Sunlight enters the canopy at the Jardin Botanique in Bingerville, Côte d'Ivoire
Toti Yalé, Partnership Coordinator at English Education for You in Côte d'Ivoire, reflects on the LitCamp 2018 experience in his community.
I went to the school early in the morning, at 6:30 AM, to gather the LitCamp members and move with them to Jardin Botanique [Botanical Garden] in Bingerville, where LitCamp occurs. 19 girls from three LitClubs—Victory LitClub, Wisdom LitClub, and Glory LitClub—joined me there. After that, we spent two days in LitCamp celebration.
As soon as we arrived at Jardin Botanique de Bingerville, all the girls and Mrs. Yao, the mentor, kicked things off with the Hello Song. Afterward, I explained to the girls the purpose and goals of LitCamp during the morning meeting. We discussed how the month of April is Environmental Awareness Month, which is why we had selected Jardin Botanique de Bingerville for the site of LitCamp, which is also a United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture heritage site.
The girls were divided into three groups for the workshops. Each group received materials such pencils, crayons, papers, and erasers. We focused on Friendship, Kindness, and Confidence, 3 of the 7 Strengths. The girls of each group were invited to draw and write on the wide paper they received. After this session, the little girls of each group created reports about the Strengths. This assignment was designed to help the girls improve their public speaking skills, and their performances were fantastic.
LitCampers and some serious joy.
Each girl also received a book for independent reading. We scheduled time to read the books individually, and after completing their books, the girls presented summaries of the books with the group and read one part of the book aloud.
After this session, we had our break. Girls ate and drank soft drinks during lunch. After lunch, the girls played and danced. Some shared the games they usually play at their schools, and together they played with new friends. This time was exceptional because happiness, laughter, and shouts of joy were heard and smiles were on the faces of all of the girls.
Next, we held the coaching session. The senior girls coached their little sisters through tips about the advantage of the reading. Girls also invited their friends to become environment protectors before concluding the first day of LitCamp.
LitCampers with their books.
An independent reading session during LitCamp.
The second day was devoted to short activities around reading and games. Girls played and took part in a reading competition based on summarizing stories after first listening to them.
It is a privilege and honor to share with you the summary of LitCamp 2018. It was a fantastic and wonderful experience for all involved.