CAMPS
Published: 2018-05-22
Translation
This is a translation of a Bulgarian-language post. It conveys the content faithfully but is not the author's original English writing.
NATURAL ENGLISH LEARNING!WILD CAMP (a forest day-school with English) Suitable for children aged 6 to 12.
Riding, communicating with the horses and caring for them in their natural habitat; group play, activities in the garden and the forest; building and creating with natural materials; a Waldorf pedagogical approach. And all of this in English!
Like any forest school, the activities are held outdoors. It is advisable for each child to bring in their backpack rubber boots, a suitable jacket (we are not afraid of getting muddy) and spare socks. Children bring food, fruit and drinks from home.
(from 10:00 to 17:00): 35 BGN/day
For a 3-day package (Monday to Friday): 95 BGN (the cost of food and transport is separate).
For a 5-day package (Monday to Friday): 155 BGN (the cost of food and transport is separate).
There is the possibility of a weekend camp (during the warm months) — call us for more information.
Food option: a light healthy lunch (soup, salad), an afternoon snack (fruit, a savoury or sweet cake), drinks; 10 BGN per child/day.
With the possibility of licensed transport to and from the centre of Sofia (10 BGN per child with a minimum of 8 passengers; departs at 9:00 from the centre of Sofia, returns at 18:00).
PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE HAPPY HORSES CAMPS
WILD SUMMER CAMPS FOR YOUTH
(with an English-language option)
Close to nature and to oneself. Far from the temptations of the city.
WILD CAMPS for girls and boys between 12 and 17 years old — nature, sports and therapeutic programmes.
Adolescence is a special and complex age — an age of change and transformation from child to maturity, from small to grown-up, with new rights, responsibilities and challenges. In this transitional period the values of the parents and the family are put to the test. Young people seek new (non-childish) ways to express themselves, to live, to be themselves. This experience is further complicated by the purely physiological hormonal changes that alter everything: height, skin, the whole body. This is a cause of irritability, unstable moods, depression, hyper-passivity or hyperactivity. Self-isolation sets in — or the opposite, an overly active social life in which school, parents and the future fade into the background, and the only important thing (here and now) is friends.
It is no coincidence that in many societies, care for teenagers and support for their physical and mental growth passes through special programmes, rituals and initiatives.
THE WILD CAMPS are an opportunity for teenagers and their parents to find a natural alternative to their everyday life.
PROGRAMME:
The programme of the WILD CAMPS runs in two directions:
- A nature and sports camp for teenagers interested in, and wishing to acquire, skills for life in the wild (survival in nature, communication with horses, English riding, falconry, natural building, carpentry);
- A programme for teenagers with problematic and provocative behaviour, computer addiction, substance use, hyper-passivity or hyperactivity, depression, mood instability, lack of motivation, alienation and others. The focus is on personal growth and self-awareness, the development of deeper thinking, and an understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.
The programme of the WILD CAMPS is based on a specific form of working with horses — horsemanship. The young people connect with the horses, care for and communicate with them, and learn to ride. Worldwide, caring for and forming a personal bond with animals — especially large ones — is a basic model for working with teenagers and adults experiencing difficulties in their daily and social functioning.
In the short time of the WILD CAMP, teenagers become acquainted with the natural results of their actions in an environment that reduces the complexity of everyday life to a few basic principles: trust, respect, responsibility, teamwork and wholeness (completion).
The skills acquired in nature in the daily outdoor activities — through caring for the horses and camping, combined with lessons from a field instructor, as well as communication with other young people (through equine-assisted therapy, keeping a journal and participating in group activities) — are a foundation for personal stabilisation and the creation of an adequate self-esteem. Personal achievements and coping with new challenges give the teenager an understanding that they can adapt in an unfamiliar environment and effectively overcome any obstacle that arises. This allows them to return home having re-evaluated, in a positive way, their ideas about life, the family, and above all themselves.
The teenager's participation in the WILD CAMPS is aimed at:
- setting and achieving goals;
- personal responsibility;
- developing communication skills;
- increasing the sense of trust and respect in oneself and in others;
- teamwork and partnership relations;
- skills for life in the wild;
- self-awareness and the acquisition of a realistic self-esteem;
- physical strengthening and achieving better physical fitness;
- impulse control and self-regulation skills.
ACTIVITIES common to all the WILD CAMPS, through which teenagers learn from a new adventure, mastering special skills in the following areas:
- creating and managing a horse pasture;
- learning safe and natural communication with horses;
- horse riding (English style);
- falconry.
The young people record all their experiences in the new place in a journal/blog.
(Keeping a journal plays a significant role in the programme. The teenagers describe the events of the day — what they have learned, how they coped — define their short-term and long-term goals, express their feelings, desires, fears, worries and gratitude, and make plans for the future.)
At the request of the parents, and with the teenager's consent, group, family and individual therapy and counselling is provided, led by a registered psychotherapist, a member of the Bulgarian Association of Psychotherapy. If the teenager is unwilling to take part in therapeutic work, it is possible to hold family sessions with the parents to build a strategy for communication within the family. The therapeutic work can also be aimed at reinforcing self-regulation skills on returning to everyday life, the environment and school.
WILD CAMPS by duration:
- Two-week programme.
- One-month programme.
- Summer programme (for the whole holiday, recommended for young people with problematic behaviour).
The camp is located at a mountain horse base near Sofia, where teenagers learn initiative and responsibility through caring for the horses and the environment they live in.
For prices and details:
0888 247444 — Nikola Miladinov 0988 705 101 — for English speakers