Monday, June 8, 2009
Skools Up!
School up, time for summer camp
| Font Size |
Express News Service
Posted: May 15, 2008 at 2309 hrs IST
Print Email To Editor Post Comments
Jason Lopez, project manager of Youreka summer camps, the outdoor education division of idiscoveri, says, “The idea is to challenge kids, give them an opportunity to check out the wilderness while having fun.”
Riverside backpacking and rock climbing along the banks of the River Tons, in
Other than learning to pitch a tent or balance on ropes, a rural awareness programme in the mountains exposes the children to education outside the textbook. “We attach students to a village so that they can map things first-hand. How many houses are there, for instance, or where the water comes from,” says Khare.
The camps may be exciting, but they are not for everyone. For fashion designer Tanuja Jha, who has never sent her children to a summer camp, fear and cost are impeding factors. “They are risky. Perhaps, if it was cheaper we would send them,” she says.
Sociologist Srinivas Rao, assistant professor at
“The middle class includes millionaires and government servants with low wages — the camps can create classes within classrooms.”
Summer Magic - Only with Youreka!
Check the Apture Links:
Summer holidays: What a way to spend them...
4 May 2003, 0134 hrs IST, Shobha John, TNN
Forget that lazy, hazy, crazy, daze of summer. Indolent, languorous days spent either in the lap of Morpheus or climbing guava and mango trees with time to kill are now passe. Today, summer holidays for children means trips to the Himalayan foothills, mist-covered Coorg or the vales of Scotland where specialised skills are learnt in a structured manner — trekking, river-rafting, mountain biking, astronomy, theatre, magic, photography and bird-watching. Not to forget personality development and group activities. Of course, it comes with a price. But who’s complaining? Definitely not the parents.
For Sapna Bharadwaj, mother of 14-year-old Mallika, spending close to Rs 8,000 on her daughter’s eight-day trip to Sitlakhet two years back was an investment. ‘‘I found my introverted daughter a new person from the day she returned from the trip. She was open and talkative and became my friend. She also developed a bond with the outdoors.’’ She sent her son the next year and will continue to send both of them to camps as long as they want. She and her husband run a financial firm.
Many of today’s urban parents feel the skills learned during these trips will help their children cope better in a competitive world. Plus, urban living doesn’t give children exposure to the outdoors. ‘‘Parents feel that any investment made on children will make their future more secure,’’ says Prabhat Raman of Small World, which is having two-week programmes for children from 9-16 years in England and Scotland. This includes staying in a British residential school where they get to interact with foreign students, learn their culture and history, scuba dive and horse-ride. Also included are visits to famous colleges. ‘‘This enriching experience will come in handy later on in life. Last year, 8-9 children went.’’
For those who can’t afford to send their children abroad, there are camps in India that could fall within their budget. IDiscoveri Youreka for example was started in 1996 by Ashish Rajpal, an XLRI graduate and other trained professionals, with 150 children. Now close to 6,000 children have stayed in their camps in Sitlakhet, Tons, and Tirthan Valley and savoured the mountains, rivers and dales of North India and made numerous friends. ‘‘Last year, 1,000 children attended our camps,’’ he says. And it’s not just a man’s world out there. ‘‘The ratio of boys to girls is 60:40.’’
Eleven-year-old Akhil liked the campfires, adventure and the pastries he got on the last day. He took up rock-climbing and rifle-shooting and had to showcase his talent on the last day to his group of 50 children. ‘‘I cried in the end as I didn’t want to leave my new friends.’’ Sixteen-year-old Srijan enjoyed his summer camps much more than those with his family. ‘‘Friends are more fun and I learned diverse skills.’’
Most parents were gung-ho about sending their children to camps, having either gone on corporate camps themselves or heard of them from friends. Exporter Sanjay Singhal’s two sons have been going to summer camps too. ‘‘I have recommended the camps my sons went to, to 30 others. I also plan to send my elder son to a $2,000 camp in Virginia for six weeks next year. This is an investment on the mental, physical and social synergy of my child.’’
Some camps also do social service like building a wall or teaching in a nearby village, giving children exposure to those less privileged. And for those who want to have fun along with their children, there are family camps like Aquaterra’s along the Tongs river. ‘‘Both can go on walks, river rafting and rock climbing,’’ says Salil Paul. Many parents no longer want to do the rounds of hill stations as they did when they were children. ‘‘They want to savour newer outdoor experiences.’’
Summer holidays: What a way to spend them...
4 May 2003, 0134 hrs IST, Shobha John, TNN
Forget that lazy, hazy, crazy, daze of summer. Indolent, languorous days spent either in the lap of Morpheus or climbing guava and mango trees with time to kill are now passe. Today, summer holidays for children means trips to the Himalayan foothills, mist-covered Coorg or the vales of Scotland where specialised skills are learnt in a structured manner — trekking, river-rafting, mountain biking, astronomy, theatre, magic, photography and bird-watching. Not to forget personality development and group activities. Of course, it comes with a price. But who’s complaining? Definitely not the parents.
For Sapna Bharadwaj, mother of 14-year-old Mallika, spending close to Rs 8,000 on her daughter’s eight-day trip to Sitlakhet two years back was an investment. ‘‘I found my introverted daughter a new person from the day she returned from the trip. She was open and talkative and became my friend. She also developed a bond with the outdoors.’’ She sent her son the next year and will continue to send both of them to camps as long as they want. She and her husband run a financial firm.
Many of today’s urban parents feel the skills learned during these trips will help their children cope better in a competitive world. Plus, urban living doesn’t give children exposure to the outdoors. ‘‘Parents feel that any investment made on children will make their future more secure,’’ says Prabhat Raman of Small World, which is having two-week programmes for children from 9-16 years in England and Scotland. This includes staying in a British residential school where they get to interact with foreign students, learn their culture and history, scuba dive and horse-ride. Also included are visits to famous colleges. ‘‘This enriching experience will come in handy later on in life. Last year, 8-9 children went.’’
For those who can’t afford to send their children abroad, there are camps in India that could fall within their budget. IDiscoveri Youreka for example was started in 1996 by Ashish Rajpal, an XLRI graduate and other trained professionals, with 150 children. Now close to 6,000 children have stayed in their camps in Sitlakhet, Tons, and Tirthan Valley and savoured the mountains, rivers and dales of North India and made numerous friends. ‘‘Last year, 1,000 children attended our camps,’’ he says. And it’s not just a man’s world out there. ‘‘The ratio of boys to girls is 60:40.’’
Eleven-year-old Akhil liked the campfires, adventure and the pastries he got on the last day. He took up rock-climbing and rifle-shooting and had to showcase his talent on the last day to his group of 50 children. ‘‘I cried in the end as I didn’t want to leave my new friends.’’ Sixteen-year-old Srijan enjoyed his summer camps much more than those with his family. ‘‘Friends are more fun and I learned diverse skills.’’
Most parents were gung-ho about sending their children to camps, having either gone on corporate camps themselves or heard of them from friends. Exporter Sanjay Singhal’s two sons have been going to summer camps too. ‘‘I have recommended the camps my sons went to, to 30 others. I also plan to send my elder son to a $2,000 camp in Virginia for six weeks next year. This is an investment on the mental, physical and social synergy of my child.’’
Some camps also do social service like building a wall or teaching in a nearby village, giving children exposure to those less privileged. And for those who want to have fun along with their children, there are family camps like Aquaterra’s along the Tongs river. ‘‘Both can go on walks, river rafting and rock climbing,’’ says Salil Paul. Many parents no longer want to do the rounds of hill stations as they did when they were children. ‘‘They want to savour newer outdoor experiences.’’
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Youreka Takes on the Nat Geo Junior Hunt!
Nice Apture Links and article here:
Entertainment-Short takes two last New Delhi
Friday, July 28, 2006
''With Nat Geo Junior Hunt, we are looking for the brightest, smartest and the coolest Indian kid who like books as much as sports, likes to make new discoveries, is adventurous, outgoing and ready to take on challenges,''Joy Bhattacharjya, Senior vice president, programming at the Nastional Geographic Channel said at a press conference here to announce the hunt.
Spanning across ten cities, the junior hunt will target approximately 3,64,800 kids between ten and 14 years of age in 380 reputed schools of the country. The initial shortlisting will be done at the school level where participants will be put through an innovative 'Think again' test comprising questions that will test the general aptitude and logical reasoning of children. Out of the 500 children shortlisted from each city, 20 city finalists will be selected based on selection rounds designed by iDiscoveri Education (an education partner of Nat Geo Junior) which includes games, puzzles, physical activities and thinking out of the box challenges.
These finalists will then have an opportunity to participate in a demanding array of individual and group challenges in the setting of Youreka (iDiscoveri's outdoor division) Sitlakhet campus and only four out of these 20 finalists will make it to the national finals. The lucky four will be groomed before they host their own show on Nat Geo Junior, a multi-faceted programming block on the National geographic channel that is very popular among kids.
The winner, to be decided by a reputed panel of judges, will be crowned with the prestigious title of Nat Geo Junior.
''The show is a reflection of the fact that intelligence today has expanded to include a lot more than just academic achievement,'' Mr Ashish Rajpal of iDiscoveri Education said.
The winner will not only get to host Nat geo junior shows on the channel for three months but will also receive a 'Nat Geo junior Hunt Fund' to finance his future education.
According to Joy, the Nat Geo junior hunt is the channel's endeavour to extend its popular children's block on-ground to provide and intelligent platform for kids to showcase their talents through a fun-filled learning experience.
Entertainment-Short takes two last New Delhi
Friday, July 28, 2006
''With Nat Geo Junior Hunt, we are looking for the brightest, smartest and the coolest Indian kid who like books as much as sports, likes to make new discoveries, is adventurous, outgoing and ready to take on challenges,''Joy Bhattacharjya, Senior vice president, programming at the Nastional Geographic Channel said at a press conference here to announce the hunt.
Spanning across ten cities, the junior hunt will target approximately 3,64,800 kids between ten and 14 years of age in 380 reputed schools of the country. The initial shortlisting will be done at the school level where participants will be put through an innovative 'Think again' test comprising questions that will test the general aptitude and logical reasoning of children. Out of the 500 children shortlisted from each city, 20 city finalists will be selected based on selection rounds designed by iDiscoveri Education (an education partner of Nat Geo Junior) which includes games, puzzles, physical activities and thinking out of the box challenges.
These finalists will then have an opportunity to participate in a demanding array of individual and group challenges in the setting of Youreka (iDiscoveri's outdoor division) Sitlakhet campus and only four out of these 20 finalists will make it to the national finals. The lucky four will be groomed before they host their own show on Nat Geo Junior, a multi-faceted programming block on the National geographic channel that is very popular among kids.
The winner, to be decided by a reputed panel of judges, will be crowned with the prestigious title of Nat Geo Junior.
''The show is a reflection of the fact that intelligence today has expanded to include a lot more than just academic achievement,'' Mr Ashish Rajpal of iDiscoveri Education said.
The winner will not only get to host Nat geo junior shows on the channel for three months but will also receive a 'Nat Geo junior Hunt Fund' to finance his future education.
According to Joy, the Nat Geo junior hunt is the channel's endeavour to extend its popular children's block on-ground to provide and intelligent platform for kids to showcase their talents through a fun-filled learning experience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
.jpg)
