CAMP EXCELL: Excellence in English Language and Leadership

I. Background on Camp Excell

       A veteran team of American and Malagasy educators and outdoor and cultural enthusiasts developed the concept of CAMP EXCELL- Excellence in English Language and Leadership, to build strong language and leadership skills among motivated and talented Malagasy students selected for their ability to make the most of an exceptional learning experience.

      Camp EXCELL is designed as an American summer camp experience that enables groups of students to live together in a learning community and to participate in a variety of sports, language and cultural activities intended to ensure rapid progress in English and the application of leadership principles within teams formed for community tasks and for sports.

II. PHILOSOPHY

    Excell specializes in worldwide training and education programs for students, teachers, administrators, parents, communities, and professionals.

    We build skills in leadership, language, cultural awareness, community service, group development, psychological process, and behavior change. To assure validity, we assess long-term personal and community outcomes.

    Excell offers special expertise in creating total-immersion environments where youth develop language and leadership skills. Activity-discussion formats use music, sports, drama, dance, games, cooking, reading, writing, conversation, and community service to promote team and individual development.

III. PROGRAM

SPORTS: Participants will participate daily in American-style sports, including basketball, softball, Frisbee, and football. Leadership principles will be introduced into the team sports experiences, based on Camp EXCELL’s philosophy of reinforcing leadership using sports, developed by Dr. Albert Whetstone, Camp EXCELL director.

CULTURE and LANGUAGE: English is the only language spoken at Camp EXCELL. To reinforce daily practical language instruction, participants will learn American songs (rock, blues, jazz, songs from Broadway musicals), will view and discuss American films and will participate actively in ongoing structured and unstructured conversations with Camp EXCELL directors and counselors and the American campers in residence, during all meals, group activities, games and outings.

IV. CAMP EXCELL DIRECTORS

Camp EXCELL is led by two American directors who bring extensive experience in teaching, camp counseling and management, language training (English and French), music and sports. The camp directors are motivated by a love of Madagascar and its people. They are also very focused on safety and security for all campers.

Dr. Albert Whetstone, Director of Camp EXCELL, is a certified school and family psychologist with over 35 years experience. Dr. Whetstone is also a musician, athlete and author of a book and articles on family relations and improving youth academic performance. Dr. Whetstone is bilingual English/French. He has coached soccer and baseball, and has led summer camp programs in New Hampshire for many years and has led hundreds of national and international workshops with students and adults.

Deborah Moore Orsini, Assistant Director of Camp EXCELL, is a veteran trainer and international lecturer. She is a specialist in linguistics (English/French/ Spanish) and has organized numerous training and cultural exchange programs for young people. With a group of Malagasy colleagues, she founded the NGO EXCELL to promote acquisition of leadership and practical English language skills and to encourage cultural exchanges between American and Malagasy youth. She has been involved in development consulting in Madagascar since 1996 and serves pro bono as the Executive Director of the U.S.- Madagascar Business Council, based in Washington, D.C.

Mme Voahangy Ramananarinoro, country director of the NGO EXCELL, is a Malagasy entrepreneur and trainer. She is the co-founder of the NGO EXCELL, responsible for logistics, recruitment and local management of Camp EXCELL. She has traveled frequently to the United States and has worked closely with the Camp EXCELL directors to adapt the program concept to Madagascar.

V. GOALS, EXPECTED RESULTS AND ACTIVITIES OF CAMP EXCELL

GOALS:

Camp EXCELL will enable motivated and qualified Malagasy students to make rapid progress in English and to practice leadership principles through a specially designed program of sports, music, active conversation, and community service, in a residential program that provides constant contact with American counselors and American campers.

EXPECTED RESULTS:

At the end of Camp EXCELL, participants return home, having:

• Acquired new, practical vocabulary in English

• Participated in two community service projects

• Learned a series of 15 songs in English

• Practiced 4 American sports and understood the rules of each

• Learned the basic principles of leadership and applied those principles to real-life group management situations

• Developed a plan for utilizing the English language and leadership skills acquired during their stay at Camp EXCELL

ACTIVITIES:

The activities of the camp take place in a community environment where each participant has his or her responsibilities during meals, games and service projects. As mentioned above, the language of Camp EXCELL is English, from the time the campers take their seats on the bus until the moment they return from camp. English will be used throughout all activities, which include:

• Practical instruction in English, ongoing active conversation, film projections, practical reading assignments in specially selected books for youth, board games

• Two community service projects

• Field sports for physical exercise and to learn new sports (basketball, softball, American football, frisbee)

• Workshops on leadership principles and application of those principles during sports activities and assigned tasks in community life

• Active participation in sing-alongs featuring American popular and folk songs, blues, rock and jazz traditions, songs from well-known Broadway musicals (Sound of Music, Cats, etc.)

• Educational outings in the region

• Writing a Camp EXCELL journal, in English, to record activities, progress and friendships made during camp

VI. DATES, TRANSPORTATION AND LODGING

Dates: 27 July to 10 August
Location: Majunga (beachfront tourist complex)
Housing: Lodging in rooms for 3 students
Food: Full board
Transportation: bus from Tana to Majunga


VII. PARTICIPANT SELECTION

The NGO EXCELL is responsible for selecting participants based on individual profiles and the recommendation of language professors and school directors. Camp EXCELL seeks participants who wish to benefit fully from this unique linguistic and leadership development experience, and to help others benefit from this experience afterwards. The application package (application, personal statement, two letters of recommendation) will be reviewed by the Board of Camp EXCELL, for this pilot program.

A limited number of scholarships are available to highly qualified students whose families cannot meet the cost of the camp. These scholarships are provided through the generosity of corporate and individual sponsors.

VIII. OUTCOMES FROM THE FIRST YEAR

As a result of the Camp Excell experience, 32 Malagasy students wrote the following action plans for taking their camp experience back to their homes and communities:

1. ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS

I offer the following ideas to improve English language skills gained during Camp Excell.

Stay in contact with Excell campers in the following ways:
meetings, parties, outings, cell phone conversations, internet

Create a Camp Excell “club” to share singing, sports, dancing, movies, cooking, handicrafts, … just like Camp Excell !

Speak English (of course) with campers at the gatherings!
in class, at work, at home with family.

Teach English to little brother, sister, family, in school
Sing English songs (for pronunciation & vocabulary)
Use English on the internet
Use the expressions I learned, and learn more
Join English-speaking organizations
Guide English-speaking visitors
Translate “trilingually” (Malagasy, English, fran�s)

Conduct business with English-speaking countries
Visit an English-speaking country for work or vacation

Participate in English competitions

Listen to music, learn songs to improve my pronunciation
Listen to the BBC, the Voice of America, or CNN

Watch English movies

Read in English:
instruction manuals, books, newspapers, magazines

Write in English:
letters, internet, drama, skits

2. LEADERSHIP SKILLS

I intend to improve the leadership skills I gained during Camp Excell in the following ways:

Lead by example at home: daily chores, teaching English to siblings
Create a team to talk about helping my community
Respect the environment
Teach friends not to throw garbage in the street
Create a team to take care of the environment
Look around the community and pick a problem to solve
Open an English library
Teach a course in English
Help underprivileged people, especially the homeless
Promote education in poor families
Raise money to help citizens work with better materials
Organize basketball tournaments for young children
Lead Scouts
Work with sports leadership
Coach basketball
Captain my basketball team
Remake my soccer club
Become a representative for my class
Lead my church group
Lead my English club (ICE : I’m Crazy about English)
Take more responsibility for my own life
Organize group talks and debates about important subjects
Share the Camp Excell experience with friends
Mobilize the English Club to help my school become bilingual


3. STYLES, CONCEPTS AND IDEALS
Be creative, innovative; think “out of the box.”
Be curious
Take responsibilities more seriously
Do my part as a team member
Be more enthusiastic and teach others to be the same
Forget hesitations, be courageous
Persevere when things get tough, never give up
Be strong in my character and personality
Use the Excell public speaking skills
Take responsibility
Be a good example for others
Always give my best
Change my bad habits to good habits
Follow the example of leaders I admire
Talk about these leaders as role models
Learn from others’ mistakes
Understand others
Help others as much as you can
Look for new and original ways to solve problems
Improve efficiency
Think everyday about my future
Dream an idea and realize it
Use humor, have fun
Apply four core Excell values in my everyday life
Apply the 10 C’s of Leadership at work and school
Show respect and compassion to co-workers, family, and peers


For more information on Camp Excell, please visit www.excellfoundation.org.
 

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