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Canfield youth make international friends
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Neighbors | Submitted .Niles' Ian DeGaten (left), Canfield's Jad Saleh, Poland's Amanda Thompson, Canfield's Lexi Denney and Avon Lake's Mia Federle traveled to Montreal, Canada in July for Children's International Summer Villages' Worldwide Smile Camp. They met children from around the world and toured Canada with them.
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Neighbors | Submitted .Canfield's Jad Saleh (left) and Lexi Denney traded items with kids from other countries while at Children's International Summer Village's Worldwide Smile Camp in Montreal, Canada. CISV was founded in 1951.
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Neighbors | Submitted.The northeast Oho chapter of Children's International Summer Villages held its Worldwide Smile Camp in Montreal, Canada during the month of July. Children from America, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, German, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and Thailand were brought together to in one location to bond with each other despite cultural barriers.
When Canfield Village Middle School sixth-graders Jad Saleh and Lexi Denney developed some new pen pals last summer. Problem is, the letters and emails they receive may not be written in English.
That’s because their newest friends actually live in Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and Thailand. Better get that foreign language dictionary ready.
Saleh and Denney joined students from all over the world in Montreal, Canada, in July for the Children’s International Summer Villages’ (CISV) Worldwide Smile Camp.
Poland resident Amanda Thompson served as their leader and supervised the trip and activities. She said the trip was amazing and they all miss the new friends that they made.
Saleh, who has been a part of CISV for three years, has been exposed to the program all of his life. His mother, Heidi, actually traveled abroad through the same program when she was 11.
Jad’s siblings have also been a part of CISV in years past. He has continued membership with the group because he enjoys meeting new people and learning about how cultures differ from America.
“I learned how England got their flag,” he said. “It was actually from a legend of a saint.”
Denney, similarly, joined CISV to learn how different cultures live and view America. She has only been a member of the program for one year, but is enjoying in so far and learning a lot about different cultures.
“I learned that in Thailand they speak Thai; I always thought they spoke Chinese,” Denney said.
Activities during the camp included excursions to places in Montreal, interactive activities and sharing of cultural traditions.
“We learned the national dance of Portugal,” Denney said. “That was pretty cool.”
Saleh and Denney communicate with their international friends via Facebook and letters. A unique aspect of the camp was that the participants had to communicate with each other despite their language barriers. CISV leaders are required to speak English to serve as interpreters, but the students generally only spoke their native language.
The first CISV event was in 1951, in Cincinnati, and has been going strong ever since. This charitable, independent and all-volunteer organization focuses on peace, education and cross-cultural friendships.
Travel opportunities for 2011 include trips to Germany, Norway, Brazil, Japan and India. Those interested should contact Heidi Saleh at emaly33@hotmail.com.