GoCamp: Vladyslava Rutytska

When I was eight years old, I went to school six kilometers away from home. There were no buses, but there were good classmates. Together, we went every day to school and back in the second shift. It was raining in autumn, snowing in winter – and the snow was never shoveled, then again raining in spring, yet I remember that we were a very cheerful and friendly team. It was a small town without good schools or teachers, and we didn’t know what it means “to study hard.” It goes without saying that none of us spoke English, even the only teacher in that school.

When I was eight years old, I went to school six kilometers away from home. There were no buses, but there were good classmates. Together, we went every day to school and back in the second shift. It was raining in autumn, snowing in winter – and the snow was never shoveled, then again raining in spring, yet I remember that we were a very cheerful and friendly team. It was a small town without good schools or teachers, and we didn’t know what it means “to study hard.” It goes without saying that none of us spoke English, even the only teacher in that school.

After many years, towns, and countries, I have finished a different school with a gold medal and mastered English. It took a lot of efforts and energy. However, this is not the case with all the children. I would like to help those kids attending our ordinary schools to have better teachers and role models. So that their life path would be easier. I sincerely believe that any reforms start from education. As you sow, so you reap. Let’s sow kindness and knowledge together with GoGlobal!

The GoCamp project organizes in-school language camps led by the international volunteers who – along with the local teachers – help the children to study foreign languages. GoCamp is about the opportunities opening up for the Ukrainian kids (60,000 of them only this year!) – to learn the world cultures and to develop those skills which are not taught at school, especially critical and global thinking. Most students will meet foreigners for the first time in their lives. 600+ volunteers are coming to Ukraine in 2017 – 80% of them will go to small villages.

The value of the project is also in that foreign volunteers live in the students’ families, thus discovering the Ukrainian culture for themselves. As a result, foreigners overcome stereotypes about Ukraine, rediscover it, and become ambassadors of our country in the world.

The results of the project in 2016:
- 120 volunteers in 40 countries;
- 127 GoCamp schools in 24 regions of Ukraine;
- 9,000 children.