101 high school students from Mykolaiv and Kherson regions attended the educational Catch-up Camp “Generation of Victory” in Zakarpattia. The camp was organized by the GoGlobal Educational Foundation with the support of CEMARK.
For 11 days, the teenagers studied under the guidance of qualified coaches and mentors. In particular, the camp program included preparation for the NMT, math, Ukrainian and English classes, and art therapy.
“I came here very excited and I was not disappointed. I really like the interactive classes and the fact that they develop our communication skills. My two favorite subjects are Ukrainian and English. What's also very cool about the camp is that they focus on the topics that are difficult for students. The most difficult subject for me is mathematics, and here I am catching up on what I did not understand before,” says Yelyzaveta Sokor, a camp participant from Kherson.
In addition to classical studies, high school students also improved their soft skills, mastered design thinking, developed creativity, and participated in various activities.
Sofia Shevchenko from the Voskresenska territorial community in Mykolaiv region says she really liked the format of this training. “The teachers are very cool, they explained complex topics to us in an accessible and interactive way. I will always remember the ascent to Lake Synevyr, it was difficult to go up, but very interesting and fun,” says Sofia.
“To be honest, I usually have a hard time studying, but at the camp, the topics that have always seemed super difficult and incomprehensible to me are given with a bang,” says Ivan Kobylko, a camp participant from the village of Novovorontsovka, Kherson region. He adds that he will miss those he met at the camp: his friends and even his teachers.
The main goal of the Victory Generation Catch-up Camp is to help high school students socialize and catch up on missed educational material. Due to the pandemic and full-scale war, many teenagers have not had the opportunity to communicate with their peers and teachers. This is especially true for children from the frontline and de-occupied territories, the camp organizers say.
“What I liked most was how we came up with ideas in design thinking about how to make a new and different toothbrush. And the way we talked about our feelings and sensations during the soft skills classes. We managed to improve our skills at the camp, and I would say that the live learning format is the best,” said Yulia Ishchuk from Mykolaiv.
According to Oleksiy, a math teacher at the Generation of Victory Catch Up Camp, this project is very useful because it helps children catch up on their education.
“I don't believe that in eight lessons students can learn everything they haven't learned yet. But I know for sure that during this time, it is possible to show students that math can be simple and interesting, and to make them fall in love with the subject so that they continue to study it further,” says Oleksiy.
CEMARK, the main partner of the camp, believes that children are the future of Ukraine. That is why the company supports young people and cooperates with vocational schools, colleges and universities to find and develop young talent. In particular, students of vocational schools have the opportunity to do an internship at the company and, upon successful completion, join the team. The internship for university students is more extensive and lasts for a whole year. During this time, its participants get acquainted with business and production processes, undergo trainings, learn English, and have the opportunity to develop and implement their own project.
“Our Catch-up camp is an opportunity for children to return to offline learning for at least two weeks, to improve their knowledge and be with their peers. And we are very grateful that there are socially responsible businesses that invest in education. After all, today's teenagers are the future employees of these companies and the future of our country. That's why we have to look for different approaches and ways to help students gain the knowledge they need so much,” says Tetiana Kovryga, director of the GoGlobal Education Foundation.
GoGlobal is an educational foundation that creates opportunities for the younger generation. The organization focuses on making up for educational losses, mentoring and psycho-emotional support, promoting ESTEAM education and learning English.