“It’s a matter of honour for me to make the acquisition of a new language fun and interesting for all the children,” says Roeland volunteer Jérôme. “In the workshops I organize games, little competitions and more.”
Jérôme: “To make sure our participants master the provided vocabulary, I conclude every workshop with the same ritual: Pictionary, with a ‘word box.’ When the children hear a novel word, I write it on a piece of paper, fold it and put it in a large box. At the end of the workshop, every kid picks a piece of paper from the box and acts out the word written on it. The other children have to guess which word it is.”
Growing as a person.
“Four years ago, I started out as a volunteer with Roeland. Quite coincidentally, in fact.
A coordinator from the organization visited my school and talked about the different camps and jobs they offered, such as teachers, head of didactics and head of projects. I made a lot of personal progress during my volunteer years, and I have Roeland to thank for it.”
“It is a wonderful thing to have influence when it comes to youngsters. To observe how they learn and grow as a person is a rewarding to experience. After two weeks of camp, I am flat out exhausted, but that is proof to me that I went full throttle. On top of that, I really enjoy teaching French. It is remarkably interesting to teach a foreign language, especially when you have the freedom to make it exciting and fun.”
Every opinion matters.
“We, the volunteers and participants, live together for real at a Roeland camp. From sunrise to sunset, we always function as a team. We make sure our activities spring the interests of all the children, from the youngest to the eldest ones. Last summer we rented a bouncy pillow, we wore ourselves out on an altitude parkour… you discover immediately what the children find truly formidable. I also prefer to ask their input. We organize team meetings where the children can voice their opinion and talk about what rocks their world, so we as teachers can ease their worries if necessary.”
