Collaborative School Programs
 
What are they all about?

Courage, good judgment, integrity, kindness, self-discipline, perseverance, respect, and responsibility: these eight traits are critical to building good character. The same eight traits provide the framework for MCSDP youth programs that enable youth to explore the concepts of sustainable development, their role in society and their relationship to the environment.

When teachers bring their students to Kan Yama Kan Village and engage them in our programs, they know we take a holistic approach to learning. Students learn about the environment through hands-on activities designed to provoke critical thinking and follow-up discussion in the classroom. They are exposed to sustainable development concepts and practices that are simple, easy to comprehend and replicable.

Educating youth about the environment and developing their character leads to an informed citizenry with the capacity to reach the Millenium Development GoalsOur programming is proactive and flexible. We recognize that youth today face social and global challenges in a fast-paced world and we believe that as educators it is our responsibility to help them gain the intellectual and life skills they need to succeed. We do this by exposing students to practical learning experiences and modeling the behavior and values we teach; we use issues that arise while living in a community as learning opportunities about respect for others, good governance, human rights, and personal and collective responsibility.

Each visit to Kan Yama Kan is unique. Each program is tailored to the needs of the teachers, students or group. Whether the program focuses on biodiversity, animal behavior, renewable resources and searching for fossils or planning and building a habitat for tortoises, scripting a drama performance or revision for end of year exams, MCSDP works closely with faculty and school administrators to understand their objectives and meet their expectations.

How do I get my school involved?
Caring for living things gives youth a sense of responsibility and requires self-discipline and good judgmentIt''s simple. If you are interested in learning more or visiting the center, call us. We suggest gathering up a small group of teachers and administrators who are interested in learning more to join us at the meeting. This will enable teachers from different subject areas or grades to envision how our program can extend their curriculum objectives. Determine a time that is convenient to meet with us, lunch or break time, after school, whatever works for you, and we will come to your school and make a short presentation. After the presentation we can answer specific questions and answers related to curriculum, safety, accommodations, cost, etc. For the introductory meeting you should plan on at least 40 minutes; an hour would be better.

You should then consult your school calendar for a date to bring your students (click here to view our calendar). Most schools stay a minimum of 2-3 nights: this allows the students a chance to settle in and adapt to their new community environment. Programmatically students will get more out of the visit if they stay more than one night. Consider bringing your students during the school week. This will increase your chances of booking the dates you want. Once we agree on a date, we will write a letter of agreement detailing the dates, cost, and responsibilities of both parties. As we are reserving these dates for your school and quite possibility turning another group away, we will require a 50% non-refundable deposit. The deposit can be paid as soon as you have collected the fees from your students. The remainder can either be paid in advance or when you arrive at the center in Beni Suef.

Teamwork, consensus, and respect are at the core of good governanceAs for the program, we will meet with your teachers to assess your program needs. Based on these discussions we will either design a program of activities for you or work with your teachers to design the curriculum, whereby the responsibility for planning and implementing the activities is shared between the school staff and the Center staff. We rely heavily on teacher participation and expect the teachers to support the Center staff regarding any disciplinary issues that may arise.

Which schools have partipated in the past?

During the 2006-2008 school years we have worked with national and international schools following the Egyptian, American, British, Canadian, and International Baccalaureate curricula. See our Partners page for details about some of the schools we have built partnerships with.

About Our Camps
Summer in Egypt: staying up all night, sleeping past noon, unbearable heat, friends gone to the North Coast and there''s nothing to do. Well, shake it up. Try something new. Start your summer off with a week at Kan Yama Kan Village where you can escape your boredom, breathe deeply, share a laugh with friends, discover new challenges and experience the environment in a whole new way.

 The horses are always a popular attraction for campersEach summer we run co-ed summer camp sessions for youth between the ages of 12-16. Sessions begin at the end of June and run through the first few weeks of July. Days are jam-packed with fun games, recreational activities and new experiences. Our unique and personalized approach utilizes hands-on experiential education techniques to build character, teach leadership skills, foster environmental awareness, and encourage global citizenship, all in the great outdoors while making new friends and sharing new experiences.

A taste of the fun

Campers from last summer voted these as their top 10 favorite activities:

- Playing dodgeball under the stars
- Jamming in the drum circle
- Hunting for fossils on the cliffs over the Nile
- Toasting marshmallows around the campfire
- Building a castle from recycled materials
- Choreographing and performing a dance
- Riding donkeys and horses
- Cooking a meal in a homemade solar oven
- Cooling down in the big circle with water games and relays
- Engaging in conversations about poverty, refugees, and global citizenry

Who is responsible for the camp?
Counselors participate in a trust-building activity during their training programThe campers, counselors and camp administrative team each have a role to play. One of our primary objectives is to enable the campers to take responsibility for their behavior and actions while they are at camp. When campers arrive the first thing on the agenda is to go over the safety rules and regulations. While the counselors help to enforce these rules, campers quickly become aware that living in a community with others requires adherence to agreed upon behaviors. Campers are supervised by a team of counselors, many of whom have visited Kan Yama Kan Village with their schools and participated in leadership training. Selected for their leadership qualities, enthusiasm and responsible behavior, counselors participate in a specially-designed training program during which they develop new skills, practice working in teams and add their own special talents and interests to the programmed activities. In addition to the counselors, summer camp is managed by our administrative team including the Center president, the summer camp director, our security manager and the school and outreach programs director.

We encourage anyone over the age of 16 who has experience as a camper, junior counselor or other youth program to apply for a position as a junior or senior counselor at our summer camp. We are looking for enthusiastic, energetic youth (17-25 years old) with demonstrated leadership skills who will serve as role models for the younger campers. Interested? Please contact us by email and send a letter about why you want to join our summer camp staff and what you have to offer us. Be prepared to send a short CV telling us about your experiences, talents, and skills.