We had a a bunch of volunteers from other regions come up to help us with our week of activities and we had an awesome group of local kids. Our camp's focus was to get the children ( ages 7-13) critically and creatively thinking about different activities.
These types of learning skills are so ingrained in the schooling that we as Americans are exposed to, but that is not the case in Azerbaijan. Children here are not encouraged to use their imaginations and think about things from a different and unique perspective.
It is more-than-likely that this type of "uniformed" thinking stems from the country's Soviet history. During Soviet times, the government controlled many of the social aspects of culture in Azerbaijan. People did not have choices in the way that we as Americans think of them. Based on our perceptions of the Soviet Union, these were dark times,and yet many Azerbaijanis talk about them fondly as a time when everyone had enough and were equal.
This camp, and much of the type of work volunteers do here, is to help children use their imaginations and do the things we take for granted as children of the 1st World. We also try and stress the importance of the environment and the idea of recycling. The following is a recap of some of our daily activities...
Every Morning - Camp Warm Up Games
Create Team Flags & Names (2 teams)
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| The SuperStars |
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| The Dragons |
Creating Animal Masks & Performing an Animal Play
Trash Pick Up Contest
Yoga Lessons!
Recycled (Plastic Bottle) Bird Houses
The End...
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| Thank you to our Azerbaijani Bank Grant Sponsors |
Then, for the kids that were really active and came all week, we selected a few for a field trip. We took the kids to Laza (Qusar Region) to play in the mountains and waterfalls...
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| Laza |
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| Hazerat, Atilla, & Taleh |
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| The Quba Volunteers! |
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| American/Azerbaijani Picnic |
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| Thank you to our American Sponsors who donated & made our camp possible! |
