Our radio show is used to review the day’s activities and to introduce new ideas and
concepts with an international flavor. The host introduces the meal and the radio show at each evening dinner hour throughout the camp season.
WVAC starts once the meal is over. We use the following materials for the radio show:
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Various costumes assembled from old clothes to represent the national dress of the countries from which our meals originate.
Stereo system and microphone - not needed for a small group.
Large map of the world.
White board with graph to plot waste from meals.
Bucket and ruler.
A supervisor should be responsible for selecting a host for each meal, making the host
choices as diverse culturally as the camp population allows. Whilst any announcements are given, the host dresses in the relevant national costume
and is introduced by the supervisor. Whether it is spaghetti from Italy or burritos from Mexico, the host will teach everyone a few words in their
native tongue and ask a camper to come up and find the relevant country on the world map. The meal is now served.
After everyone has finished the meal, the host will start the radio show, often by playing music from the theme country.
The show generally takes about 15 minutes but can be made to take anywhere from 5 to 30 if needed. Our show is called WVAC with the VAC
standing for Vacamas, so it can be changed to suit any camp name. To start off we all shout W-V-A-C while making the letters with our arms, much
like the YMCA song.
The first section of the show is the Weather Report, which uses data from the weather
station if available. The host can explain how the weather differs in their country. Campers can
also be reminded about the need to protect from the sun or extreme cold and to dress appropriately.
Food for thought is the next segment. During
this part of the show the host or a guest will share with the audience an idea. This can be Random Acts of Kindness, Recycling, Everyone Smiles in
the Same Language, or any other number of values and ideas that can enrich our youth. These ideas are often introduced and explained by using fairy
tales and fables from around the world.
The last topic of our show is the Waste Graph. All the campers and staff are asked to put aside all of
the food that is wasted, i.e. all food put onto an individuals plate and then not eaten. This is collectively placed in the waste bucket by each table
(after the meal during clean-up) and then measured by the host and a volunteer from the audience. The results of this are then plotted onto a large graph
meal after meal. The fact that the world has limited resources and we need to share them as efficiently as possible is shared with the children, who are
encouraged to lower the waste total each meal.
The host now signs off by getting everybody to shout W-V-A-C.
How
did the activity increase international understanding and/or cultural awareness among your campers and staff?
We have found that this is a very easy to implement program that can have true worth in
a camp environment. It compliments the international backgrounds of a camp’s staff and serves as a great forum to share multi-cultural values and ideas.
Introduced during orientation, staff quickly became very comfortable hosting the show and we never find ourselves short of volunteers to act as host.
As the radio show uses items commonly found on most camps, it is also a very cost effective way to enhance multi-cultural programming.
This international
program idea submitted by:
Name of Camp:
Vacamas
State: New Jersey
For more information
contact: Dominic O’Brien or Sandi Friedman
Telephone: 201-838-1394
Dom X16, Sandi X15 FAX: 201-838-7534
e-Mail: vacprogram@aol.com
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