Dear volunteers and Camp participants!

We are delighted to announce that our Camp was a success! Every day at the Camp was eventful and fun for everyone involved.

The first day was spent in exploring Latvian culture accompanied by folk songs and Dainas.

We talked about our love for Motherland, its nature and how important it was to cherish what was around us. Many good wishes were extended that day. All the good wishes, dreams and positive energy were fused beautifully into the good vibe we created.

The evening was hosted by Ilze Ulmane and Danila Rudakov who helped break the ice on our first meeting and, thus, smoothly launch our project.

On the second day we learned about ancient Native American and African cultures.

Under the careful guidance of Coach Irina Livija and dance instructor Alisa Chauss we learned the way to establish our bonds with the Earth as well as how to be brave and adroit. The night was finalized by a Native American-style performance. On that night we were also happy to welcome a special guiest – guslar Kirill Bogomilov.

Quite a fusion of cultures to experience on a single day!

On the Day of Indian Culture we learned to build relationships with others and listen to our inner selves and we talked love for the world as expressed through dance.

We were instructed by Latvia’s leading Indian Classical Dancer Larisa Podskochaya.

Alina Chauss also introduced us to mehendi drawing. The highlight of the day was a visit from some special guests – Indian monk Swami and musicians Dmitry and Devika Yevsikov with their stories of the Pamir.

On Latin Culture Day we learned about stamina and endurance by commemorating Spanish Conquistadors. We learned the art of setting goals and working gracefully towards them.

Coach Andrei Kedrov organized an interactive game. Amazing dancer Santa Kasatkina taught us the basics of flamenco accompanied by the music of Yegor Kovaikov, a musician and singer. We also enjoyed a visit from singer and dancer Avvakum.

Moreover, our camp was presented with an AquaVita water ionizer! Evgeni Danko taught us how to make live, dead and silver water and gave us an insight into the healing qualities of water as well as into the importance of keeping one’s acid-alkaline balance to always remain healthy and full of life.

On Slavic Culture Day we talked about unity, solidarity and spiritual strength.

Guided by Coach Irina Satayeva and Coach and Gamemaster Danila Rudakov, we opened our hearts to love and learned how to feel and express our feelings and embrace our potential. We were visited by guest lecturers Roland and Konstantin, who told us about Early Slav culture. We learned to make string bracelets and bows and got ready for the evening dance by the fire.

The Day of Oriental Culture was full of stories of martial arts and creative activities.

We enjoyed the company of magic-working artist Ilze Preisa who taught us how to draw the cherry blossom, as well as dancers Irina Orlova and Marina Onatskaya and craftswoman and soap maker Julia Orzula.

We talked about endurance, clarity and beauty in their every manifestation. And we gave each other presents, too!

Arabic Culture Day was the day we put our talents to work.

We had already become a family; we were not afraid to be ourselves anymore and could fully enjoy the freedom of artistic expression. Guidance was provided by Business Coach Ugis Strauss and Coach Svetlana Kupayeva-Strauss. We learned to build relationships. Moreover, we obtained the skills of communication and expressing ourselves through colors as we reenacted a dialog while painting on film with artist Ilze Preisa and singer and model Anastasiya Cristiana Sadovska. We also staged a festive Egyptian-style performance under the guidance of choreographers Irina Orlova and Marina Onatskaya.
The final day of camp. The summing up. The kids staged a performance independently, without any help from the volunteers.

10 winners selected by the volunteers were awarded prizes for their active participation in camp events. The prizes included a sailing trip, a visit to a water park and a horse riding experience.

Every teenager was presented with their own little guidebook.

We made collective collages in which our dreams and aspirations were visualized and which encapsulated our faith and willingness to follow our dreams.

The night was spent in enjoying magic popcorn given by fairies and watching “Maleficent”. There was also a discussion about how you can rip the wings off one’s back vs. how you can give wings to someone. And giving appeared to feel so much more rewarding!

We have a dream about team field trips and Christmas Camp. To manifest our dreams, we launched a flying sky lantern right into the Universe!

 

We crafted a dreamcatcher entwining our hopes and dreams and said our goodbyes to Camp.

See you again soon!

And our winners enjoyed their well-deserved horse ride and sailing trip.

The volunteers are continuously searching for extra-curricular activities and interest groups for all the children who took part in the Camp. This is just the beginning of our inspiring experience!

We would like to thank everyone who chose to be one of those warm and caring wings that made our camp possible. We did it! It was such a heartwarming and significant experience for both the kids and everyone involved. We have clearly made the world a much better place for everybody!

We would like to express our special gratitude to our team of educators and volunteers, who took day and night care of the children at the camp, shared the warmth of their hearts and wisely guided them on their journey of discovery!

We hope to meet those who we have not yet met in person and will be happy to welcome them to our Christmas Camp. Let’s work another little miracle together!

 

With love and gratitude,

“The Garden of Talents” Camp Coordinators

Kseniya Johnsen

Anastasija Cristiana Sadovska

Svetlana Kupayeva-Strauss

Irina Satayeva

Tatiana Berzina

 

Charitable organization „Wings for Kids”

Address: Jura Alunāna iela 2 k-1, Rīga, Latvija, LV-1010

Reg. №: 40008122191

Account: LV81HABA0551042042821

Phone: +371 27780768

www.wings4kids.org

AO «Swedbank»

Address: Balasta dambis 15, Rīga, Latvija, LV-1048

Reg. №: 40003074764

Телефон: +371 67 444 444

www.swedbank.lv