Youngsters with Estonian roots who live abroad are invited to attend language and culture camps in Estonia.
Designed for young people aged 13-18, the camps are an opportunity for them to study Estonian, get to know local kids their own age and learn more about the country’s cultural environment. They also go sightseeing and on excursions and play sport together. We want young Estonians living abroad to feel a connection with their homeland and the Estonian language.
There will be three camps for young people aged 13-18 in summer 2019. They will all be held in areas of outstanding natural beauty. For a number of years now camps have taken place at Venevere Holiday Centre in Viljandi County (www.venevere.ee).
The schedule for the 2019 camps is as follows:
- 8-18 July
- 22 July-1 August
- 5-15 August
Each camp provides:
- 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 the bond with their parents, other family members or carers.
It is important that those attending the camps are both interested and motivated in terms of studying Estonian and learning about the country’s culture. The camps represent an excellent opportunity for youngsters who live outside of Estonia to take part in purposeful and well-organised language training, to communicate in a camp setting with their Estonian peers, to participate in age-appropriate activities together, to play sports, to come up with their own activities, to find out about Estonia and its culture and to go on excursions.
Registration for the camps is open until 31 March 2019.
Terms and conditions of admission to camps
This year we do not pay travel expenses.
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 in the past.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLYING
In order to register your interest in your child(ren) taking part in a camp, go to the Integration Foundation website and:
- fill in the registration form; and
- write a short letter of motivation (as part of the registration form).
The form can be found on the Integration Foundation website
The registration form includes the following details:
- Given name and surname of participant (as they appear in the holder’s travel document)
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Place of residence (country, town or city, street, building & apartment)
- Name and date of birth of parent/guardian
- E-mail:
- E-mail address of parent/guardian
- E-mail address of participant
- Contact numbers (including country code):
- Contact number of parent/guardian
- Contact number of participant
- Information on Estonian origins of family members (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather etc. – names are not required)
- Visa required (yes/no)
Choice of camps:
- 8-18 July
- 22 July-1 August
- 5-15 August
- Information on whether the child will come to Estonia:
- – only to attend the camp (indicate preferred camp); or
- – for a longer period (indicate length of stay in Estonia)
- Preferred departure date (if ticket compensation is requested)
- The number of times the child has attended camps in the past
- The number of years the child has lived permanently outside of Estonia
- Health information pertaining to the child (illnesses, allergies, medicines, doctor’s prescriptions, etc.)
- The assessment of the child and their parent/guardian of the child’s Estonian skills (in free form)
- Other important information about the child (special needs, dietary restrictions, mental state, etc.)
- Other information
As part of their application, each potential participant must write a short letter of motivation (15-20 sentences) entitled ‘Why I want to attend a language camp in Estonia’. This should be written by the child themselves, preferably in Estonian. If the child does not know enough Estonian to be able to do so, the letter can be written in either Russian or English.
The Integration Foundation will inform the selected applicants by e-mail by 10 April 2019. Parents/guardians will then be sent contracts, which must be signed and returned to the foundation.
Please note: A signed contract is the only guarantee of a place at a language and culture camp for the child. The contracts must be signed and returned to the Integration Foundation by 15 May 2019 at the latest.
Should a place be freed up/not filled, it will be offered to another child.
COSTS AND OBLIGATIONS
- Participation in the camp is free for the child.
- The Integration Foundation enters into a contract/agreement with the parent/guardian that sets out key issues of liability and obligation for both the foundation and the parent/guardian.
- Children attending the camps must have health insurance that is valid in Estonia. Children coming from countries outside of the European Union and European Economic Area (e.g. from Russia, Ukraine or Belarus) must have health insurance that is valid in the Schengen zone.
- Please note: Health insurance costs must be covered by the parent/guardian.
- Upon arrival at a camp the child must have a certificate of health issued in Estonian, Russian or English. A certificate issued in any other language must be accompanied by a translation in Estonian.
- This year we do not pay travel expenses.
The Integration Foundation has been organising language and culture camps since 2000.
Support for the running of the camps is provided by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research via the ‘Countrymen programme 2014-2020’.
Additional information:
Jana Tondi
Head of Language and Cultural Immersion
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +372 659 9069