Activities
Access Students Participate Winter Camp-2013
After the conclusion of the first academic year, a week-long leadership Winter Camp-2013 was organized in Lakeside-6, Pokhara, Nepal, from January 26-30, 2013. The event took place at Mount Kailash Resort, and all 160 students and 16 teachers from the second cohort were present. It was the first time that all the Access students and teachers were together. This was also the first time the majority of the students had ever been away from homes or away from their parents. This is the first time to almost all the students and teachers that they participated in a camp program like this. The program focused on developing students’ personality and leadership skills, with a special focus on community service. The aim was to work towards a balanced intellectual and emotional development so that students will be better prepared to assume an active role in their communities in the future.
The five-day camp was attended by the Access teachers and students from the four different Access centers of Nepal– Kathmandu, Gorkha, Butwal and Birgunj. The opening ceremony of the camp took place on January 26, 2013 which was attended by the former and current presidents of NELTA– Mr. Ganga Ram Gautam and Mr.Hemanta Raj Dahal. Mr.Gautam is also the Access Program focal person to Nepal. The other members of NELTA’s executive committee were also present – such as Mr.PadamBahadurChauhan, Treasurer, Ms.SaritaDewan, Secretary, Ms.MotikalaSubbaDewan, member, Mr. Dinesh Kumar Yadav, member. In addition, Dr.MyrtisMixon, Camp Resource Person, Mr. Ian Wallace, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Ms.AyumiKunibiro, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, and Mr.ShyamBdr. Pandey, Access Country Coordinator, were present. The camp resource person, Dr.MyrtisMixon, the camp resource person who was from San Francisco University sponsored by the Regional English Language Office (RELO), U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu.
January 25, 2013 (arrival day): All the 160 students, 16 teachers, one volunteer, Country Coordinator and camp resource person arrived in Pokhara before 4:00 p.m. All the campers checked-in in the Hetel Lovely Mount and Mount Kailash Hotel. A separate orientation program for students and teachers was organized regarding the whole schedule of the program and their respective roles. Students were briefed on the importance of camp and time management. All the students and teachers were divided into different groups on the basis of Access centres and famous ten mountains of Nepal for day time working groups.
January 26, 2013, Saturday (Day 1)
Yoga Session - The camp started on a high note as students had a yoga session in English with an instructor from Kathmandu, Mr. Shiva Basyal, a professional yoga instructor. The students learned how to concentrate in order to get success. The objective of this session was to help students develop their personality. This presentation was a good warmer to start the camp which was also a privilege for the students because most of them had only seen professional yoga sessions on TV.
Taking Care of Environment- This session was facilitated by Ms. BrindaDewan, U.S. Exchange Program alumni who had been to the U.S. forenvironmental conservation program for four months. She involved students making photo frames by using old newspapers and magazines. The aim of this session was to make students aware about utilizing useless materials which are in our environment.
Opening of the Camp-
The five-day camp was jointly inaugurated by Mr. TekNaranPandey, Director, Department of Education, Nepal and Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal, President, NELTA. Speaking at the opening ceremony Mr. Pandeysaid “NELTA has initiated a model program in Nepal named “English Access Microscholarship Program”. Government of Nepal is not able give exposure to the children who are from the disadvantaged background but NELTA has done great job partnering with U.S. State Department/U.S. Embassy in Nepal to launch this program. Government of Nepal will collaborate with NELTA in similar kind of program infuture. The importance of English language is enormous. So, collaborative work between the U.S. Embassy and NELTA is praiseworthy. He thanked to the U.S. Embassy for the kind support to develop English language scenario in Nepal. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Dahal thanked to the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy for trusting NELTA to implement the program in Nepal.
Singing English Songs- Right after the opening ceremony of the camp, the four Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs), Mr. Vincent Giannotti, Ms. SorchaDundas, Ms. Rachel Klein and Ms. Julia Coffin involved all the ten different mountain groups singing different English songs. Four ETAs’ lively performance added extra stamina to make the event more interesting.
Three Acts to Approach Leadership- Mr. Dib BahadurSherbuja, Access teacher involved students into different group work activities such as making a tallest tower in group, walking with two slippers in group and debating and making conclusion in group which made the participants think about the importance of harmony among the group members and importance of time management.
Creativity and Innovation Using Technology to Change Your World
A very interesting session by Ms. Gretel Patch, U.S. Embassy Kathmandu who involved students watching short documentaries related to group work, technology and culture. At the later part of her session, she involved students writing essay related to technology. All the students actively wrote essays related to technology and gave to Ms. Patch. She also prized one of the Access students, Mr. TuphanThapa, Gorkha Access center with an I-phone.
Story Writing Session- Story always becomes one of the attractive genres of literature to anyone. Moreover, it gives great pleasure to children to learn about it. Similar kind of exposure was given by Dr. MyrtisMixon, Camp Resource Person. She involved students to write a few different short sentences with some fictitious titles. It was her first attempt to involve the students to write the story. The purpose of doing this was to produce a story book in English at the end of the program.
January 27, 2013, Saturday (Day 2)
Session Leadership- Ms. Krista, Ms. Julia and her team involved students in different activities in to the different mountain groups which were related to the leadership development. They made the students acted into the different activities which were interesting to address the theme of the camp clearly.
Story Writing Session: This session was the continuation of the Dr.MyrtisMixon’s previous session where students involved developing their story in more systematic matter.
Street Drama Show on “Disaster Preparedness”- A professional street drama performance tam led by Mr.JibanShrestha and SurbirPandit presented a real street drama entitled “Disaster Preparedness”. The main objective of this session was not to give the lesson of the title but to give real flavour of the street drama on how the street dramas are performed so that they will be able to utilize the ideas with their own topic in future. The primary theme of the session was students would learn some new technique of how to perform street drama. When they get back to their community, they will be able to perform the street dramas in their own style with ideas that they learnt in this session.
Tour to Phewa Lake/Boating, Basundhara Park- All the 160 students including their teachers and other officials went to the Phewa Lake for boating and took many pictures capturing the mountaineering view in the background. Phewa Lake is one of the famous lakes of Pokharacity which is in the heart of the city. They spent about three hours there and also went to BasundharaPark which was on the way to the hotel.
Session on Child Rights- Making students aware about child rights is one of the major objectives of the Access Program. We happen to utilize this idea in this occasion. Mr.Hemanta Raj Dahal, President, NELTA who also was the director of human rights home shared and informed students about the basic rights of the child. He also shared the does and don’ts of the child in regard with the human rights/child rights.
Scavenger Hunt- The ten different mountain groups were given seven different topics to prepare any creative thing to present to the whole mass and the evaluation committee. Some of the examples of the topics were like typical Nepali representation, symbol of love and symbol of art. Dr.MyrtisMixon facilitated the session giving students ideas on how to present creatively in front of the mass. This session was very interesting because different group members presented different creative things in the same topic.
January 28, 2013, Saturday (Day 3)
Yoga Session- The concept of yoga can be utilized into different ways which was the good example of the modern meditation session facilitated by Mr. Raman Nepali, President, Prava Raman Foundation. He involved students doing different modern ways of yoga. The main objective of this act was to encourage students to develop their concentration skills. This was a different type of meditation, which the students enjoyed; and it was easy for the students to practice it in their daily lives.
Session to Gain Leadership Skills- Students were divided into mountains groups. There were separate activities for each group, and all the activities were helpful at building leadership qualities and also for gaining experience with team work.
Session on Story Writing- In this session students continued their previous work to give their writing a story like shaping.Dr.MyrtisMixon helped students to write their work in more matured way.
Student Quiz- Access teachers’ team led by Mr. Bharat BabuKhanal organized student quiz session to all the 160 students who were mixed up into ten different mountain groups. This quiz was focused on the content that the teachers have been teaching throughout the program i.e. the quiz questions prepared were based on the three major aspects named American culture, English language and current affairs related to U.S. and Nepal. The aim of conducting this program was to make the students aware about the different issues that we have been addressing in Access Program.
Personal Hygiene and Nutrition- Another session was on personal hygiene which was facilitated by Dr. Deepak Prasad Koirala, a professional doctor who has been working at Manipal Hospital, Pokhara for a long time. This session was very informative as well as encouraging. The students asked many questions, and they were very happy to get answers from the doctor.
Listening and Singing Nepali Lok Songs- In the evening of the third day of the camp, a professional Nepali folk singer, Mr.CholendraPoudel made all the camp participants dance. He sang different Nepali folk songs while all the 160 Access students irrespective of their different cultural and religious background danced together. There were four different centre students representing different cultural background but they came beyond their local culture and showed their cultural respect to each others’ culture. There were guests from the U.S. embassy, Mr. Fife MacDuff, Fulbright ETAs, Mr. Ian Wallace, Ms.AyumiKunihiro and their team, and other guests who equally took part in this cultural performance.
January 29, 2013, Saturday (Day 4)
Trip 1: Sarangkot- On the very early morning of day fourth of the winter camp, Winter Camp participants went on the top of the Sarangkot mountain to see the sun rise and mountain view; Machhapuchre and Annapurna range. It was adventurous journey to go into the top of the Sarangkot hill take some attractive group pictures and come back with some refreshing mind into the program venue. The purpose of this is not to miss one of the best tourist places of Pokhara city.
Story Writing Session- In this session students continued their previous work to give their writing a story like shaping.Dr.MyrtisMixon helped students to write their work in more matured way.
Trace Effects in English Language Classroom- Trace Effects is new software produced by the Department of State which is very useful to English language teaching and learning. Mr. Fife MacDuff, RELO, U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu previewed the usefulness of the software, different ways of using the trace effects software. Students curiously took notice on how to utilize it.
Trip-2: Mountaineering Museum, Gupteshwor Cave, Davi’s Fall- Right after the lunch, students went to visit some important local, cultural and traditional positions such as International Mountaineering Museum, Gupteshwor Cave and Devi’s Fall. This visit was fruitful to recognize the local cultural and traditional property.
Volunteering Community–This session wasfacilitated by Mr. Ganga Ram Gautam, former President of NELTA. He taught the students about community service. Then, the students worked in groups to prepare an action plan for ways in which they can volunteer in their communities. Students are expected to apply their ideas after they return to their home towns.
January 30, 2013, Saturday (Day 5)
Student Leadership - This session was facilitated by Mr. HimalGautam, President, Student Quality Circle (SQC), a student organization which was established with the objective of developing leadership among students. At the beginning of the session, the presenters talked about what student leadership means and why it is important. Then, they worked with ten groups and involved them in different activities. They provided the students with limited resources and had them build a model bridge. Then, each group leader presented the model bridge to the large group.
Session- Mr. Ian Wallace and Ms.AyumiKunihiro, ETAs had been to different Access centres to prepare students to present one dance item representing any particular decades of American music system. Similarly, they oriented each Access centre students to present their dance items with full enthusiasm.
Story Writing Session- In this session students continued their previous work to give their writing a story like shaping.Dr.MyrtisMixon helped students to write their work in more matured way.
Student Talent Show Preparation- All the 160 students formed four different groups based on their centre. Some of the centre students prepared dance items, drawing, drama on social issues, singing folk songs and cracking jokes. They prepared in their group, finalized who can play what role and other necessary preparation.
Student Talent Show- Finally students were ready to show their talent in front of the whole mass including the guests from the U.S. Embassy, guests from NELTA, other local journalists and other dignitaries.Some of the centre students performed their drama in English, some performed singing English songs, cracking jokes and some centre students performed the dance items. It was a great moment to observe the program with varied things in a single platform.
Closing Ceremony – Access participants and some special guests attended this ceremony. Representative from the U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu, Mr. Fife MacDuff, RELO, was present, as well as representative from the government of Nepal, Mr. BishnuBahadurDware, Director, Regional Directorate Office, Western Development Region, Pokhara, Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal, President, NELTA. Mr. Dwareshared some of his feelings which were very encouraging to the students. Students and teachers shared their feelings about the camp. All the students and teachers received certificate of participation from the guests Mr. Dware and Mr. MacDuff.
“You all are diamond. I wish you to shine every day. You are leaders. You are needed to build the society and the nation. You will lead the future of the country and your society. You should continue your study. Whatever has been done in Nepal through the Access Program is an excellent example to learn for other countries too. The government feels proud to collaborate with NELTA to implement English Access Microscholarship Program in Nepal to educate and empower the youths of Nepal” said by Mr. Fife MacDuff, RELO, U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu on the occasion of the week-long Access Program leadership winter camp-2013 in Pokhara.
To sum up, the five-day camp was very fruitful to the students. It was a good opportunity to boost the students’ energy, and refresh their knowledge and ideas. We were able to achieve the objectives specified in our curriculum. The good coordination among the teachers left a good impression on the students. The Access Program’s full dedication and contribution is seen as a milestone that will contribute to change the nation, as was expressed by Mr. BishnuBahadurDware. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Mr. Dware stressed that the Access teachers are role models and change agents in teaching. He requested that Access teachers not only facilitate learning of the Access students but also offer training to government school teachers.
After the conclusion of the first academic year, a week-long leadership Winter Camp-2013 was organized in Lakeside-6, Pokhara, Nepal, from January 26-30, 2013. The event took place at Mount Kailash Resort, and all 160 students and 16 teachers from the second cohort were present. It was the first time that all the Access students and teachers were together. This was also the first time the majority of the students had ever been away from homes or away from their parents. This is the first time to almost all the students and teachers that they participated in a camp program like this. The program focused on developing students’ personality and leadership skills, with a special focus on community service. The aim was to work towards a balanced intellectual and emotional development so that students will be better prepared to assume an active role in their communities in the future.
The five-day camp was attended by the Access teachers and students from the four different Access centers of Nepal– Kathmandu, Gorkha, Butwal and Birgunj. The opening ceremony of the camp took place on January 26, 2013 which was attended by the former and current presidents of NELTA– Mr. Ganga Ram Gautam and Mr.Hemanta Raj Dahal. Mr.Gautam is also the Access Program focal person to Nepal. The other members of NELTA’s executive committee were also present – such as Mr.PadamBahadurChauhan, Treasurer, Ms.SaritaDewan, Secretary, Ms.MotikalaSubbaDewan, member, Mr. Dinesh Kumar Yadav, member. In addition, Dr.MyrtisMixon, Camp Resource Person, Mr. Ian Wallace, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Ms.AyumiKunibiro, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, and Mr.ShyamBdr. Pandey, Access Country Coordinator, were present. The camp resource person, Dr.MyrtisMixon, the camp resource person who was from San Francisco University sponsored by the Regional English Language Office (RELO), U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu.
January 25, 2013 (arrival day): All the 160 students, 16 teachers, one volunteer, Country Coordinator and camp resource person arrived in Pokhara before 4:00 p.m. All the campers checked-in in the Hetel Lovely Mount and Mount Kailash Hotel. A separate orientation program for students and teachers was organized regarding the whole schedule of the program and their respective roles. Students were briefed on the importance of camp and time management. All the students and teachers were divided into different groups on the basis of Access centres and famous ten mountains of Nepal for day time working groups.
January 26, 2013, Saturday (Day 1)
Yoga Session - The camp started on a high note as students had a yoga session in English with an instructor from Kathmandu, Mr. Shiva Basyal, a professional yoga instructor. The students learned how to concentrate in order to get success. The objective of this session was to help students develop their personality. This presentation was a good warmer to start the camp which was also a privilege for the students because most of them had only seen professional yoga sessions on TV.
Taking Care of Environment- This session was facilitated by Ms. BrindaDewan, U.S. Exchange Program alumni who had been to the U.S. forenvironmental conservation program for four months. She involved students making photo frames by using old newspapers and magazines. The aim of this session was to make students aware about utilizing useless materials which are in our environment.
Opening of the Camp-
The five-day camp was jointly inaugurated by Mr. TekNaranPandey, Director, Department of Education, Nepal and Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal, President, NELTA. Speaking at the opening ceremony Mr. Pandeysaid “NELTA has initiated a model program in Nepal named “English Access Microscholarship Program”. Government of Nepal is not able give exposure to the children who are from the disadvantaged background but NELTA has done great job partnering with U.S. State Department/U.S. Embassy in Nepal to launch this program. Government of Nepal will collaborate with NELTA in similar kind of program infuture. The importance of English language is enormous. So, collaborative work between the U.S. Embassy and NELTA is praiseworthy. He thanked to the U.S. Embassy for the kind support to develop English language scenario in Nepal. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Dahal thanked to the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy for trusting NELTA to implement the program in Nepal.
Singing English Songs- Right after the opening ceremony of the camp, the four Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs), Mr. Vincent Giannotti, Ms. SorchaDundas, Ms. Rachel Klein and Ms. Julia Coffin involved all the ten different mountain groups singing different English songs. Four ETAs’ lively performance added extra stamina to make the event more interesting.
Three Acts to Approach Leadership- Mr. Dib BahadurSherbuja, Access teacher involved students into different group work activities such as making a tallest tower in group, walking with two slippers in group and debating and making conclusion in group which made the participants think about the importance of harmony among the group members and importance of time management.
Creativity and Innovation Using Technology to Change Your World
A very interesting session by Ms. Gretel Patch, U.S. Embassy Kathmandu who involved students watching short documentaries related to group work, technology and culture. At the later part of her session, she involved students writing essay related to technology. All the students actively wrote essays related to technology and gave to Ms. Patch. She also prized one of the Access students, Mr. TuphanThapa, Gorkha Access center with an I-phone.
Story Writing Session- Story always becomes one of the attractive genres of literature to anyone. Moreover, it gives great pleasure to children to learn about it. Similar kind of exposure was given by Dr. MyrtisMixon, Camp Resource Person. She involved students to write a few different short sentences with some fictitious titles. It was her first attempt to involve the students to write the story. The purpose of doing this was to produce a story book in English at the end of the program.
January 27, 2013, Saturday (Day 2)
Session Leadership- Ms. Krista, Ms. Julia and her team involved students in different activities in to the different mountain groups which were related to the leadership development. They made the students acted into the different activities which were interesting to address the theme of the camp clearly.
Story Writing Session: This session was the continuation of the Dr.MyrtisMixon’s previous session where students involved developing their story in more systematic matter.
Street Drama Show on “Disaster Preparedness”- A professional street drama performance tam led by Mr.JibanShrestha and SurbirPandit presented a real street drama entitled “Disaster Preparedness”. The main objective of this session was not to give the lesson of the title but to give real flavour of the street drama on how the street dramas are performed so that they will be able to utilize the ideas with their own topic in future. The primary theme of the session was students would learn some new technique of how to perform street drama. When they get back to their community, they will be able to perform the street dramas in their own style with ideas that they learnt in this session.
Tour to Phewa Lake/Boating, Basundhara Park- All the 160 students including their teachers and other officials went to the Phewa Lake for boating and took many pictures capturing the mountaineering view in the background. Phewa Lake is one of the famous lakes of Pokharacity which is in the heart of the city. They spent about three hours there and also went to BasundharaPark which was on the way to the hotel.
Session on Child Rights- Making students aware about child rights is one of the major objectives of the Access Program. We happen to utilize this idea in this occasion. Mr.Hemanta Raj Dahal, President, NELTA who also was the director of human rights home shared and informed students about the basic rights of the child. He also shared the does and don’ts of the child in regard with the human rights/child rights.
Scavenger Hunt- The ten different mountain groups were given seven different topics to prepare any creative thing to present to the whole mass and the evaluation committee. Some of the examples of the topics were like typical Nepali representation, symbol of love and symbol of art. Dr.MyrtisMixon facilitated the session giving students ideas on how to present creatively in front of the mass. This session was very interesting because different group members presented different creative things in the same topic.
January 28, 2013, Saturday (Day 3)
Yoga Session- The concept of yoga can be utilized into different ways which was the good example of the modern meditation session facilitated by Mr. Raman Nepali, President, Prava Raman Foundation. He involved students doing different modern ways of yoga. The main objective of this act was to encourage students to develop their concentration skills. This was a different type of meditation, which the students enjoyed; and it was easy for the students to practice it in their daily lives.
Session to Gain Leadership Skills- Students were divided into mountains groups. There were separate activities for each group, and all the activities were helpful at building leadership qualities and also for gaining experience with team work.
Session on Story Writing- In this session students continued their previous work to give their writing a story like shaping.Dr.MyrtisMixon helped students to write their work in more matured way.
Student Quiz- Access teachers’ team led by Mr. Bharat BabuKhanal organized student quiz session to all the 160 students who were mixed up into ten different mountain groups. This quiz was focused on the content that the teachers have been teaching throughout the program i.e. the quiz questions prepared were based on the three major aspects named American culture, English language and current affairs related to U.S. and Nepal. The aim of conducting this program was to make the students aware about the different issues that we have been addressing in Access Program.
Personal Hygiene and Nutrition- Another session was on personal hygiene which was facilitated by Dr. Deepak Prasad Koirala, a professional doctor who has been working at Manipal Hospital, Pokhara for a long time. This session was very informative as well as encouraging. The students asked many questions, and they were very happy to get answers from the doctor.
Listening and Singing Nepali Lok Songs- In the evening of the third day of the camp, a professional Nepali folk singer, Mr.CholendraPoudel made all the camp participants dance. He sang different Nepali folk songs while all the 160 Access students irrespective of their different cultural and religious background danced together. There were four different centre students representing different cultural background but they came beyond their local culture and showed their cultural respect to each others’ culture. There were guests from the U.S. embassy, Mr. Fife MacDuff, Fulbright ETAs, Mr. Ian Wallace, Ms.AyumiKunihiro and their team, and other guests who equally took part in this cultural performance.
January 29, 2013, Saturday (Day 4)
Trip 1: Sarangkot- On the very early morning of day fourth of the winter camp, Winter Camp participants went on the top of the Sarangkot mountain to see the sun rise and mountain view; Machhapuchre and Annapurna range. It was adventurous journey to go into the top of the Sarangkot hill take some attractive group pictures and come back with some refreshing mind into the program venue. The purpose of this is not to miss one of the best tourist places of Pokhara city.
Story Writing Session- In this session students continued their previous work to give their writing a story like shaping.Dr.MyrtisMixon helped students to write their work in more matured way.
Trace Effects in English Language Classroom- Trace Effects is new software produced by the Department of State which is very useful to English language teaching and learning. Mr. Fife MacDuff, RELO, U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu previewed the usefulness of the software, different ways of using the trace effects software. Students curiously took notice on how to utilize it.
Trip-2: Mountaineering Museum, Gupteshwor Cave, Davi’s Fall- Right after the lunch, students went to visit some important local, cultural and traditional positions such as International Mountaineering Museum, Gupteshwor Cave and Devi’s Fall. This visit was fruitful to recognize the local cultural and traditional property.
Volunteering Community–This session wasfacilitated by Mr. Ganga Ram Gautam, former President of NELTA. He taught the students about community service. Then, the students worked in groups to prepare an action plan for ways in which they can volunteer in their communities. Students are expected to apply their ideas after they return to their home towns.
January 30, 2013, Saturday (Day 5)
Student Leadership - This session was facilitated by Mr. HimalGautam, President, Student Quality Circle (SQC), a student organization which was established with the objective of developing leadership among students. At the beginning of the session, the presenters talked about what student leadership means and why it is important. Then, they worked with ten groups and involved them in different activities. They provided the students with limited resources and had them build a model bridge. Then, each group leader presented the model bridge to the large group.
Session- Mr. Ian Wallace and Ms.AyumiKunihiro, ETAs had been to different Access centres to prepare students to present one dance item representing any particular decades of American music system. Similarly, they oriented each Access centre students to present their dance items with full enthusiasm.
Story Writing Session- In this session students continued their previous work to give their writing a story like shaping.Dr.MyrtisMixon helped students to write their work in more matured way.
Student Talent Show Preparation- All the 160 students formed four different groups based on their centre. Some of the centre students prepared dance items, drawing, drama on social issues, singing folk songs and cracking jokes. They prepared in their group, finalized who can play what role and other necessary preparation.
Student Talent Show- Finally students were ready to show their talent in front of the whole mass including the guests from the U.S. Embassy, guests from NELTA, other local journalists and other dignitaries.Some of the centre students performed their drama in English, some performed singing English songs, cracking jokes and some centre students performed the dance items. It was a great moment to observe the program with varied things in a single platform.
Closing Ceremony – Access participants and some special guests attended this ceremony. Representative from the U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu, Mr. Fife MacDuff, RELO, was present, as well as representative from the government of Nepal, Mr. BishnuBahadurDware, Director, Regional Directorate Office, Western Development Region, Pokhara, Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal, President, NELTA. Mr. Dwareshared some of his feelings which were very encouraging to the students. Students and teachers shared their feelings about the camp. All the students and teachers received certificate of participation from the guests Mr. Dware and Mr. MacDuff.
“You all are diamond. I wish you to shine every day. You are leaders. You are needed to build the society and the nation. You will lead the future of the country and your society. You should continue your study. Whatever has been done in Nepal through the Access Program is an excellent example to learn for other countries too. The government feels proud to collaborate with NELTA to implement English Access Microscholarship Program in Nepal to educate and empower the youths of Nepal” said by Mr. Fife MacDuff, RELO, U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu on the occasion of the week-long Access Program leadership winter camp-2013 in Pokhara.
To sum up, the five-day camp was very fruitful to the students. It was a good opportunity to boost the students’ energy, and refresh their knowledge and ideas. We were able to achieve the objectives specified in our curriculum. The good coordination among the teachers left a good impression on the students. The Access Program’s full dedication and contribution is seen as a milestone that will contribute to change the nation, as was expressed by Mr. BishnuBahadurDware. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Mr. Dware stressed that the Access teachers are role models and change agents in teaching. He requested that Access teachers not only facilitate learning of the Access students but also offer training to government school teachers.
Some Highlights of the Activities conducted so far
- Official Start of English Access Microscholarship Program: Access Program: Although we officially started working from January, 2011, the inauguration took place on March 9, 2012 by His Excellency the U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Mr. Scott H. DeLisi in Kathmandu in Xavier Academy, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, Nepal. All the the selected students and teachers received notification certificates signed by the U.S. Ambassador His Excellency Scott H. DeLisi.
- Teej Festival Celebration: All four groups of Access students in Nepal celebrated the Teej Festival, one of the main festivals for Nepalese Hindu women, between August 24 and 30, 2011. The celebrations were organized entirely by the Access students themselves. Invitees included Access teachers, Mr. Fife-MacDuff, RELO, U.S. Embassy, Nepal; Ms. Gretel Patch, U. S. Embassy, Nepal; Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal, President of NELTA; and Mr. Prem Phyak, Secretary of NELTA. The Access students, who represent different ethnic and religious communities such as Hindu, Muslim, and Christian, shared this cultural experience. All the students actively took part in the program. The main purpose of celebrating this program was to develop cultural harmony and tolerance among the students and empowerment of girls students. Similarly Teej festival was celebrated in Gorkha Center and Bhairahawa with grand success
- Independence Day Celebration: Access students celebrated Independence Day on July 3, 2011. Access teachers highlighted the major events which led the U.S. to the independence and told children about its importance in the context of the US. Then the students worked on a very simple worksheet with 15 true-false questions related with Independence Day. Then the students made greeting cards for Independence Day in group and pasted them in their classroom. They ended the class cutting a cake with an “Independence Day” wish.
- Thanksgiving Day Celebration: Acess students celebrated the Thanksgiving Day on November 24, 2011. After a short discussion on the importance of ‘Thanksgiving Day’, students enjoyed watching videos and pictures related to the occasion. Then all the teachers and students participated in the feast with the roasted turkey, beans, apple pies, mashed potatoes, salad, cold drinks (for toast) and cranberry sauce, which began after the Thanksgiving prayer.
- Access’s Involvement in 63rd International Human Rights Campaign: On the occasion of the 63rd International Human Rights Day, the Access students from Kathmandu center participated in a rally organized by National Human Rights Commission, Nepal. “Celebrate Human Rights” was the slogan for 63rd Human Rights Day 2011. The 40 Access students, four teachers, the Program Coordinator and the NELTA President took part in the campaign. Access’s participation in the program on gender basis was 55/45 per cent as male and female respectively. Prior to the celebration, the students were given orientation about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and given opportunity to practice singing the song of John Lennon. On this day (10 December), the Access team with 48 members started marching from Access center with a banner and placards with different human rights slogans and joined the big mass gathered at Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu. The big mass with approximately 3,000 people from different human rights NGOs, INGOs, the UN Office, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), representatives from Nepal police, Nepal Army, Nepal Armed Police force started marching on the street surrounding the main area of the city, Kathmandu. After an hour walk, the mass gathered in Hanuman Dhoka, Durbar Square and held a speech delivery session. There were different national and international personalities who have been recognized as human rights defenders. The national and international personalities delivered short speeches regarding the situation of human rights in Nepal. The Access students attended the session and went back to their classroom and wrote their experiences being involved into the program. Some of the students expressed their views through drawing, some students wrote report and some students wrote letters to their parents pretending that they were far from them.
- Outcome: The purpose of involving the students in this program is to give them real experience to observe how Human Rights Day is celebrated in Nepal, gain a kind of birds’ eye view to look themselves into the mass and to make them not only curious about the issues of human rights in the community but there are other people too. Another purpose was to demonstrate to the community about the commitment of Access students regarding issue of human rights. At the end of the program, they were able to demonstrate some important knowledge about the human rights that they have experienced.
- Christmas Celebration: Christmas was celebrated very effectively in all centers. At Gorkha Center, Christmas Eve was celebrated. Different activities were organized. Students were given different projects like preparing and decorating Christmas tree, acting as a Santa Claus, singing Christmas songs and so on. The students were given delicious dinner in the evening. In the program conducted in Kathmandu, NELTA President Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal, Access Program Coordinator, Shyam Bahadur Pandey, and other guests were present. At Bhairahawa center, students and teachers celebrated Christmas with two officials, Mr. Dillip Bhattarai and Ms. Deepika Giri, from the American corner, Bhairahawa. The purpose of celebrating all the holidays and festivals is to develop the cultural tolerance, inter-cultural harmony and respect for human rights and to enhance democratic values; Christmas celebration was also one of the parts of this.
A week-long Spring Camp- 2012
After the conclusion of the first academic year, we held a week-long leadership camp in Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal, from April 14-19, 2012.The event took place at Hotel Arniko, and all 119 students and 11 teachers from the first cohort were present. One student was ill and could not attend the camp. It was the first time that all the Access students and teachers from Nepal were together. This was also the first time the majority of the students had ever been away from homes or away from their parents. The program focused on developing students’ personality and leadership skills, with a special focus on community service. The aim was to work towards a balanced intellectual and emotional development so that students will be better prepared to assume an active role in their communities. The 5-day camp was attended by the Access teachers and students from the three sites in Nepal – Gorkha, Bhairahawa, and Kathmandu. The camp opening ceremony took place on April 15, 2012, and was attended by the former and current presidents of NELTA – Mr. Ganga Ram Gautam and Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal. Other members of NELTA’s executive board were also present – such as Mr. Padam Bahadur Chauha, Ms. Motikala Subba Dewan, and Kashi Raj Pandey. In addition, Dr. Barbara Law, English Language Fellow; Mr. Mark Rowland, Camp Manager; and Mr. Shyam Pandey, Access Program Coordinator, were present. Camp Manager, Mark Rowland, came from the United States, sponsored by the RELO. Students were briefed on the importance of camp and time management. Some major sessions and activities which the students attended during the camp are described below:
Yoga Session - The camp started on a high note as students had a yoga session in English with an instructor from Kathmandu, Mr. Shiva Basyal, a professional yoga instructor. The students learned how to concentrate in order to reach success. The objective of this session was to help students develop their personality. The session was a good warmer to start the camp. The class was also a privilege for the students because most of them had only seen professional yoga sessions on TV.
Songs in English - The next activity was singing songs, which was facilitated by Ms. Motikala Subba Dewan. Ms. Dewan sang and taught the participants "EL Condor Pasa," a song by Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, American music duo singer-song writers. "EL Condor Pasa" means "the condor goes by (or flies by)," which is very symbolic and applicable to the participants because it refers to access to freedom, just like a condor has its freedom flying high in the sky. The students did not have access to English before; however, due to the English Access Microscholarship Program, they have access to English, which has opened the horizon of knowledge and information for them. They developed and improved their language skills and networking skills, and they learned about American culture. The camp was an eye-opening experience for the participants and the beginning of the new world for them. Everyone sang and learned this song. They enjoyed it a lot. When they were returning back to their homes, everyone was signing this song on the bus.
Student Leadership - This session was facilitated by Mr. Himal Gautam and his colleague. Mr. Gautam is president of “Student Quality Circle,” a student organization which was established with the objective of developing leadership among students. At the beginning of the session, the presenters talked about what student leadership means and why it is important. Then, they worked with ten groups and involved them in different activities. They provided the students with limited resources and had them build a model bridge. Then, each group leader presented the model bridge to the large group.
Meditation - After a light breakfast on April 16, students were involved in meditation facilitated by Mr. Raman Nepali and his team who were from NODAN International Club, which is a professional meditation club.This was a different type of meditation, which the students enjoyed; and it was easy for the students to practice it in their daily lives. After the half hour meditation, the students were divided into classroom groups. There were separate activities for each the group, and all the activities were helpful at building leadership qualities and also for gaining experience with team work.
Field Trip to Thousand Steps - After lunch, all the participants and teachers went for a walk to Thousand Steps, which is a famous picnic spot near our camp venue. All the students managed to complete all one thousand steps. The students learned how to maintain disciline when they are in the public place. This trip was an excellent opportunity for the students, especially the students from the Bhairahawa center. These students had never been to the hilly areas of Nepal. From the top of the Thousand Steps, they could see a beautiful view of the hilly landscape.
Personal Hygiene – Another session was on personal hygiene which was facilitated by Dr. Rajendra Koju, a professional doctor who has been working at Dhulikhel hospital for a long time. This session was very informative as well as encouraging. The students asked many questions, and they were very happy to get answers from the Doctor.
Cultural Show 1– During this session, all the groups presented their own cultural dance, local songs, and songs they have learned in English. The sessions were observed by all the camp leaders and the Access teachers. The students were very eager to perform and share their talents. This was a golden oportunity for the students to develop leadership qualities by performing in front of a large group. All of the performances were outstantading.
Community Volunteer Service –This session wasfacilitated by Mr. Ganga Ram Gautam, former President of NELTA. He taught the students about community service. Then, the students worked in groups to prepare an action plan for ways in which they can volunteer in their communities. Students are expected to apply their ideas after they return to their home towns.
Time Management and Team Work – Mr. Abhishek Maskey, Administrative Finance Officer of NELTA, facilitated this session. He taught the students about time and how to use it wisely. The students were placed in groups and assigned tasks and given a deadline. This session was interactive with lots of questions from the participants.
Technology – Mr. Fife MacDuff, RELO, U.S. Embassy, facilitated a session on technology. He presented on resources that are available online for learning English. The students have already started using the online resources, and they think that they know a lot more than their friends from school. The students feel prviledged to be in the English Access Microscholarship Program.
Cultural Show 2 - At the end of the day third, the students were divided in groups based on their places of origin -- Bhairahawa, Gorkha, and Kathmandu. Each group prepared a dance, a song and a drama skit to present to the other groups. The session was observed by the camp managers, NELTA members, and the Access teachers. The presence of NELTA members was very encouraging to the students.
Field Trip to Bhaktapur Darbar Square – All the Access students and teachers went for a field trip to Bhaktapur Darbar Square, a place which is listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The students were led in group activities prepared by Dr. Barbara Law. The activity was “finding the alphabet.” The students received a sheet of paper with the alphabetical letters on it. They had to find something around the Darbar Square that started with each letter of the alphabet and list it on the sheet. It was fun activity which the students liked very much.
After two hours at Bhaktapur Darbar Square, the students visited South Asia’s tallest statue of Lord Shiva. The purpose of visiting this place was to give students an opportunity to learn about their nation’s heritage and to take photographs that they can download on Facebook. This was an activity to develop their digital skills.
Closing Ceremony – The participants and some special guests attended this ceremony. A representative from the U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu, Mr. Fife MacDuff, RELO, was present, as well as a representative from the government of Nepal, Mr. Tek Narayan Pandey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education. Mr. Pandey shared some of his feelings which were very encouraging to the students. Students and teachers shared their feelings about the camp. All the students and teachers received a bag sponsored by RELO, Kathmandu. This was the first camp the students had ever attented, and it was a great opportunity for them to learn.
To sum up, the five-day camp was very fruitful to the students. It was a good opportunity to boost the students’ energy, and refresh their knowledge and ideas. We were able to achieve the objectives specified in our curriculum. The good coordination among the teachers left a good impression on the students. The Access Program’s full dedication and contribution is seen as a milestone that will contribute to change the nation, as was expressed by Mr. Tek Narayan Pandey, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Education, Nepal. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Mr. Pandey stressed that the Access teachers are role models and change agents in teaching. He requested that Access teachers not only facilitate learning of the Access students but also offer training to government school teachers.