We are happy to announce that the Integration and Migration Foundation www.meis.ee will once again be organising Estonian language and culture camps for young people with Estonian roots who live in other countries. These camps have been held every year since 2000.
The camp enables language practice in an Estonian language environment and encourages the participants to talk to people their own age who speak Estonian as their mother tongue. Time spent in camps where the emphasis is on Estonian language and culture helps reinforce the participants’ ties to the country. The camps also allow those who are interested in coming to Estonia to study or who foresee their future in the country to find out more about the place and its people.
Estonian language camps are organised for young people with roots in Estonia as part of the ‘Countrymen programme 2014-2020’ and EV100 project marking the centenary of the Republic of Estonia. The programme is primarily designed to support and promote cooperation with Estonians living outside of Estonia. The camps are run with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Research and the Government Office.
There will be three camps for young people between the ages of 13 and 18 this summer: the 1st camp will be held from 27 June-7 July for participants whose Estonian skills are elementary; the 2nd camp will be held from 18-28 July for participants who speak Estonian at an upper-intermediate level; the 3rd camp will be held from 1-11 August for participants who have fluent command of Estonian.
The 2017 camps will be held in one of the most naturally beautiful parts of Estonia, at Venevere Holiday Centre in Viljandi County http://veneverepuhkekyla.eu/.
The camps provide the following: an Estonian-language environment in which to communicate; an inviting setting suited to the age of the participants, with the rooms and space required for group activities, sport, catering and accommodation; facilities that meet all of the requirements set for camps, including hygiene, catering and accommodation conditions, fire safety, medical assistance, life guards, staff et al.; accommodation and three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) daily; and an opportunity for the attendees to maintain a bond with their parents, other family members or guardians.
Registration for the camps is open until 4 April 2017.
If you would like your child to attend one of the camps, please provide us with their details. We will select the applicants to take part based on their Estonian skills, their motivation, how old they are, where they are from, how long they have lived outside of Estonia, whether they have attended camps previously and the travel costs involved.
This year you can apply to take part in two categories: young people whose travel costs will be covered by their parents/guardians; or young people whose travel costs will be partly or fully covered by the Integration Foundation. A total of 30 participants will be selected in each category.
We are looking to offer more camp places for youngsters and to give those who have already attended a number of camps the chance for greater participation. We will select the applicants to take part based on their Estonian skills, their motivation, how old they are, where they are from, how long they have lived outside of Estonia and the number of times they have attended camps before.
In order to register your interest in your child taking part in a camp: fill in the registration form on the website of the Integration Foundation (http://www.meis.ee/keelelaagri... write a short letter of motivation (as part of the registration form).
Marina Fanfora | Telephone: +372 659 9069 | E-mail:marina.fanfora@meis.ee, Director of Language and Cultural Immersion, Integration and Migration Foundation, http://www.meis.ee/