17th of June became a special opening of the summer camp season for 250 kids of “Shohle” summer camp in Geok Dere area near Ashgabat.
The European Union Delegation to Turkmenistan together with the Nature protection society of Turkmenistan organized a sport and art festival to introduce the new comers of the summer camp to the concept of environment protection, climate change and social integration.
Together with over 20 volunteers, the EU and the Nature protection society danced, created art objects, conducted a sports marathon and discovered the European Union to the children under age of 12.
“Children are our future. Therefore, it is vital to invest into their education from the very early age. Festivals like this help to promote the European values and share our knowledge on the very important subject of climate change and community development. I’m sure that the children have had a good time and learned a lot of new things today thanks to all the support that we have got from the Nature protection society and our volunteers,” stated EU Ambassador to Turkmenistan Diego Ruiz Alonso.
During the festival children were introduced to the concept of reuse of the materials through the art master class. Trained volunteers have assisted children in creating pictures from the leftovers of the textile production including fabrics and embroidery, dried plants and leftover paper. During the course of the making, volunteers have raised the subjects of recycling and waste management and shared the examples of environment protection activities in Europe.
Another group of children was engaged into the sports marathon. Children competed in running, throwing balls, dancing and other sport activities led by the volunteers. The sport activities were focused on mutual support and team work. Then they were given the narrative of the integration and importance of the mutual support for community development.
“The important lesson of today that we wanted children to learn is that working together in solidarity can have a tremendous impact in the protection of our environment. Children felt that they were one team and there was only one goal,” concluded EU Ambassador Diego Ruiz Alonso.