Children leave school, parents scramble to find summer camp

After three months of researching different types of summer camps, Ms. Khanh Ly in Hanoi finally decided to choose a firefighter camp, hoping that her son would be stronger and more independent.

A few months ago, Ms. Ly, in Cau Giay District, searched through groups and called many centers to find information about summer camps. This year, her son is in 4th grade and strong enough, so she and her husband want him to participate to experience life outside and appreciate the life he has more. Her son is agile, active and careful but often worries, so Ms. Ly wants to find a summer camp to help him become stronger and more independent.

The mother of two said she did not choose military camp because her children were disciplined. Recently, fires have occurred, making her anxious to equip her children with basic knowledge and skills on fire prevention and fighting at home and at school, and how to put out a fire in the kitchen or use a fire extinguisher.

She decided to choose the firefighter summer camp and transferred the money in time for the trip in mid-June. The program started in 2019, organized by the instructors at the fire prevention school in collaboration with an organization. Each camp has 80-110 campers and each trainer is in charge of a group of 5-7 students at the school's training facility in Luong Son district, Hoa Binh province.

"I did a lot of research and considered from March to May before making a decision. With my child's personality and what my family wanted, I found this camp to be the most suitable," said Ly.

A child practices firefighting skills while participating in the Firefighters Summer Camp at the Fire Fighting University training center in Luong Son, Hoa Binh, in 2015. Photo: Giang Huy

Unlike Ms. Ly, Ms. Mai Lan Huong in Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, came to the summer camp to have a place to send her children. Her two children are girls and still young, so she doesn't want them to attend a boarding camp. This summer, she will let her children stay in Hanoi, so she registered for weekend classes in talent and swimming.

"During the week, there is no one to look after them, so I am looking for a day camp to learn English. Instead of leaving my children at home, I want them to participate so they can both learn and play," said Ms. Huong.

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Khanh, Director of the Southern Youth Center, Central Youth Union, when summer comes, parents, especially in big cities, have a need for training activities for their children. Wanting their children to stay away from electronic devices and have a special environment to practice, instead of other activities such as cultural enrichment, they look for military semesters or skill summer camps. Depending on their needs and economic conditions, parents will decide to send their children to long-term or short-term programs.

The Southern Youth Center is the first unit to have the initiative of the military semester model. This model of cooperation with the military unit was piloted in 2008, then replicated by the Central Youth Union to provinces and cities to create a playground for experience and training for young people.

Mr. Khanh said that every year, the unit organizes about 5 programs for military semesters and always recruits enough students. This year, the number of programs increased to 6 due to high demand. Each program lasts 8-10 days, with 120 students and tuition fees of 5-6 million VND.

A representative of an educational unit with 7 years of experience organizing summer camps said that there are currently many products on the market such as military summer camps, retreats, life skills camps, foreign summer camps or international bilingual summer camps in Vietnam. Prices also vary, depending on the type. In addition to some free retreats at temples, the average price of camps is 4-8 million, high-end ones are from 10 million VND or more.

Some English centers organize trips for students to Singapore for sightseeing, entertainment and foreign language teaching with a fee of 30-40 million VND per week.

"The cost of an international bilingual camp is quite high, over 100 million for 5-6 days. In particular, the segment aimed at the upper class costs up to 4,000 USD, teaching table manners or elegant behavior," she said.

Introduced by friends, Ms. Huong is looking into a 6-week boarding program, from June 5 to July 16, at an English center in Lang Pagoda. The center has weekly (5 days) and course (30 days) packages, with a cost of 500,000 VND per day. Children will study at the center from Monday to Friday, and parents will prepare their own lunch for their children to bring. In the morning, children experience activities such as drawing, learning to play instruments, and giving presentations in English, and in the afternoon, teachers will take them on field trips around Hanoi. Children are required to use English completely during their time at the center.

Ms. Huong's two children received incentives and a voucher of 500,000 VND each, so the total amount she had to pay for her children was about 12 million VND for 20 sessions. "This price is quite reasonable," Ms. Huong said.

Ms. Ly is also satisfied with the price of 6.5 million VND for 7 days at the firefighter summer camp.

In addition to the first day of getting acquainted, learning how to take care of themselves and company activities, the following days the children will be trained in survival in the forest; escape from fires in high-rise buildings, when the space is full of smoke and toxic gases; and first aid in case of drowning.

"My children also get to practice physical strength, perseverance and teamwork in some activities like trekking in the forest. If the program goes as planned, I think the content is good," Ly shared.

Ly's son initially did not want to go because it was difficult to sleep in a strange place, but when he learned that his close classmate had also signed up, he agreed to join.

'Know fear of suffering'

Some parents hope their kids will stop staring at screens or become inactive, or simply wake up earlier after summer camp. But a week or two at a good camp is enough to form, but not maintain, new good habits.

"What is learned at camp, even practiced, is just a passing glance. It is impossible to go to a camp and have a child gain in-depth knowledge in one field," said Ms. Ly, who also has moderate expectations for summer camp.

The retreat that Ms. Thuy's child attended in July 2022 in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Provided by the character

Ms. Trinh Thuy, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, let her 6th grade child participate in a free 5-day retreat for children aged 6-17 at a pagoda in Cu Chi District last year. During the retreat, her child lived and participated in activities with 300 other children. Every day, the children woke up at 5:30, ate and used the bathroom at set times, took care of themselves, read short prayers and listened to lectures on morality and ethics, and were especially not allowed to use their phones.

This habit was maintained for a few days after returning home, but then "everything went back to normal". Ms. Thuy said that the purpose of participating was just to help her child get used to life in a strange group, without parents or a phone. Therefore, she did not expect her child to change his temperament immediately after the retreat.

"I just want my son to have new experiences. Living away from his parents and being independent is also a good thing at this age," she shared, adding that this year his son said he did not want to attend another retreat because he "knew suffering and was afraid of suffering."

To find a reputable organizer and a suitable program, Ms. Ha Thu, Deputy General Director of WeGrow Vietnam Academy of Sex Education and Comprehensive Life Skills, advises parents to carefully consider the venue and, if possible, visit the venue to survey. Parents should keep in regular contact with the organizer to understand their child's psychology or problems, understand all handling options and how to coordinate with the organizer if a situation arises.

Parents should also seek out real educational institutions that can support parents and children throughout the process. "The problem with education is not to change at a certain point in time," said Ms. Thu.

Ly said she was also worried about her child's safety when attending a camp far from home, but seeing that teachers from the fire prevention school were participating and images of previous camps were public made her feel more secure. "If you let your child go, you have to trust the organizers. I hope he has a memorable experience," she said.

Dawn - Nhat Le

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/con-roi-lop-hoc-cha-me-don-dao-tim-trai-he-4609512.html