29 Jan Hakuna Matata Winter Day Camp 2018!
Games, fun and joy were in the foreground during these two days. Our Motto: Let’s change our minds and experience something new together!
After a short round of introduction of all participants, we played some warm-up games, which demanded a lot from some youngsters. All games focused on promoting skills of communication, cooperation and collaboration, and building trust for one another.
During the two days of winter camp there was a lot of laughter, dancing and singing. The games were planned in a way that there was something for everyone and the group dynamics did the rest. One game was particularly different from the others – MEMORY! The youngsters were able to let their creative streak run free when designing the memory playing cards by themselves. The cards were then shuffled and put face down on a table. The task was to find the matching identical pairs. Once a player has found a pair, it’s his or her turn again. If two cards of mismatched pairs have been revealed, it’s the turn of the next player, but before that, the wrong pair is turned over. During the game the group developed its own dynamics. Each of the youngsters tried to make the others feel insecure about his or her choice, which gave the game a special kick.
I was very surprised by the joy and appreciation with which the young people accepted the games and the motivation with which they carried it out. After overcoming the language barriers, we were able to interact very well thanks to the efforts of the whole SAATH team. If there was any misunderstanding, things were explained once again according to the four-steps-method: demonstrating, explaining, imitating, and practicing.
The physical well-being was also well taken care of. A big thank you to our sponsors: Wicked Spoon, Fork and Rock; Silver Mountain College; Moksh Bar and Meatco Food Nepal who provided us with plenty of drinks and food. Special thanks goes to the Ideal Model Kindergarten Pre-School, which provided us with the premises. Without all of your kind support the Hakuna Matata Winter Day Camp could not have taken place! The highlight of the two-day camp was a surprise from ASMAN – Association of St. Mary’s Alumnae Nepal, who amazed the Hakuna Matata Kids with lots of presents!
Compiled by Marika Riep