U.S. Embassy Tallinn hosted its first “Teaching Tolerance through English” Camp from August 12-18, 2013. Twenty-five boys and girls aged 10
to 14 years from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania came together for one week to
learn about diversity, how to counter bullying, and how to act as a positive
force in their communities. While campers’ native languages were Estonian,
Latvian, Lithuanian and Russian, all activities were conducted in
English. This year’s was the third camp in a series in the Baltics, with
the two previous having been held in Latvia.
| Lithuanian students teach fellow Estonian and Latvian campers about their culture |
Five Lithuanian students—two fifth graders and three sixth
graders—from Pumpenai Secondary School attended the event, along with Ms. Olga
Daugene, who provided instruction on English as a Foreign Language. They, along
with their peers from Latvia and Estonia, engaged in an interactive session
with U.S. Ambassador to Estonia Jeffrey Levine, through which they gained an
insight into American culture, even learning to make S’mores around a campfire.