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News from Members American Councils invites AmCham members to support Camp Kennedy 2023

American Councils invites AmCham members to support Camp Kennedy 2023

by American Councils for International Education February 7, 2023

The aim of the 6th edition of Camp Kennedy is to empower 15 young Romanians aged 15 - 17 to become active citizens, increase their English language ability, learn more about democratic values and media literacy, and offer participants the necessary life-long tools to engage in civic activism and social responsibility.

Financial support is needed to cover all aspects related to program implementation. Camp concept can be connected to companies specific goals or regions. American Councils has experience in implementing Camp Kennedy concept in various counties across Romania.

American Councils proposes a hybrid format, with more than two thirds of the sessions begin taught in English. The 2023 camp will include seven online sessions and twelve in-person ones, held in Bucharest. Online sessions will focus on leadership, democracy, rule of law, media literacy, design thinking and program management, and will all be fully delivered in English. Furthermore, several in-person sessions will also be held in English, to expose participants to the use of language as much as possible.

All camp activities will advance leadership and other 21st Century skills development by cultivating critical thinking. Teaching methods will include interactive workshops and simulations in English, peer discussions, observations and critical reflections of government institutions, and interactions with decision-makers, including Members of Parliament, Government, and their staff.

Throughout each activity, programmatic components will be designed to build on the participants’ exposure to and understanding of shared Romanian and American democratic principles, practices, ideals, and institutions, and to teach about civil society and political life in both countries. Camp Kennedy participants will take part in activities that foster leadership and engaged-citizenship skills. Essential questions and themes will be addressed each day in workshops, briefings, and seminars. Participants will identify, discuss, and evaluate models of effective leadership throughout the camp. This analysis will strengthen participants’ resolve and commitment to share their new knowledge and leadership skills with fellow students, colleagues, teachers, and others in their host and home communities, and to initiate positive change.

The 2023 Camp Kennedy edition will also focus on media literacy, topic covered by both U.S. and local experts. This addition is made to address problems revealed in the 2018 PISA results, on which Romanian 15 year-olds received the lowest scores, demonstrating that over 41 percent of this demographic is functionally illiterate. Given the increase in global disinformation campaigns, Romanian youth are particularly vulnerable and require new skills to navigate today’s media competently.

Program participants will become Camp Kennedy Alumni and will join the network of over 2,000 American Councils Romania alumni, gaining life-long access to learning opportunities, events and mentoring.

BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANIZATION

With a presence in the U.S., and Eastern Europe for over four decades, American Councils has administered hundreds of programs sponsored by U.S. Embassies, the Department of Educational and Cultural Affairs, private foundations, and local governments for participants from over 60 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

In Romania, American Councils implements the FLEX program since 2015 and Open World program starting 2022, and has coordinated Camp Kennedy 2017-2022, with a terrific success. Furthermore, American Councils Romania also implemented the Elie Wiesel Study Tour, Kennedy Academy, GOAL Camp and 4/4ForFriends MLK Community Service event. In 2022, American Councils implements a unique program, called celebrating 25 years of strategic partnership that puts US-Romania alumni expertise into the spotlight.

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