Hope’s mission. To learn more about the volunteer opportunities Summer Institute presents, visit here.

Interested? To get a notification when the application goes live in January, email alix@shininghopeforcommunities.org.

 

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What Happened on Our First Day at @ExplorersTYWLS Camp!

Photo by Kate Lord

Flash back! It seemed as if I were back at school for the first day all over again. As nervous and excited girls crowded the elevator, we had already started off on the right note as one of our youngest campers pointed out that being packed so closely together was instantly creating a “bonding experience” among the rest of us. When the elevator finally reached the 7th floor, I could feel the excitement just pouring out of the gym.

As I poked my head inside the gym to simply get a taste of the energy that had clearly taken over the atmosphere, my adrenaline had already started soaring at the thought of working with these 140 excited and energetic girls.

Within about 20 minutes, our first group of girls started to file in and sit down in anticipation for the start of our workshop. Attentive, engaged faces were all we needed to see in order to recognize that class was now in session.

Photo by Kate Lord

A warm welcome seemed to be the only thing that was needed for the girls to feel comfortable and ready to learn. We then introduced ourselves and began to break down what exactly it means to be “a first.” When we opened up discussion with the girls, I can say on behalf of all of us, we were thoroughly impressed with their answers. Girls saying that they wanted to be the first in their families to be journalists, judges, doctors, and even attend graduate school. The depth and complexity of their answers were not only impressive, but also empowering to us and the rest of the girls sitting in the room.

@KateSchwarzNYC - Photo by Kate Lord

After getting down on their level and really diving into their goals for their own futures, we then went ahead and passed out a survey. The survey would include questions about social media, and their usage or feelings on it. For handing in the survey the girls were rewarded with a lovely She’s the First sticker, and a handout that mapped out the instructional information of the challenges we would present to them in weeks to come. After Kate went through the handout, together with the girls we creatively brainstormed a Social Media Code of Conduct, and discussed the do’s and dont’s of their tremendous new superpowers.

 

Photo by Kate Lord

@BrookeSassman - Photo by Kate Lord

In the coming weeks, the girls will be hard at work creating Tweets, submitting content for the Tumblr blog (ExplorersTYWLS.tumblr.com), and taking pictures to post to Instagram. They’ll learn not only how to harness their creative energy, but to use it for good as their strongest superhero power. With that being said, it couldn’t have been more perfect than to leave the girls with a special quote from the Spiderman movie. Kate closed the workshop by leaving the girls with this powerful statement: “…with great power comes great responsibility.”

Stay tuned for our upcoming blog posts as we continue our journey with the @ExplorerTYWLS girls!

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Summertime Fun at the Kibera School for Girls!

A sunny day at the Kibera School summer camp!

As thousands of girls across America pack up and head to camp, girls at The Kibera School (KSG) in Kenya are also having their summer camp fun!  With dancing, sports, drama, art, and reading, summertime clearly doesn’t mean downtime for the 67 girls currently enrolled at KSG. Students aren’t the only ones taking part in the summer learning. Teachers at KSG are receiving professional development workshops held by visiting teachers from New York City’s Chapin School, a private girls school in Manhattan.

Earlier this summer, the girls also enjoyed a day at Nairobi’s National Museum!  Thanks to the generosity of two Shining Hope supporters, the girls were able to see exotic animals, splash around in the paddleboats, and cool off with tasty ice cream– it was an incredibly exciting day for all. Previously, in March, the girls learned about the science of weather on a visit to the Kenya Meteorological Society. To keep up to date with the girls’ summer adventures and learning, follow the Shining Hope for Communities blog!

 


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