Global Issues in Language Education: Issue 27. Jun. 1997. (p. 14)
Intensive English Programs (IEP) in North America generally
experience their highest enrollments of international students during the
summer months. Yet this time period is also the one which sees the fewest
American students on campus. As a result, cultural and linguistic
interactions with Americans, particularly with minority groups, are likely
to be quite limited outside the IEP program.
In order to alleviate this situation, the Intensive English Program
at West Virginia University has for several years offered international
students the opportunity to attend a multicultural camp in July in a rural
environment in West Virginia. The camp lasts 5 days, during which the IEP
students are housed in a dormitory with American students and are fully
integrated into the learning and social activities which promote
intercultural understanding. The IEP students serve as cultural ambassadors
through both individual interactions with the American participants and
formal hands-on presentations about each of their cultures.
The Multicultural Camp is sponsored by the Extension Service at
West Virginia University in cooperation with the Department of Foreign
Languages and the West Virginia Department of Education. The camp is
primarily designed for West Virginia high school students and has the
following purposes:
Participants in the camp can select workshops and presentations
given by teachers from many different countries (Brazil, China, Colombia,
Germany, Iran, India, Mali, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Zimbabwe, Sweden and
others) on topics which address the education system, geography,
government, family life, marriage, religion, and language of their own
countries. In addition, issues of global importance are included in the
schedule, such as homelessness, world hunger, international conflict, and
diversity awareness. Recreational and social activities also reflect the
multicultural theme of the camp, with music, dance, food, sports, and games
from many countries.
Students from the Intensive English Program may choose to attend
the program for the five day period or to participate in activities for one
day. Students who stay at the camp for five days incur no extra expenses as
the program pays the modest fee, but they are required to fulfill certain
requirements. Each IEP participant must write a daily journal to be
submitted at the end of the program and each one must participate in
presentations and/or activities about his/her own culture. In addition, it
is expected that all students take advantage of opportunities for
interaction with Americans and other international participants and that
they conform to the spirit of the camp. An accompanying Teaching Assistant
from the IEP is available to deal with any problems that may arise and to
encourage interaction between all participants.
Last year, seven IEP students took advantage of the opportunity to
attend the Multicultural Camp for five days. According to a survey
completed after the camp, the participants' reasons for attending included
practicing English, making American friends, learning about other
countries, having the experience of camp life, and having fun. With one
exception, the students who decided to go were intermediate level students,
aged 18 to 25, who were not intending to enter academic study at the
university, but were interested in acquiring English for general or future
professional purposes. Two of the seven decided to return to the IEP after
two days because the camp did not meet their expectations, but the
remaining five stayed until the end of the program and reported the overall
experience to be satisfactory to excellent.
According to the survey, the IEP students most enjoyed giving
presentations about their own countries, working in groups, and the evening
social activities. They least liked the famine simulation day when they
were required to fast to simulate the Irish potato famine. All the
participants reported that there were many opportunities for interaction
with others and the majority stated that their English skills improved
through the camp experience. All were satisfied with the dormitory
arrangements and all stated that they would recommend the Multicultural
Camp to other IEP students, although some felt that the time should be
shorter, two to three days being the preferred length of time.
All the students who stayed for the five days gave cultural
presentations about their countries and demonstrated folk dances and songs.
Some of them reported surprise at how little the high school students knew
about the location and geography of their countries. The journals written
by the students provide detailed information of the day-to-day activities
at the camp and their reactions to the behavior and attitudes of American
high school students. The following excerpt from one of the journals
illustrates the type of learning experiences to which the IEP students
were exposed:
"Today it was a nice day. First because I really enjoyed the morning class where we had "Country Sessions." I attended the class which was talking about the American Culture and I was amazed that l was almost the only one who did not understand any Spanish. Since most of the classmates were from Latin America and quiet a few of them did not speak English, the session was mostly spoken in Spanish. With the help of my friends from the IEP though, I was able to follow the topics what they had been talking about. Later on, I gave in formation about Switzerland for almost one hour. There again, it has been the younger persons who kept me asking about my country. I really think it is a great camp for teenagers who are interested in foreign cultures and habits. I even found a new friend today. It is a 13 year old boy from Charleston. ......."
The positive feedback from last year's Multicultural Camp has
provided useful information in the planning of IEP student participation in
the camp for the coming year. Since some of the students reported that they
would prefer to attend for a shorter period of time, one option this year
is to send small groups of students on day trips, thus increasing the
participation of students who would not be interested in spending 5 days at
the camp, yet would benefit from the opportunity to meet and interact with
Americans and other international participants.
The relationship we have formed over the last few years with the
WVU Extension Office is clearly a mutually beneficial one in that the IEP
is able to provide some of the international 'flavor' for the Multicultural
Camp while the IEP students are able to take advantage of the program to
practice and improve their English skills and knowledge of North American
and other cultures at a time of year when the university campus and
community is limited in such opportunities.
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