Text Box: STAIRWAY YOUTH CAMP ‘08  

Text Box: OVERVIEW

Text Box: WORKSHOPS ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Text Box: Stairway Youth Camps offer a unique experience where young people from diverse backgrounds are challenged to develop self-confidence, mutual respect, responsibility and compassion for themselves, their community and their environment.  Both international youths and Stairway youths (former street children) will be engaged in learning experiences involving creative and recreational activities throughout the week-long camp.    

Text Box: AIMS   Combining  the  arts, sports and nature  experiences with  interactive sessions on human rights, the  camps  aim  to: 1. Develop an awareness of the global and local issues related to human rights  and  poverty. 2. Unite youth from different cultures and backgrounds to build relationships/ friendships and an understanding of others. 3. Participants will develop an individualized action plan to promote human rights through advocacy and knowledge.  

Text Box: Young people, ages 13–18, who want to promote human rights and advocate to help make a difference in the lives of others. The majority of the international youths will be coming from international schools in the Philippines and around the world. Students in the IB Program can earn 20 CAS hours from each Stairway Youth Camp. 

Text Box: PARTICIPANTS

Text Box: Participants will be engaged in workshops and activities throughout the day (see web page for a full schedule of the program). They will learn about advocacy and how to utilize creative expressions to promote human rights. There will be a variety of mediums to explore and opportunities to develop personal styles of advocacy. The afternoon sessions will be centered around outdoor activities such as arts and crafts, beach sports, hiking, kayaking, swimming and snorkeling. There will be a rotational schedule of duties so that all participants will assist with set-up and clean-up at mealtimes. We often round off our days with musical jams, dance sessions, acrobats, journal writing and evening meetings, which further bond the group together.

Text Box: WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES

Text Box: STAFF

Text Box: Stairway Learning and Resource Center is based on the beautiful tropical island of Mindoro, located fours hours south of Manila in the South China Sea. For the last 16 years, the center has been working to protect and to promote  children’s rights. The Foundation’s creative advocacy work has earned international recognition and has reached far beyond the borders of the  Philippines.      

Text Box: ABOUT STAIRWAY

Text Box: Participants will be escorted on a private shuttle from Manila to Batangas, from where we will take a boat to Puerto Galera on Mindoro Island. Stairway is only 10 minutes away from the pier by jeepney. We will depart Manila at 8:00 a.m. Monday and return approximately 5:00 p.m. Saturday . Participants will be accommodated in the newly constructed Stairway Guest House,  separated by gender and age. For International Students coming in from another country: A Stairway Representative will pick you up at the airport on Sunday. You will stay at a private residence on Sunday evening and accompany the rest of the group on the private shuttle to Batangas. We will email you to get your flight  information as the camp date gets closer.

Text Box: TRANSPORT AND ACCOMMODATION

Text Box: “ I met so many wonderful people whom without Stairway I would never  have become friends with” Dennis, 14.2008   “ I’ll always remember this trip for the rest of my life. It was an eye opening experience and I really enjoyed it” Young Sun, 14.2008   “ I learned many things from many people, but I also learned things about myself that I hadn’t known before” Miada,16.2002   “Sharing talents hidden within us through love and compassion, revealed the best in us” John,17.2003   “Its wonderful that people less fortunate than us can inspire and empower us in so many ways” HJ,17.2008     ause you I now know that hardships in life can be overcome.”Franceen,15.2007          

Text Box: TESTIMONIALS

Text Box: Go to www.stairwayfoundation.org and click the Youth Camp  icon.  Fill in our online application  form and submit it to stairwaycamps@stairwayfoundation.org. To ensure the quality of our camps, we accept only a limited number of participants on a first come first serve basis. Deadline to sign up is June 15.    

Text Box: Three separate summer camps run from June 30 to July 25, 2008. Camp 1—June 30— July 5       Camp 2—July 14— July 19 Camp 3—July 21— July 25  

Text Box: Each camp runs  for 6 days, starting on a Monday and ending on the following Saturday afternoon.   Please see our web site for the daily program of events.   Cost: $600USD Price includes: 5 nights accommodation, 3 meals and two snacks a day, transportation Manila to Stairway return, use of recreational equipment, materials and supplies.   All proceeds from the camps will go 100% into Stairway’s programs for the benefit of  marginalized children. All facilitators offer their time and talent  to support the programs of Stairway Foundation.

Text Box: WHEN AND WHERE

Text Box:   Barangay Aninuan, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro 5203 Philippines Tel.No. +(63)-917-843-1922    

Text Box: www.stairwayfoundation.org

Text Box: The  workshop facilitators  are  experienced  international  educators and/or  involved  with human rights  development  work  around the world.  They  are from Canada, Denmark, France, Philippines and the United States.  

Text Box: HOW TO LEARN MORE AND APPLY