English Access Microscholarship Program

July 2010

English Access summer camp students

From July 4 to July 24, the Embassy’s Public Affairs Section hosted two summer camps for 105 students in the English Access Microscholarship Program. The summer camps took place at a nature camp facility operated by the Turkish Red Crescent in Çamkoru, a heavily forested district of Ankara province. Through the Access Program,  economically disadvantaged students from around Turkey are given the opportunity to receive high quality after school English classes provided by the Turkish Education Association. Students who successfully completed the after-school courses were invited to participate in the summer camps.

This year’s campers came from 7 cities around Turkey: Afyon, Batman, Isparta, Karabuk, Malatya, Mersin, and Polatlı. The camps focused on promoting environmental awareness through English language lessons. Students in each 10-day camp enjoyed participating in outdoor activities, team building exercises, and English immersion. In addition to Access students, 15 Turkish teachers of English participated in the camps by working with an American teacher trainer in the morning and teaching English to the Access students in the afternoon.

Upon finishing the camps, students and teachers alike left with a new appreciation for nature and an understanding of how they can incorporate environmental sustainability into their own lives.