Camp Blog
Camp Mentor Program at Camp Suisse
11th December 2014
What is it?
The Camp Suisse Camp Mentor Program is a development programme aimed at ex-campers aged 16-19 who would like to take on a certain level of responsibility at Camp Suisse.
How did it come about?
The mentor programme started back in 2010 in response to growing demand from parents for older campers to return to camp as employees. Whilst our recruitment policies would prevent us from offering paid employment to a youngster under 19, we felt that these young people who had first hand experience of CS and who had matured and developed within our systems had a lot to offer the young campers in our care.
What’s involved?
Camp Mentors are highly valued members of the Camp Suisse team and start their journey at the pre-season staff training week. Mentors undertake a large majority of the staff training, including orientation courses, basic first aid, activity and leadership training, the Camp Suisse ‘Child Protection’ qualification and more. The training period at camp is an exciting time to learn and to discover new skills, as well as to meet the many new people who make up the Camp Suisse experience.
Once our young campers have arrived for the session, our mentors leap into action alongside the rest of the team. Duties induced assisting staff (mainly Group Leaders) with their daily jobs, supporting staff on activities, helping with campers and learning the inner workings of the day-to-day life at Camp Suisse. Our mentors have a unique insight into the operations of camp and can sometimes act as a bridge between campers and staff.
Who should apply.. and how?
To be a Camp Mentor requires the same qualities as expected of Camp Suisse staff: energy, maturity and flexibility, team players with a positive attitude toward both staff and campers. This is the very reason that the programme has been strictly by invitation only to past campers who we believe have made a positive contribution to camp life during their time at Camp Suisse.
An interested ex-camper aged 16+ can apply for the mentor scheme and would provide a letter of motivation outlining why they were interested in the scheme and what contribution they expect to make to the Camp Suisse team. Once accepted at this stage, parental consent is established and dates finalised. (Maximum eight weeks.)
What does it cost?
The scheme is payable, but at a much reduced fee, around £2000 / 3000 CHF for a maximum of 8 weeks. This fee represents a contribution from parents towards accommodation, food and activities.
What do our mentors get out of the program?
Camp mentors can look forward to gaining first-hand experience leading and assisting younger campers in activity sessions as well as invaluable work experience in a professional educational environment. As with all our campers and staff alike, we are committed to developing leadership skills as well as teaching new hard and soft skills. Mentors have the opportunity where appropriate to assist with language classes and to work with our younger campers contributing positively their pastoral care, welfare and to their enjoyment of the camp, even sharing their experiences from their time as a camper.
For more information about the mentor program or any other events at Camp Suisse please contact us via info@campsuisse.com.
Accreditation for the Duke of Edinburgh International Award
11th November 2014
Camp Suisse is very excited to announce that we have recently been accredited as an International Trained Activity Provider (ITAP) for the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
As many of our campers and parents already know, The Duke of Edinburgh International Award (‘the Award’) is the world’s leading youth achievement award, enabling 14-24-year-olds to learn practical skills that are valuable to their personal and professional development. Whilst being ever-present and popular in the UK since its inception in 1956, demand for the Award has been rapidly growing on a global basis for a number of years, especially at International Schools across Europe and Asia as well as amongst parents and pupils.
The Award can be undertaken at three levels which when completed lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh International Award.
Participants achieve their Award by completing a personal programme of activities in four different sections (five if you’re going for Gold) – Volunteering, Physical, Skills, Adventurous Journey and for the Gold level, a Residential Project.
The accreditation of Camp Suisse as an ITAP is really exciting news to many of our international campers and schools as it enables Camp Suisse to provide the Adventurous Journey and Residential Project sections of the Award to our ever-enthusiastic campers participating in the Award.
So what are the Adventurous Journey and Residential Project sections of the Award??
The Adventurous Journey
The Adventurous Journey is an overnight camping expedition that participants must undertake as part of the Award at all levels; Bronze, Silver and Gold. The length of the camping expedition is dependent on the level of the award being undertaken. Bronze Level (entrance level) – two days and one night, Silver – three days and two nights and Gold (the highest level) – four days and three nights.
The aim of the Adventurous Journey is to provide participants with the opportunity to learn more about the wider environment as well as to develop their self-confidence, team work and health. Participants are taken ‘out of their comfort zone’ but, as with all activities at Camp Suisse, kept within a safe and secure setting, achieved through suitable preparation and training for the students and supervision by staff.
The Residential Project
The Residential Project element of the Award is a 5-night stay which again takes participants ‘out of their comfort zone’ and ensures they interact with people who are not their usual friends or colleagues whilst learning a new skill.
The aim and objectives of the Residential Project combine extremely well with the ethos of our international summer camps at Camp Suisse; participants will meet new people, explore life in an unfamiliar environment, develop new skills and have a life-changing experience.
If you have any questions about the Duke of Edinburgh International Award or are interested in undertaking the Adventurous Journey or Residential Project sections of the Award with us please contact us at anytime via info@campsuisse.com
The Charitable Causes we Support
17th October 2014
Enriching the lives of our campers is one of our core aims here at International Camp Suisse. One of the ways we do this is by encouraging them to get involved in raising money for various charities. Each of the causes we support has been carefully picked, either due to a personal connection with the camp or for its relevance to the children who stay with us.
Andrew Woinarski School Foundation
Andrew was a close friend of our camp director, Richard Young, and had a keen interest in helping children in underdeveloped areas across Asia where he spent a great deal of his time. The foundation set up in his memory works with different charities to help build schools for young children in remote and underfunded areas.
Working in partnership with the charity Child’s Dream, the Andrew Woinarski School Foundation has funded six schools that now educate nearly 750 students across Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.
Suranna’s Stepping Stone
Suranna’s family have a long association with Camp Suisse, with her grandfather having been one of our very first employees having volunteered with us on the very first summer we opened!
Suranna has Cerebral Palsy Diplegia (CPD), which prevents signals from brain being transmitted correctly to the legs of those with the condition. Those affected are unable to walk unassisted, but a revolutionary operation only available in the USA offers the chance to significantly improve the symptoms of people with CPD.
Unfortunately, the NHS don’t provide funding for this, so Suranna’s family set out to raise the money from sponsorships and charitable donations. We were happy to play our part in the fund-raising and are thrilled to report that the necessary target has now been reached!
At just six years old, Jack Johnson is still a little younger than our youngest campers, but he’s already living with a terminal illness – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). DMD affects roughly 1 in every 3,500 boys, making it one of the world’s most common fatal genetic disorders. It is a muscle wasting disease that usually starts to affect children at around the age of 5, leaves most patients reliant on a wheelchair by the time they are 12 and generally results in death by the age of 30.
When Jack’s parents found out about his diagnosis, they decided to set up a charity to help raise money for Jack and others like him, to put towards researching effective treatments for this devastating and incurable disease.
Juan Condori
Juan is a young man living in Bolivia who we have been sponsoring for over 8 years through the charity Plan UK. As well as offering financial support to Juan, we also swap letters with him and send him regular gifts.
To find out more about the causes we support, the ways we raise money for them and how you can help, please get in touch by sending us an email or calling +44 845 5191 031.
Fundraising – Raccooning
12th September 2014
What is Raccooning?
Children who’ve attended Camp Suisse over the years will know exactly what we’re talking about when we mention raccooning, but those who have yet to experience a summer season in Torgon probably have no idea what it means!
Raccooning is a time-honoured tradition that is definitely enjoyed more by the campers than the staff! All summer sessions are involved in the activity, which sees nominated members of the Camp Suisse team facing all sorts of icky things being thrown at them. It’s hilarious for the children and staff to watch and get involved with, and basically means that our groups and activities leaders live in fear of being raccooned throughout the summer!
How it Works
During the course of each session, campers get to nominate selected staff members to be raccooned. At the end of the week, we count all the nominations to find out which unlucky staff member must become the target. We measure the nominations by a chart displayed at the camp, so everyone can clearly see who is getting the most votes. Whoever gets the most nominations receives the forfeit of having wet sponges, baked beans, and flour thrown at them, amongst other messy things.
Campers get to donate money so they can come and watch the raccooning, and even get involved in throwing wet sponges and other items at the targets!
Why We Do It
Aside from the general hilarity that ensues from raccooning, there is also a more serious reason behind it. Each year, we pick a charity to sponsor and spend the summer completing fundraising activities and raising awareness of the cause. This year, at Camp Suisse, we are sponsoring Joining Jack.
Joining Jack is a charity that works to raise awareness and funds for those suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). There is currently no known cure for DMD so the charity, founded by Jack Johnson’s parents, raises money and awareness so that vital research into the disorder can be carried out in the hope of finding a cure.
Our fundraising efforts extend much further than raccooning, and include profits from our Torgon stall on Swiss National Day and proceeds from sales of our ‘I Love Camp Suisse’ t-shirts.Campers and staff alike were busy with hair braiding, loom bracelet making and any other events we could think of to help raise those all important funds for this worthy cause!
If you would like your child to join in with Camp Suisse’s fundraising activities and attend a summer camp in Switzerland, visit our registration page and sign them up!
International Languages
17th August 2014
Here at Camp Suisse, we pride ourselves on the diversity of languages spoken by our campers. Our summer camps offer a complete programme of English, German, French and Spanish lessons to build up the skills and confidence of all our visitors. So why is learning another language so important? Well, there are so many different ones spoken all around the globe that learning another will really open up the world to you – here are just a few to give you a taster!
Ave! Get Your Togas on for Roman History Day!
19th July 2014
The Roman Empire ruled most of Europe, as well as bits of Africa and the Middle East, for over 500 years. At its peak, around a quarter of the world’s population lived within its borders. Even today, everything from our languages to our legal systems are influenced by the legacy of that mighty empire. Our Roman History Day is always one of the highlights of our (Roman) calendar as we take our campers to the nearby ruined Roman settlement at Martigny for a hands-on look at the roots of our civilization.
Located in the Valais canton of Switzerland, on the border between Italy and France, Martigny sits on a historically important crossing point for the Alps. Back in Julius Caesar’s day, Martigny was known as Octodurus and was the capital of local Gaulish tribe, the Veragri. The Romans conquered the settlement in 57BC and it was occupied by Roman general Servius Galba with Caesar’s own Twelfth Legion. Galba began fortifying the settlement with a wall and ditch but, before they were finished, he and his troops were attacked by 30,000 Gaulish warriors! The ensuing fight, known as the Battle of Octodurus, was a decisive victory for the Romans and the settlement became an important trading post for them.
Today, Martigny is full of well-preserved ruins, giving a real sense of what it might have been like to live there 2000 years ago. There is a monument commemorating Julius Caesar’s link with the town, which is mentioned in his famous book Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Notebooks about the Gallic Wars). Campers will also get to see into the underground ruins of a temple dedicated to the ancient god Mithras, who was a favourite of Roman soldiers.
The town boasts the remains of an insulae (the Roman answer to the apartment block), public baths and workshops, as well as the ruins of an important official’s house, giving an insight into how the Roman elite would have lived.
However, the true high point of the trip is visiting the preserved amphitheatre on the edge of the town. Here the spirit of ancient gladiatorial combat is brought back to life as two of the group leaders take up (cardboard) swords and shields and fight it out for the campers’ entertainment.
The whole day is highly informative and a great opportunity to learn all about the Romans in an entertaining, informal and really engaging way. Roman History Day is always a treat for everyone involved, so we hope you can join us this year and be part of the action. Roman history day is just one of the many activities and excursions we offer at Camp Suisse, so don’t forget to check out our activities page! And if there’s anything else you’d like to know, please don’t hesitate to contact us on + 44 845 5191 031 as we’d love to hear from you.
Learning Team Building Skills at Camp Suisse
5th July 2014
Providing an experience that supports your children’s personal development is a real priority of ours at Camp Suisse, and the more fun we can make it, the better. Read on to see why and how we encourage a team spirit in all of our campers.
Why is Team Building Important?
Encouraging team work is a great way to set your children up for their futures in work or education. The transferable lessons that come from practising frequent team building activities include:
– Communication/listening
– Building friendships
– Social skills
– Trusting others rather than trying to do everything independently
– Giving the the opportunity to learn from each other
– Increasing confidence
And when it comes to team sports – teaching them how to be gracious winners and to be accepting of their losses!
Team Sports
We play a wide range of group sports for all abilities and interests, including ball games such as football and rounders. The fun doesn’t have to stop on the rare occasions the weather lets us down, as we have an indoor sports hall and can transfer most outside activities inside. Other fun activities like treasure hunts, quizzes, and murder mysteries can also be arranged in this space.
Orienteering/Map Reading
These are useful skills for future outdoor adventures, as well as being really fun and active. Group problem solving and using logic to get from A-to-B encourages campers to learn how to take a structured approach and achieve a set target.
International Friendships
Encouraging co-operation between children from different countries is a great way to improve their language skills and diversify their knowledge. In this way, team work opens up the world to your child.
No Previous Experience Necessary!
Your child doesn’t have to be an expert in all or any of the activities offered at Camp Suisse. Our staff are always on hand to check that everyone is safe and learns as much as possible, but we also encourage children to learn from each other – another great team skill. We instil these great values into our visitors while at our beautiful camp – they’ll be so busy having a great time that they won’t notice the life skills we’re helping them learn.
So if you’re looking for camps in Switzerland for your child this summer, get in touch with Camp Suisse.
The benefits of coming to Camp Suisse: Part 2
11th June 2014
We mentioned previously some of the benefits of sending your child away on camp. In truth, we don’t think there is any end to the number of reasons why Camp Suisse is so beneficial for growing minds.
Nomophobia
Nomophobia is the term some psychologists use to describe the anxiety you feel when you’re separated from your mobile phone. It’s a relatively new phenomenon and is supposed to feel akin to feeling naked in public.
We don’t allow our campers to use their phones during activity times for a number of reasons. Firstly, they don’t have time! We’re going to be rushing around, having way too much fun to even think about reaching for a phone. Secondly, we’re worried that the handsets may get damaged.
Should you need to get in contact with your child, you can simply call their colour group supervisor who will be able to reach your child at any time.
Getting closer to nature
We find that once the stimulation of a phone screen has been taken away, a child’s mind can be freed and allowed to venture elsewhere. Imaginative solutions and childlike wonder take over as they become more engrossed in their surroundings and relationships.
There are so many reasons why allowing a child to play around in nature is so important. One study has shown that since the 1970s, children growing up in the Western world are less likely to play outside. Scientists have routinely pointed out that increased play outside and away from screens can decrease attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and its benefits in cutting obesity rates.
Getting active and socialising
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: – Getting children out and about, seeing new things and new locations is an excellent way to help improve their mental well-being. We genuinely believe that by getting our campers into the outdoors, playing around with each other in the open air, we are helping their mental and social development.
To recap – there are so many reasons why you should consider sending your child to Camp Suisse this summer. Not least of which being the extended phone diet that we provide! If you are interested in any of the activities that we run every session, please do contact us on +44 845 5191 031, or alternatively you can e-mail us at and we’ll be happy to talk through any questions you might have.
How Your Child Will Benefit from Our International Culture
Many families chose to move abroad to give their children the opportunity to experience other cultures and broaden their horizons, leading to the rise of ‘Third Culture Kids’. These adventurous ‘chameleons’ think of themselves as global citizens and are generally more confident and tolerant people, but you can give your child the same advantages by sending them to a European Summer Camp. Not only will they gain deeper knowledge of our varied world like the TCKs, but they will also have the benefit of maintaining the cultural identity of their permanent residence, which is one of the problems sometimes experienced by TCKs.
Global Citizenship
There are so many hidden treasures to find in experiencing other cultures as we realise that there are multiple ways to view the world and live life. One of the benefits in learning this whilst you are young, is that children are naturally open-minded and can easily learn not to judge people for being different. Children understand much more easily than adults that though people and cultures can be very different we are actually all the same and nobody is ‘better’ than anyone else. It is a huge benefit for children to understand this as early as possible, so that they will grow up to be tolerant and also find it easy to adapt to different types of people within their own society as well as internationally.
Witnessing these differences in culture as they appear in day-to-day life at an international camp, rather than purely through lessons, can make children much more observant as they become intrigued by the world around them. It naturally compliments a child’s sense of wonder and their inquisitive nature, setting them up for a lifetime of discovery!
New Challenges
Another part of meeting people from different cultures is of course communicating with them! This can pose a challenge when you can’t use your existing language, games or cultural references to help you out, but it’s a great way to encourage a child’s problem solving skills. The world becomes a giant puzzle when you have to adapt and find new ways of communicating, which children can do so well without the reservations we experience as adults. They don’t mind looking silly and doing a theatrical demonstration to get their point across, so they can quickly find out the benefits of being flexible and adapting to others. And of course it gives that extra incentive to learn languages, not for grades but to have more friends!
Our International Campers
Children come from all over the world to our international summer camp in Switzerland so your children will not only experience the culture of Switzerland and the languages we teach, but all the varied cultures of our campers! What better way to find out about the diversity of our world? And with social media it’s so easy for children to stay in touch with the international friends that they meet here and continue their cultural exploration together long after they leave!
For more info on our language programme click here.
Be the Next Byron and Get Inspired at Chateau de Chillon
9th June 2014
There’s more to Camp Suisse than all our fun outdoor activities and language lessons, we’ve got loads of great cultural excursions too. One of which is the Chateau de Chillon in an amazing location on the shores of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. The scenery is absolutely stunning and there is loads to learn about its history and connection to the arts. Read on to see what it’s got in store.
History
The site of the chateau has been occupied since the bronze-age and has gone through many changes over the years. Back in the 12th Century it was home to the Counts of Savoy, which marks one of the three major periods of influence on the castle. The Bernese then took over the castle in 1536 and used it as a fortress, arsenal and prison for over 260 years with many structural changes taking place to optimise the castle for the latest advances in weaponry.The castle then entered the final Vaudois Period after the Vaudois Revolution in 1798 which initially saw the castle used as a place to store gun powder, weaponry and prisoners before being renovated in the Romantic Movement. It was then that Chillon began to attract the artists and writers that made the castle famous.
Poetic Past
It was Lord Byron who really put the castle on the map with his poem ‘The Prisoner of Chillon’ about the sufferings of François Bonivard (1493-1570). François found himself in prison due to his opposition to the Savoyards but was eventually set free by the Bernese and is now a symbol of liberty.
Exhibitions
Chateau de Chillon continues to inspire artists and so they host an exciting array of exhibitions to keep its rich history alive. Up until October 2014, you can see the spooky exhibition ‘Portraits of Ghosts’ where painter Hugo Bonamin shares his portraits of the artists that have been influenced by the Chateau over the years. You’ll see lots of the old masters such as Turner and Courbet and of course it wouldn‘t be complete without a portrait of the talented Lord Byron.
If you’re looking for European summer camps to broaden your child’s cultural horizons, take a look at our website to find out about all the other great sporting, cultural and language activities that we offer at Camp Suisse. Or give us a call on +44 845 5191 031 to find out more.
