Bamboo Delight Summer Youth Camp 2023
Minn Myoh Minn Oo
Executive Summary
Bamboo Delight Summer Youth Camp is a three-month summer project where the youths and children aged 12-20 are focused and which provides the youths with intensive English proficiency courses, General Music Courses, Introduction to Social Science Courses and Inter-personal skills development trainings.
Children aged 12-14 are in one group and aged 15-20 are in another group and they learn in two different classrooms. Apart from daily class schedules, extracurricular activities such as Essay Competitions, Drawing Art Contest, Music Contest and Dancing Challenge, sports activities like Football, Swimming, Hiking, Martial Arts Trainings (Judo), and Yoga, and study trips to Inle Lake, Kalaw, and Taunggyi are planned for three months.
This year in 2023, since it is the 10th Year Anniversary of Hand to Hand Charity Myanmar, only outstanding students have been chosen for more intensive trainings and courses in order for them to be ready for college admission requirements or for applying for international universities. More significantly, in last month, May, Exchange Programs to other ethnic states such as Kachin and Karen are planned to take the students to other ethnic areas and to build relationships with other ethnic youths and to broaden their knowledge and minds.
Volunteer teachers are recruited and provided accommodations and meals for three months at the school place along with some stipends for covering their living costs. They are responsible for running and managing the project while taking teaching responsibilities as well. Besides them, guest speakers and lecturers are invited to conduct life-skills trainings, to give motivational speeches and to share life-long experiences and learnings throughout the camp.
Statement of Problem
Myanmar has been affected severely due to both the Covid-19 pandemic and most obviously the political situations. Children and youths in Nyaung Shwe came to meet Sue and said, “We used to dream big but now we dream small due to the lack of education and we really want to continue learning”. Just this word broke Sue’s heart but it did encouraged Sue to implement her life-long project which is the main reason why Sue has started this project with her close volunteer, Matt, last year without sufficient support.
In Nyaung Shwe, the youths and children aged between 12 and 20 have been lacking proper educational development since 2020 due to both Covid-19 and political conditions, resulting that some are getting married at a very young age, some addicted to drugs and alcohol, and some now working for low wages to provide for their families.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, schools closed for almost two years and when severe political situations occurred, the children and youths do not continue education anymore. Consequently, their education is being delayed but youths in Nyaung Shwe are not willing to give up their learning and approached Sue and Matt for creating opportunities for them to keep learning and continue their education.
With this main motivation, Matt and Sue decided to start implementing this “Bamboo Delight Summer Youth Camp” project last year in 2022 and even in spite of the lack of enough funds, they managed to finish the project with the help of her close friends as well as the assistance of volunteers.
Therefore, this year in honour of 10th Anniversary of Sue’s volunteering works and her main project “Hand to Hand Charity Myanmar”, Matt and Sue aim to implement the “Summer Youth Camp project more differently and thus, the project needs help as much as possible in order to be able to provide the children and youths the best educational development.
Bamboo Delight Library and Summer School
Bamboo Delight Library and Summer School’ is part of the Hand to Hand Charity, a local non-profit community school in Nyaung Shwe, initiated by Sue, using 15% of the profit from her cooking class business to fund it.
During the summer season, the school mainly offers free English courses and necessary skill development trainings to the kids and youths in Nyaung Shwe. Started in 2012, the Summer School has been contributing to the local communities for almost 9 years and received recognition from local people and local government. Since then, Sue has started many other projects that are all connected with the Summer School.
Since March in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the business has been shut down but Sue keeps doing charity and community works for the children and societies with the support from her friends from both abroad and local. But in 2022, for the first time in the history, the new project “Bamboo Delight Summer Youth Camp” has been implemented for the sake of providing children and youths the opportunities for their continuous learning as well as development of English proficiency, Music and Social Knowledge.
Vision, Mission & Goals
Vision
"To produce community leaders for communities through education and leadership"
Mission
"To provide quality education and development opportunities for children and youths in Nyaung Shwe in support of their continuous learning"
Goals/Objectives
✓ To make politically and socially informed community leaders for the communities
✓ To boost children’s and youths’ English proficiency and skills
✓ To nurture children and youths through music and its musical instruments
✓ To make children and youths informed of social values and broader world concepts,
promoting multiculturalism, diversity and human rights
✓ To enhance children’s and youth’s interpersonal skills
About the Project
Project Target Groups
This year, different from other years, is a 10-Year Anniversary of Hand to Hand Charity Myanmar and its projects: Bamboo Delight Summer School and Bamboo Delight Library. Therefore, only outstanding students are picked for specially designed trainings and courses throughout 3 months in order to make them ready and qualified for study-abroad purposes and to join the universities both locally and internationally. Total number of students is 70.
Students aged 10-12
These selected students aged 10-12 will be intensively trained and provided English Improvement Courses, Music and Instrument Courses, and opportunities to join Guest Speakers Sessions. Apart from that, they are expected to join study and field trips as well as extracurricular activities.
Students aged 13-20
These selected students aged 13-20 will be divided into two groups: one group will take “Day Classes” because they are students studying at the government schools and one other group will take Night Classes since they continue their education online at NUG-related schools.
Project activities
All these courses will be provided for both groups equally:
1) English Improvement Courses,
2) Music and Instrument Courses,
3) Courses related to Social
Sciences,
4) Guest Speakers Sharing
Sessions,
5) 21st Century Skills
Trainings
6) Study exchange trips towards
other ethnic states and
7) Extracurricular Activities
Project Duration
3 months, March-April-May
Project Deliverables
1. English Proficiency Courses
There will be an entrance English test for students and depending on their English levels, they will be placed in their respective level-courses. This year, the Project offers Pre-intermediate, Intermediate and Academic English courses for both target groups.
English courses are mainly led by a volunteer English Lead teacher and external foreign teachers both online and offline will be invited to conduct short/long English courses to give students opportunities to practice their speaking and listening skills.
Also, every Friday, there is “English Conversation Club” where students are given one topic and discuss with other peers in order to improve their public speaking and listening skills.
2. Music and Instrument Courses
General Music courses are led by a volunteer Music Teacher and he offers students only classroom activities and Instrument Classes such as Ukelele and Guitar.
In the Closing Ceremony, students are put in groups and compete for Music Performance Contest and also individual Music Instrument competitions.
3. Courses related to Social Sciences
Courses related to Social Sciences are led by a volunteer Social Science Instructor and also external teachers are invited to give one-day or two-day sharing session from other local organizations.
Related courses are:
- Human Rights
- Women Rights
- Child Rights
- Rights for People with Disabilities
- Gender and LGBT+
- Drugs Awareness
- Mental Healing
- Legal Awareness
- Sex Education
- Environment
4. Guest Speakers Sharing Sessions
External guest speakers, activists, local entrepreneurs and scholars are occasionally invited to give a talk to the students about their professional lives, achievements and stories in order to inspire them to keep trying and making their dreams come true for themselves and for their communities.
5. 21st Century Skills Trainings
21st Century Skills trainings
will also be provided for the students and the following are expected but not
limited to be conducted:
2) Presentation
3) Public Speaking
4) Debate Training
5) Leadership
6) Critical and Creative Thinking
7) Problem Solving
8) Personal Branding
9) Digital and Media Literacy
This year again, specially at the end of the camp most outstanding students will obtain the chance to travel to other ethnic states and meet ethnic brothers and sisters and exchange their knowledge, culture and traditions. The purpose is to let them see other ethnicities and to possess the sense of belonging within the communities. The expected ethnic states are likely to be Kachin, Karen and Northern Shan State.
7. Extracurricular Activities
1)
Sports Trainings
2)
Martial Arts Trainings
3)
Swimming
4)
Yoga Trainings
5)
Drawing
6)
Cooking
7)
Hygiene Class
8)
First Aid
9)
Meditation
Extra-curricular contests are
1)
Debate Contest
2)
Drawing Contest
3)
Football Match
4)
Swimming Competition
5)
Tik Tok Challenge
Take a look at 2022 Bamboo Delight Summer Youth Camp
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEOTqWtBRhE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h93z_l1Xn4E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrf-dFuKdXc&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_t7VsjNxMQ
Follow us on Social Media
Facebook: Hand to Hand Charity Myanmar
Instagram: @handtohandcharity
Twitter: HandtoHandMM
For more information, please visit here.
Minn Myoh Minn Oo
Projects Leader and Manager
Hand to Hand Charity Myanmar
Email: myohminnoo.handtohandcharity@gmail.com