Future ChangeMakers English Summer Camps 2016, Armenia

In June-July 2016 the British Council Armenia’s long-awaited English Summer camps will be back once more to provide our participants with equal opportunities to:

develop their English language skills;
learn about other nations’ cultures and traditions;
practice new life-skills as well as meet new friends;
grow their self-confidence; and
for the first time in our camp explore topics connected to science and astronomy.

Similar to last two years, for 2016 we will be organisng two camps: one for learners aged 10 to 12 and one for learners aged 13 to 15. The camps will be run in English.

The location of the 2016 camps is Byurakan.

Prices and Dates

	Arrival Date	Departure Date	Camp Fee
1st Camp (Ages 10-12)	21 June	3 July	355.000 AMD
2nd Camp (Ages 13-15)	9 July	21 July	355.000 AMD

*The camp fee includes English course materials and stationery, accommodation and meals, indemnity insurance, excursions, and transportation from Yerevan to Byurakan and back.

What to expect

During the camps, the participants will have plenty of fun time; regular English lessons; engaging and interactive activities and sessions on science, culture, and Life Skills; will go on excursions and will meet the representatives from different embassies and organisations.

Below are the details of the main components of the programme:

English Lessons: are designed by the British Council that has more than 70 years of teaching experience and will be tailored to the needs of the participants. During the camps period, the participants will receive 30 hours (3 hours per day) of English lessons delivered through dynamic, interactive, project-based and student-centered teaching methods by qualified English language teachers trained by the British Council.
Culture Awareness Sessions: will provide the participants with the opportunity to meet the representatives of different cultures and learn about their customs and traditions as well as explore the peculiarities of other countries and their history. These sessions will lead the children to appreciate and accept different cultures and will inspire their curiosity about the world around them.
Life Skills Sessions: will focus on a set of skills aiming to help the children to develop self-confidence, practice dealing with life changes, give them a voice to share their thoughts and ideas, and enable them to understand their responsibilities and rights. These sessions will emphasis learning by doing via focusing on real-life scenarios directly connected to children’s immediate environment.
Science Sessions: will provide the children with a chance to 1) learn amazing science facts on a range of topics with a special emphasis on the universe, 2) try out fascinating hands-on experiments to enjoy the world of science, 3) enjoy fun science games, and 4) create their own original projects.
Recreational Activities: will include sport, educational group games, movie sessions, and talent nights to ensure the participants will have a fun and productive time in the camps and will develop their creativity and critical thinking. Excursions to the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and sites of cultural heritage will be organised.

English Language Requirements

Considering the camps program is in English, children are required to have a minimum English language proficiency level of A2 for the first camp (ages 10-12) and minimum of B1 for the second camp (ages 13-15). You can learn more about CEFR here.

Placement Testing

To ensure the applicants meet the minimum language requirements, they will need to take an English Placement test. The British Council Placement Test fee is 3,500 per applicant. The candidates can make the payment in cash on the test day or via bank transfer using the info below:

HSBC Bank Armenia

001-146026-050

Reason: Payment for the test by (Name, Surname)

For children of 10-12 years old, the placement test will be composed of a 60-minute written test (including listening, reading and writing sections) and a short 10-minute game-based face-to-face interview.

The face-to-face interview will assess children’s speaking skills, as well as their readiness (e.g. attention span, behaviour) to attend the camp.

For children of 13-15 years old, British Council Aptis for Teens will be used which is a 50-minute computer based test (composed of listening, vocabulary and grammar sections) and a short 10-minute face-to-face interview will be conducted.

Children can get familiar to the format of the test by watching this video and focus on the grammar, vocabulary, and listening sections.
The face-to-face interview will assess children’s speaking skills, as well as their readiness (e.g. attention span, behaviour) to attend the camp.

The applicants not meeting the minimum language requirements, will have the opportunity to participate in our English Summer School in Yerevan. More information on the programme to be publicised soon.

Eligibility for Application

Each camp will accommodate maximum of 30 participants.

The following procedures will be used to select the participants. They must:

be aged 10 (by 1st January 2016) for the first camp
be aged 13 (by 1st April 2016) for the second camp
take a placement test within the indicated interval
have a minimum of A2 level for first camp
have a minimum of B1 level for second camp
display a satisfactory level of readiness to attend the camps

NOTE:

If large number of participants obtain A2 (for camp 1) or B1 (for camp 2), the highest overall score within respective levels will be considered for shortlisting/selection purposes.
In case of equal overall scores by a number of participants within the A2 and B1 levels, speaking evaluation and listening scores will be used as selection criteria

The Team

The Summer Camp team is composed of dedicated professionals from the British Council Armenia who have experience, passion and an understanding of working with children. Throughout 2016 camp, there will be one permanent camp supervisor and three children-guardians in each camp. These guardians will take responsibility for every aspect of the camp to ensure that the programme runs smoothly and safely and that it offers equal opportunities for all the participants to fully engage and benefit from the camp.

Logistics

Capacity: each camp will host maximum of 30 learners.
Accommodation: the camp will be held at North Star Hotel complex in Byurakan.
Meal: Three healthy meals will be provided every day including breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Security: the camp area is supervised 24 hours.
Medical Services: Throughout the whole camp medical services will be available 24 hours.
Indemnity Insurance: The British Council will provide indemnity insurance for all the participants covering any incidental costs during the camp.
English Course Materials: All the necessary learning materials will be provided to the participants.
Parents Day: On the last day of each camp, Parents Day will be organised during which children will make the final presentation of the tasks that they have accomplished throughout the Camp.
Camp bonfire: In the evening of each Camp’s last day a farewell event with Camp bonfire will be organised.
Performance Reports: The participants will receive personalised performance reports on the English language lessons as well as other extracurricular activities at the end of the camp.
Certificates: Certificates of Attendance will be awarded to all participants.

Certificates: Certificates of Attendance will be awarded to all participants.

Transportation

Transportation to and from the Camp will be arranged by the organisers. Safe and comfortable buses will transport children from Yerevan to Byurakan on the departure day from the British Council office and will return them back to Yerevan accordingly.

How to apply

To apply for the camps, please book a placement test for your child by 10 May.
To book a place, please contact Gohar Harutyunyan at gohar.harutyunyan@britishcouncil.am and send the birth certificate or passport copy of the child.
Once selected, the applicants will need to fill in the application form and make the payment within three working days to secure the place.

In case of any questions, please contact:

Programme Assistant: Gohar Harutyunyan

Tel: 00374 10 552945 (ext. 5109)

Email: gohar.harutyunyan@britishcouncil.am