CISV

Mikee & I at the Merlion
in Singapore

Hey guys, this is Lianna! I've been gone for sooooo loooong. Why? Well, first, I had no idea what to post. Second, I went to Singapore with my family to celebrate my Lolo/grandfather's & Mikee's mom's birthday and Mothers' Day. Third, I went to summer camp! I would make a review about a Singapore, but I'll probably do that tomorrow or later. Now, I'm gonna write some sort of review about this summer camp I went to for five days. It is soooooo fun.

Okay, let's get to this review. This summer camp is called CISV which stands for Chilren's International Summer Village. It's this summer camp all over the world and it's not your typical summer camp. It was founded by Dr. Doris Allen after World War II. A lot of people were focusing on initiatives to build and maintain peace, and Dr. Allen said that "we must start with the children."
And CISV was born. In 1951, delegates from eight countries gathered in Cincinnati, USA for the first CISV. Over the decades, CISV grew.
Over 50 years after the first village, CISV is still here. There is CISV in more than 60 countries and more than 190,000 people have joined.

CISV focuses on providing opportunities for individuals to respect other people's differences and cultures. The programs they have are:

1. Village - Village is a program for 11 year olds wherein they will be attending a summer camp in another country with other kids in CISV. They will stay there for 28 days/four weeks and each delegation will be compromised of 2 girls, 2 boys and an adult leader (21+ years old). The international camp is coordinated by the adult staff and Junior Counselors (16-17 year olds). "Delegates to this multilingual and multicultural experience participate in a mix of educational, cultural and sporting activities, which emphasise cooperative global and intercultural living."
2. Interchange - Interchange is a program for 12-15 year olds. It takes 14-28 days per phase. The delegations come from two countries and compromise 6-12 kids accompanied by an adult leader (21+ years old). "Interchange encourages a deeper encounter between two cultures by placing young people within families. Group activities such as a mini-camp are vital in complementing the intense in-depth family experience.  Interchange takes place in two phases with one delegation visiting another country and then reciprocating by hosting the delegation from the country they visited."
3. Summer Camp - Summer Camp is for 14-15 year olds which happens for 23 days. Delegations come from 6 or 9 countries and are comprised of 4 - 6 youths, equally divided between girls and boys, who are accompanied by an adult Leader (age 21+).  The camp is coordinated by an adult staff. "Aimed at young teens, the Summer Camp encourages participants to take responsibility for leadership and programme planning. Each camp focuses on a specific educational theme. Participants work together to plan activities and discussions which build on the chosen theme."
4. Seminar Camp - Seminar Camp is for 17-18 year olds which happens for 21 days. There are 30 participants plus international adult staff. " This personally challenging, intensive programme is facilitated by participants.  Participants develop their own themes and agenda to explore issues and form opinions about individual, international and multicultural matters, within a framework which stresses positive conflict resolution.  Seminar Camp fosters interest in the world as a whole and develops a sense of responsibility for its peaceful survival."
5. Youth Meeting - Youth Meeting is for 12-19+ year olds which happens for 8 or 15 days. There are approximately 25 - 35 participants plus staff.  People under 16 travel in delegations with an adult leader. "The short regional camps feature individual themes that allow young people to explore intercultural issues in a regional context. The programme reinforces core CISV values, builds leadership and organizational skills, while promoting continued CISV involvement."
6. International People's Project - International People's Project is for 19+ year olds which happens for 14-23 days. There are approximately 25 participants including staff. "This innovative programme is a way to learn while actively contributing to the community. In partnership with local organizations, delegates participate in hands-on work involving a specific theme or project, such as nature conservation or immigration. They also research the issue in their own countries and lead educational activities on the subject. Additional training may be provided by the partner or other experts in the field."
7. Mosaic - Mosaic is a program for all ages. There are no limits to the participants and it happens for up to a year! "Mosaic is a project based programme which empowers individuals and chapters to be agents of change, reach out, and involve as many people as possible. Each project is a separate CISV experience that relates to a local need and interest and involves a different target group. It does not have to be in a camp setting, as with many CISV programmes, but is designed according to the needs and abilities of the CISV chapter. Using the three phase educational approach of discover, understand and create, local members develop projects in conjunction with like minded organizations or community groups. The aim is to create an authentic learning experience for participants and deliver a benefit to the wider community."
8. Junior Branch - Junior Branch is the summer camp I went to. It is for 11-25 year olds, but it may vary from country to country. The camp I attended was for 9-11 year olds. "The very heart and soul of CISV, Junior Branch comprises young local CISVers between the ages of 11 - 25, who develop intercultural and leadership skills through educational and social activities.  Juniors manage their own activities and take an active role in the administrative responsibilities of their chapters.  Operating through a network at the national and international level, Juniors organize their own programmes on a wide variety of themes, such as social justice and the environment.  Junior Branch activities are aimed at building community, developing skills and promoting peace through education."

Like I said, CISV is not your typical summer camp. Each camp has a special theme and all the stuff that happens in it are related to it. The games and activities you have really fun, even if the theme is obvious or not. You really get to learn something about it.

The name of my camp was Camp Uhaw (Camp Thirsty), which meant it was about water. At first, I thought we weren't going to drink anything or not swim! It turned out, we actually did. We just learned how to use it very wisely. On the second to the last day, we had the "Thirst Games" which was something like the Hunger Games and we were divided into four tribes. My tribe was leading at first but then we got last place, so it was quite hilarious. They also have name games & getting to know games on the first day, and it's really fun.

To all of you who are looking for a summer camp, you should try CISV. ☺ Visit their website at cisv.org