New for 2008! The High School Program.
As World Camp’s tremendous reputation has grown, we have
received more and more interest from younger applicants. At
the same time, we have begun to recognize the need for more
malaria training in the schools we work in. One day we said
to ourselves, Eureka! Why not have a program just for high
school students that teaches a malaria prevention
curriculum! Using our HIV/AIDS camps as a model, we’ve
created a great new program to introduce High School
junior and senior level students to the development world in Africa.
High School volunteers will share one house in which they
can come together as their own team of Malaria prevention
educators. The trip will begin with a common flight led by a
World Camp Program Coordinator. Over the course of four
weeks, volunteers will attend a training orientation at Lake
Malawi, teach at several rural schools, work at an orphanage
and street shelter, spend two nights soaking up village life
on a homestay, go on safari with elephants and hippos and
hike the mountains of Zomba. The curriculum will cover
Malaria prevention, environmental awareness, and gender
equality, as well team building songs and games in a summer
camp atmosphere. For their first “camps” the high school
team will teach alongside our HIV/AIDS in one fun, impacting
team. By the end of the four weeks, they will be ready to
lead their own camp as strong, able teachers.
A Volunteer Day on the High School Program
The program is based in the capital city Lilongwe. High
School volunteers will live in a centrally located house on
the new side of “Old Town,” Lilongwe. The house is a base
for volunteers to return to each evening after long hours of
travel and teaching in the African bush. The house is a
comfortable haven, complete with several bedrooms and
bathrooms, a kitchen and living areas. World Camp’s high
school house is secure, surrounded by high walls and guarded
by security personnel.
A typical day at World Camp Malawi begins as early as six
am, to allow volunteers time to eat breakfast and prepare
for the day's travel. Travel time typically averages two
hours each way, depending on distances to scheduled schools
and current road conditions. World Camp vehicles are kept
in good repair and only trusted to safe and experienced
drivers. As visitors to rural Malawian villages are
infrequent, volunteers can expect to be greeted by up to
hundreds of excited school children who often run alongside
the approaching vehicles, shouting to welcome the Azungu,
the foreign volunteers.
High
school volunteers will implement their curriculum with the
younger standards as we conduct our HIV/AIDS curriculum with
older standards. Each teaching team has an assigned group
and teaching area for the entire three days of the camp.
Over the course of the programming, teachers create a strong
bond with students as they work, eat and play together.
The day begins as World Camp volunteers form a big circle
outside with all the students and teachers who will
participate in the camp. After greeting the group, World
Camp facilitators introduce songs to engage and entertain
students. This is an excellent ice breaker and establishes
early rapport with students and teachers. Students are then
divided into smaller groups and introduced to a series of
leadership and teamwork activities to get to know each other
and their World Camp instructors. Classes start after these
morning activities.
Teachers and students retreat to individual classrooms to
begin the World Camp Malaria prevention curriculum.
Curriculum activities include games to introduce the basics
of HIV/AIDS and Malaria education, interactive
demonstrations to illustrate how the disease develops in the
human body, and question and answer periods for students to
speak freely about their concerns. World Camp works with
translators from a Malawian university to ensure teachers
and students get the most out of each meeting.
World Camp takes a break at lunchtime to serve all
participants a beverage and traditional meal. Groups return
to the classroom after lunch to begin work on
presentations. World Camp stresses the need to teach
individuals how to teach others. To this end, students have
the opportunity to present what they've learned to other
student groups, as well as to teachers, community members
and tribal elders. This happens on the third day of camp.
Classroom time is interspersed with planning and preparation
for the presentation, which may be a skit, song, game or
other appropriate activity. Class days end around three
o'clock, when the whole school reunites for more games and
songs to end the day on a high note before volunteers return
to Lilongwe for the night.
Back
in Lilongwe, volunteers can make a quick grocery stop, check
email if needed, change money, and run any other important
errands. World Camp volunteers are generally back at the
house by 5 or 6 pm to prepare materials for the next day and
then relax, take showers, and cook dinner. Most evenings
World Camp volunteers participate in a camp evaluation. This
is a time for volunteers to discuss the day's successes and
challenges and work together to make improvements. In
addition, World Camp hosts local guests at the house to
speak to volunteers about Malawian life. Guests in the past
have included individuals living with HIV and primary school
teachers from rural and urban schools. Volunteers are given
the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about life
in Malawi. WC also conducts Chichewa lessons to volunteers
in order to promote communication between volunteers and
villagers. Volunteers are encouraged to make the most of
their volunteer experience through exploring Malawian
culture and life. After a full day of work, many volunteers
are often asleep before 9 or 10 pm.
Many details for our High School Program are very similar to
those of our established Malawi program. Major exceptions
are accommodation (we can’t all live in the same house) and
Safari (we will be travelling to a different National Park.
For a complete description of the Malawi program, please
download our Malawi program volunteer packet. Any questions
about specific changes to the high school program can be
directed to
info@worldcampforkids.org. A wonderful experience awaits
you in Malawi—apply today!
Volunteer
::
Frequently Asked
Questions
::
The World Camp Curriculum ::
Tested
Success
Malawi
Program Volunteer Packet
