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Goducate English Camp in China (Part 1)

Lifepegs 2010 English Essentials Summer Camp kicks off – Some 200 students registered for this year’s English Essentials Summer Camp, which kicked off on Aug 1, in Changchun, in northeast China. The camp is run by Lifepegs (www.lifepegs.com), which is a Goducate lifeskills activity organization in China. The students will spend 2 weeks immersed in English morning, noon, and night for 11 days at the camp, through regular classes, English corners, and meals with teachers, followed by 2-3 days on a trip out of town with the teachers.


The theme for this year’s camp is English World Cup, so there is a soccer feel to the whole camp. On arrival the students underwent an assessment test before being assigned to one of 8 teams (classes)—Voltage, Dynamite, Torpedo, Blaze (which make up the Blast United league), or Avalanche, Cyclone, Surge, Lightning (which make up Storm Alliance league). The two leagues will be competing with each other day by day for the English World Cup, through games of skills and other special activities. Five to six volunteer coaches (teachers) who come from the USA, the Philippines, Singapore, and Australia, have been assigned to teach team, and the camp is administered by a team of referees.

Special activities for the first couple of days have been the decoration of classrooms and the creation of team flags.

– Vi, a volunteer from Singapore

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Goducate Team Leaders from China arrive for training

The first team leaders to arrive for the Goducate Training (Jan 18-22) were our North China team leaders, K and M (names withheld for security reasons). This dear couple have served in north China for 6 years.

K and M meeting with Goducate Leaders in Singapore
K and M meeting with Goducate Leaders in Singapore

They presently lead a team of almost 50 foreigners from US, Philippines and Singapore and about a dozen local Chinese. Most of the foreigners serve as teachers in different universities, colleges and polytechnics. The local Chinese serve as support staff to these teachers and in various important roles in our Goducate training programs.

China is progressing so fast. When we first started our projects in China in 2004 there was great need for English teachers. Today, the supply of foreign English teachers often exceeds the needs of China’s universities. China is indeed becoming an attraction for young foreigners seeking a “China experience” to add to their resumes!

At our strategy meeting last week with K and M, we decided to concentrate on training Chinese students to be leaders. Most Chinese students come from one-child families and lack the social skills necessary for team work and leadership. Furthermore, the Chinese school system emphasizes rote learning rather than creative thinking. As personal study is emphasized over project work, most graduates do not know how to work with others or how to lead others.

Before K went to China he was a branch director in one of Singapore’s largest real-estate firms. While his wife M was a manager in one of Singapore’s largest travel firms. They bring with them a wealth of managerial and leadership skills. In the past few years they have successfully mentored many young live who have since shined in their careers, pursuits and lives.

Goducate plans to start a more structured and effective leadership training program in 2010 to train Chinese to be leaders who will be able to impact the lives of thousands of other Chinese.