MARCH 2016
Spreading the News Gala at the Newseum
As Spreading the News returns to the Newseum, Global Camps Africa is excited for you to join us this year at our annual gala on May 7th.
In recognition of GCA's longstanding support from Reston, we are again providing a bus ride from Reston to DC for those who would like to attend the event. The bus will drop you off at the Newseum doors, where our South African vochellis will greet you. During the festivities there will be a silent and live auction, open bar, and the opportunity to spend time with the South African counselors who make GCA’s impact on HIV-affected children possible.
See more details about our gala and purchase your tickets today!
Report from the Field: Financial Literacy Program
Our March 2016 camp session marked the beginning of Camp Sizanani’s newest program: The Epstein-Brill Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship Program. The program will also run at our youth clubs this year, and will be an opportunity for our former campers and youth club participants to learn practical life skills such as saving, investing, and budgeting for life’s expenses. The nature of poverty in the areas where our kids are from shows the high need for a basic education in personal financial management. Before launching the program at camp, our vochellis received training in basic financial literacy and entrepreneurship concepts. Our empowered vochellis will be teaching campers those same concepts using our engaging method of camp activities, where the participants have the opportunity to actively learn by interacting with the concepts.
To kick off the program, we gave the campers a taste of the activities they had in store at the youth clubs. The last day of camp was designated as a “Market Day,” where a special twist was added to the typical end of camp activities. Before lunchtime the campers were all given R200 in play money (R is the symbol for Rand, the South African currency), and learned that there were ten items on sale that day at Camp Sizanani. These items included the different lunch selections as well as tickets to the theater show in the evening, and a raffle ticket for a cabin pool party after lunch. Each cabin was assigned one item to sell as a group, and was tasked with coming up with strategies to market their product to the other campers. Additionally, each individual camper had to keep track of the money in his or her pocket so that they saved enough for snacks at the theater show later in the evening. It was a thrilling day for the campers and vochellis, and there were some great lessons learned about having to save for your future and forgo current desires, and about the consequences of spending your money on gambling like the raffle for the pool party.
We look forward to continuing the program in our youth clubs, and giving the campers the opportunity to try creating their own small businesses. We will be showcasing the campers’ accomplishments at the end of the year with a market day where the campers can practice selling their own products in a real market setting. Keep a lookout for updates!
South African Tour Deadline Fast Approaching
Time is running out to reserve your spot with us for the 2016 South African Tour! This trip combines the drama, beauty and wildlife of South Africa with the work being done by GCA to improve aspects of daily life and to alleviate monumental health issues for the community. This is your opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at GCA, as well as places of great beauty and historical significance in the country. If you’re interested in joining, let us know by April 1st!
The trip will be held from October 4-19, 2016. You’ll stay at breathtaking locations with comfortable amenities, enjoying the local cuisine and live African music. Activities range from whale watching along the coast, a safari through Kruger National Game Park, to a visit to Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned). We expect that the highlight of the tour will be the full-day visit to GCA’s Camp Sizanani in the lovely Magaliesberg mountain area. There you will meet counselors and campers whose lives are being transformed by the Camp experience.
We hope you will join us for this incredible adventure! See our 2016 South African Tour brochure and full itinerary to learn more. You can sign up by emailing us at info@globalcampsafrica.org or calling 703-437-0808.
GCA Joining AIDS Walk New York in May
We are looking forward to being a part of the annual AIDS Walk New York, held this year on May 15th. AIDS Walk New York is the largest single-day AIDS fundraising event in the world, and GCA is excited to participate in it once again.
We are currently recruiting members for our team to walk with Global Camps Africa and help raise funds to reach our goal of $5,000. Joining the team or donating to support our walkers is a great way to actively show your love for GCA! Your contribution will help GCA achieve our mission of empowering youth to have positive impacts on their communities, and ultimately achieve an AIDS-free tomorrow!
Learn more about this year’s GCA team for AIDS Walk New York.
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