“Youth is like plasticine, we might model it. Thus, it is dangerous when it happens to be in a wrong place” - Foundation Office Ukraine
Event Reports
KNGO.org
This year participants are young people between 12 and 17, 39 of whom are inhabitants of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Some of the participants are also internally displaced people. Each camp day is devoted to a certain topic, for instance, on this year program are following thematic days: ecology, democracy, elections, inclusion, personal fulfillment, self-government, human rights, culture, and civil society. Through interaction and group work teenagers get acquainted with complex and difficult topics.
You may follow the project on its Facebook page. Meanwhile, we are happy to share with you the insights of ecology day that we visited and expectations of the participants, trainers and camp organizers from this year project.
Ecology day in “European camp. Summer 2019”: complex topics in easy language
On the ecology day participants visited 5R stations - refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot. On the refuse and reduce stations teenagers learned to minimize the amount of things they use in everyday life. The issues of the importance of ecobags usage, conscious consuming and “second life” for old things were raised in the group discussions. Within reuse station participants learned about the difference between upcycling, downcyling, and repair. The last two stations were devoted to the modern recycle and rot methods.
Trainers also spoke about successful ecological initiatives in Ukraine (nowaste.com.ua, zeleniyptah.com.ua, laskastore.com, ecomapa.gov.ua).
“European camp. Summer 2019”: organizers vision
“We raise the future agents of change” – Tetiana Muratkina, camp director
The camp director Tetiana Muratkina is sure that with such a program they raise the future agents of change. For her it is important that the trainers are also young people – students of the best Ukrainian universities – who know the teenagers needs and problems and speak with them on the same language about complex topics.
“Youth is like plasticine, we might model it. Thus, it is dangerous when it happens to be in a wrong place” – Ruslan Nechiporuk, camp methodologist
Ruslan had worked as a camp trainer before. Now as a camp methodologist he is responsible for thematic days preparation. On his opinion, it is important to spark the teenagers’ interest, to give them the motivation hint for the future topic research. Therefore, they approach young participants with interactive and simulation game techniques. Nechiporuk is also convinced that they raise the future agents of change, political elite that will be changing the country for the better.
“European camp. Summer 2019”: participants’ vision
Maryna, 12 years old, Odessa
Maryna represents the youngest camp team. She participates for the first time and got informed about the project from her parents. For her that is the possibility to learn something new, to get some rest as well as to meet new people. She is especially looking forward to the culture day because “Europe” for her starts first of all from culture.
Denys, 16 years old, Luhansk-Kryvyi Rih
In 2014 Denys moved with his parents from Luhansk to Kryvyi Rih. He participates in the project for the fourth year in a row. Denys considers that European camp differs in its format a lot from other similar camps. He finds the project very interesting because here he obtains the information he is not able to receive at school. European camp has changed his life. He became more responsible, attentive to himself and started to trust people more. However, the most important is that he became indifferent and “Europe” for him starts from indifference to himself and others.
