Report

EIC 2015 Completion Report

English Immersion Camp 2015 has been successfully completed

Four English Immersion Camp sessions were held this year. There were three sessions at the Hotel Biwako Plaza in Moriyama City in Shiga Prefecture from August 1st through 4th, 6th through 11th, and 12th through 15th and one session at the Izu Training Center of the Kumon Kokusai Junior and Senior High School from August 18th through 23rd.

The EIC 6 Day Program and the EIC 4 Day Program were held in 2015. All participants (312 students) graduated from English Immersion Camp (EIC) 2015!

Both the EIC 6 Day Program (for children studying Kumon English materials Level I1 or above or having achieved EIKEN Grade 4 on the test in Practical English Proficiency (STEP)) and the EIC 4 Day Program (for children studying Kumon English materials Levels G2 – I1 or having achieved EIKEN Grade 5 on the Test in Practical English Proficiency (STEP)) were held. All of the participants (312 children) of these four camps session graduated from EIC 2015!

15th English Immersion Camp: A Global Camp where People from Many Countries and Regions from Around the World Live and Study Together!

Students living in the Kansai area (in western Japan) from 17 countries and regions (including Japan) and students from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture from 14 countries and regions (including Japan), cooperated with us for this year’s EIC.

EIC began in 2001 and has now been held 15 times. The community camp life brought together children, who gathered from various prefectures from all across Japan, and Camp Leaders. The total number of EIC participants has now topped 2000! The total number of countries and regions that Camp Leaders’ have come from is nearly 80, including Camp Leaders from the countries of Sudan, Jordan, the Dominican Republic, and Estonia for the first time this year.

The children not only experienced the joy of using English, they also made connections with people from many countries and regions. They experienced becoming friends like true family members or siblings, and expanded their outlook on the world.

Mistakes are OK! You can do it!

As the name of the program suggests, the English Immersion Camp immerses participating children in English. But this does not mean that Japanese is completely prohibited. Communication with the Camp Leaders took place only in English. However, when children found it impossible to convey their message skillfully in English to the Camp Leaders, we often saw children cooperating with each other using a combination of English and Japanese to attempt to somehow communicate what they wanted to say to the Camp Leaders. Camp Leaders constantly motivated students by saying, “Mistakes are OK! Try, try!!” Encouraged by these words, the children enjoyed communicating in English without fear of making mistakes.

EIC was held in Shizuoka Prefecture this year!

The EIC 6 Day Program (8/18 – 8/23) was held at the Izu Training Center of the Kumon Kokusai Junior and Senior High School in Shizuoka Prefecture. In contrast to the sessions held at the Hotel Biwako Plaza in Moriyama City in Shiga Prefecture, most of the children at the EIC session in Shizuoka Prefecture came from the Kanto region (eastern Japan). In the future, we will continue to look for ways to provide the EIC experience to as many children as possible regardless of where they live in Japan.

Taking Action!　“Well Done Points” and the Bottle Cap Project

The “Well Done Points” program and the Bottle Cap Project have been carried out since 2010 with the intention of implementing small actions to contribute to the greater good, and not focusing solely on benefits to ourselves. This year, we collected 5278 Well Done Points. Well Done Points will be converted into money that will be donated to dig wells in Sri Lanka, and to aid devastated areas such as Tohoku and Nepal. In addition, EIC participants wrote messages for people in Nepal where a massive earthquake recently occurred. These messages will be sent to elementary schools and other places in Nepal via Camp leaders. the results of the PET Bottle Cap Project is that we could collect 23220 PET Bottle Caps and change them into 27 !

EIC2015 Impressions of EIC Camp from Participants

EIC 4 Day Camp: Hiroto Ueno (6th grade)

I didn’t want to go to EIC very much because I felt worried that I would have to use only English. On Day 1, after the entrance ceremony, we were divided into groups, made a flag, and made a presentation about it. Nobody spoke English at all and I felt worried about what I should do for three days because I didn’t understand English at all either. On Day 2, there were various games such as the Gesture Game and the Whisper Game as part of the English Festival. Everything was in English but, before I knew it, I was having fun using English. I naturally got along with my fellow group members and cooperated with them. Afterwards, I was able to actively speak to Camp Leaders by myself. In the “Knowing the World” activity, I only knew the names of countries at first. I learned many new things about currencies, languages, the price of a can of cola, greetings, and other things. This made me want to know more and more about the countries around the world. In addition, we gave presentations about our hometowns, we danced, we thought about our future dreams, and played together. The four days flew by because I was having such a good time. I learned the fun of speaking English at this camp. Even though there were many things that I couldn’t say in English, I was very happy to try and express my feelings with gestures as well. I want to speak English more and more. It was great to join this camp! Thank you!

Parent of Hiroto Ueno

It’s been three years since my son started Kumon English. He was interested in it because he had fun learning new words in the beginning. As the worksheets got harder, he solved them (listening, reading, and writing) for one year without knowing why he was studying English or why he needed to memorize new words. I sent him to EIC camp expecting that he would discover the answer by himself. Four days later, I was very relieved when he came back home with a big smile. He had broadened his mind more than I had thought he would, not only regarding English but also regarding the whole world. He discovered the fun of communicating with a wide variety of people. I really appreciate the efforts of the staff that encouraged all of the children to have fun and motivated them in many ways.

EIC 6 Day Camp: Tomoha Onuma (6th grade)

EIC was very enjoyable but it was hard and I was nervous on Day 1 and Day 2 because my brain wasn’t working fast enough. However, I tried to recall the EIC slogan, “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes” and switched my focus to having fun. So I started having a lot of fun from Day 3. I also felt relieved that camp leaders were very kind and funny. On Day 4, I learned about the reality of the world. Japan got help from various countries in 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake happened. I seriously thought about what we can do to help the people who are suffering from the big earthquake in Nepal this year or to help poor people around the world. There are not many things that children can do to help but I thought that what I can do now is to understand more and think deeply so that I can make a contribution to the world someday. I gained confidence in English through the EIC. I now think that the way Japanese speak English is fine when speaking to foreigners. I also changed my way of thinking about English as well as about my English ability and goals thanks to my EIC friends. In addition, I now want to study harder. EIC made me more confident and will help me to fulfill my dreams. Thank you EIC!

Parent of Tomoha Onuma

After my daughter was selected as an EIC participant, she was excited at first but, as the starting date for the camp got closer, she began to worry about whether or not she would be able to communicate in English. On the morning of the first day of camp I told her to keep on smiling whatever happened at the camp. Thanks to what I said to her or not, when I checked the video diaries during the camp, her anxiety had completely disappeared and she seemed to be having a very good time. I think it was a great opportunity for her to experience and feel different cultures, rather than simply to research them. I appreciate all of the great work from camp leaders, staff, and the friendship of the many children that spent time together with my daughter. I wish all of you good luck with the challenges that you will take on in the future!

Camp Leaders’ Impression

The camp was a wonderful experience. I am grateful to have been a part of it. It made me think a lot, about my place in the world, about how my country is perceived, about working together how different we all are, and yet how similar. I have been inspired, through this camp, not simply by the effort put by the Global Network Team, but how happy everything was those few days, how many things we learnt, and how wonderfully camp leaders stayed and played with children. Thank you so much for this experience.
Mai (Camp Leader) India

EIC gave me a family, made me closer to my friends. I was very happy when the end result of each activity was huge motivation for the kids to use English. EIC helped me become more confident in placing my opinions and being more open. I could be myself in front of everyone without holding back. I am very grateful to the EIC for giving this opportunity.
Nake (Camp Leader) Nepal

Well Done Points

Pet Bottles Cap Projects