high five pre camp 2 final
TRANSCRIPT
HIGH
FIVE!
VILLAGE
PRECAMP 2
June 29 – July 26, 2012
V . 2012 . 47
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 2
DELEGATIONS!
Peacissimo! Village will involve 12
amazing delegations from 12
fascinating countries. Please feel free
to help us learn more about your
country by having your delegation leader post links to videos,
songs, and more on our Facebook page.
JCs!
Our village will have six exciting Junior Counselors from the countries listed below. Think of
them as your big brothers and big sisters that will help you
build global friendships!!
STAFFIES!
The 5 of us are working to create a beautiful village experience for each and every one of you!
Michael – Our Fearless Director!
Hey everyone, I’m Michael, your director for the High-Five Village.
I’ve lived in Brussels, Belgium, for the past two years; I can’t wait to
teach you all to sing the Pony Song in Kiswalihi, and tell you about
famous people you didn’t realize were Canadian. Sometimes I wear
a bear costume, better not to ask about it. This is going to be a
brilliant village, and we are counting down the days until we
welcome you to Detroit.
Nikita- Hi, my name is Nikita and I am super excited to be on the home
staff for this village! I was born and raised in Michigan and I am about to
graduate from the University of Michigan with a degree in International
studies and a minor in French! I did a village when I was 11 with my good
friend and fellow staff member, Raleigh, and I am so excited to be a part
of CISV again! I am a huge fan of dancing and singing at the top of my
lungs and I cannot wait to meet you all this summer!
Austria Brazil
Canada Costa Rica
Denmark Egypt
Finland Italy
Mexico Norway
The Philippines United States
Colombia Hungary
Norway Sweden
United States United States
Who’s
Coming
?
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 3
Raleigh
Hey, I’m Raleigh, one of the host staff from Detroit! I’m so excited for our camp to
start so I can high-five each of you in person! A little about me: I’m 22 and starting
graduate studies in school psychology in the fall. When I’m not in school, I work at a
before and after school program from children aged 5-11. I’ve been a CISVer since I
was 11 and have participated in nearly every program, but am looking forward to
staffing for the first time!
Jon
Hello there! My name is Jonathan - feel free to call me Jon. :-D I was born
and raised in Detroit and I can’t wait to show you all lots of CISV
love…Detroit style! When I’m not CISVing, I like teaching English, writing
poetry, playing tennis and traveling. I’m 30 years old and I have directed,
staffed and led delegations to villages around the world. I went to village
when I was 11 years old and I still have such great memories. I hope you’ll have the time of your
life this summer!
...and a fantastic junior staff to be introduced in PreCamp 3!
We need all of the forms listed below as soon as possible. All forms can be sent by email to
Delegates Leaders JCs
ALIF 2000 X
What
We
Need
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 4
HF 2000 X X X
TIF X X
VDIF X X
JC Information Form X
TWAL 2000 X
YLIF 2000 X
Swimming waiver
(provided by staff)
X X
Remember, CISV International forms are available from at http://resources.cisv.org.
We also NEED to hear about any food or dietary issues, or particular equipment and supply
needs, as early as we can.
Finally: it would make us incredibly happy if you could send us a delegation photo with your
names. Upload your photo on our Facebook group or send it by email (PS: use the same photo
for your VDIF)
When?
Starts Friday June 29th
Ends Thursday July 26th
JC’s are asked to arrive on Wednesday June 27th (by noon,
at the very latest)
Where?
The village will take place at Shrine Catholic High School, in Royal
Oak (a suburb of Detroit). The address of the camp site is:
3500 West 13 Mile Rd.
Royal Oak, Michigan, USA 48073.
**But don’t send us any mail there right now, we won’t get it!
Using our advanced CISV satellite imaging technology, here’s what the camp site looks like from
space:
Notice all the green—
there’s a football field,
baseball diamonds, and
park space. Also ample
parking for the many
people that will come
check us out on Open
Day (more on that later).
Important
Details
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 5
And across the street? That’s a hospital (not that we’re going to need it, but always handy).
REACH OUT & TOUCH US!
Postal Mail Prior to Village: Electronic Mail:
Michael Warren [email protected]
34 Rue Blanche
St. Gilles 1060 Belgium
Facebook: High-Five Village Detroit (Leaders & Parents ONLY)
Michael’s Skype Name: mijawara
Your arrival
If you travel by plane, we will meet you at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
Airport (DTW).
If you travel by train, we will meet you at Detroit’s Amtrak station.
Please wear your CISV t-shirts—they make you easier to find!
Let us know as soon as possible when (with the precise time) and where you will be arriving (station
or airport). Please mention clearly the number and departure city of your plane or train. We would
also like to know the exact date and time when you intend to leave, so that we can prepare the
organization of departures.
Important: Do you need a visa to come to the United States?
Citizens of Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, and the
Philippines will require a visa.
Citizens and permanent residents of Mexico generally must
have a visa or Border Crossing Card (also known as a ―Laser Visa‖) in order to enter.
Citizens of Austria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Norway, and Sweden can enter the
United States for a period of 90 days without obtaining a visa.
Citizens and permanent residents of Canada do not require a visa to enter the United
States.
It takes some time to get a US visa, and we will do whatever we can to help; please contact us as
Arriving &
Departing
Please visit
http://travel.state.gov/visa/
for more information on visa
requirements.
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 6
soon as possible if you think your delegates need visas.
Travel documents you need
Passports: All visitors to the United States must be in possession of a passport valid for
at least 3 months beyond their estimated date of departure, or a valid national ID for
Canadians. If you require a visa to enter the United States, your visa must in your
passport.
CISV documents: Make sure that you have the required CISV forms for the village.
Please see the ―What We Need‖ section on page 3 for specific information.
A copy of your ticket and passport photo page is also recommended.
Leaders, please have one copy of the health and legal forms for each of your kids in your hand
luggage to give to the host family on arrival. The rest should be fine in your stowed luggage.
You should also leave copies of the forms with your parents and a chapter contact person
(including photocopies of your tickets and passports), just in case.
Arrival Homestays
We’ll organize a family weekend to start with; you will be met at the airport by the families and a
member of the staff or local committee. The leaders will go to the village, leaving the children to
the care of our CISV families.
If you absolutely must arrive one day earlier, we will try to find accommodation with families in
Detroit or nearby. CISV allows a maximum stay of two nights with a host family before or after the
village.
Your departure
Please do not arrange to leave any earlier than Thursday July 26th, and preferably not before 10AM.
If you cannot get a plane on that day, we will try to find accommodation for you with families in
Detroit. If this is the case, we need to know as soon as possible.
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 7
What to bring
We can’t predict the weather in July, but it’s probably going to be hot. So it's a good idea to dress
light, but with at least one jumper / hoodie, a raincoat, and waterproof shoes. At the end of the
precamp, we’ve presented a packing list which we hope you will find useful.
What not to bring
Jewellery, chains, medals, watches, bracelets and other valuables
Mobile phones – please let the kids know that these will be taken off them immediately
Personal electronic devices like laptops, camcorders, iPods or MP3 players, and PSPs or
GameBoys are lifesavers on the plane, but we will ask everyone to hand theirs in as they
arrive at camp; iPods and MP3 players can be made available if needed for village activities
What to prepare: International Nights!
International Nights occur throughout the village. Delegations (or two or three together) will
present an informal programme of songs, dances, games, and skits from their country, with as
much participation from the whole village community as possible. International Nights might
include a food tasting, an exhibition of souvenirs, or a video about the delegation’s home city.
We encourage you to try to showcase aspects of your country’s culture that the kids live every
day (for example, popular music, places they hang out, things they do), rather than just
traditional folk culture.
If your delegation wants to prepare a full meal for the International Night, this has to be cleared
with the staff prior to the start of the village. The meal can only be arranged if it is possible to
cover the cost of meal within the ordinary budget and if facilities permit.
For International Night, you should also bring scrap books that you have made, that tells us
something about you, your city, your country, etc. Good things to put in the scrap book are
pictures of yourselves and your addresses. How you want to make the scrap book is up to you.
Examples are booklets, placemats, brochures, calendars, bookmarks . . . only your creativity sets
a limit here. Remember to bring enough for all the participants (48), as well as JCs (6), leaders
(12) and staff (5). You may want to bring some extra, for the host families and kitchen staff.
We also want you to bring posters from your country and your national flag. The length of the
flag should be approximately 150 cm.
We will have the following equipment for use on International Nights:
What to
Bring &
NOT
Bring
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 8
Sound system for CDs, iPods, etc.
PowerPoint projector and laptop with CD-ROM player
Accommodations
The boys and girls will sleep in separate rooms with multiple beds. Bathrooms and showers are
separate also and have multiple stalls and are located in the same building as the bedrooms.
Please let your kids know that we will try to mix them up, and they will not necessarily be able to
sleep in a room with someone from the same country. There will be sheets and blankets on the
beds, but no towels! Leaders and JCs will have the same accommodation arrangements.
Alcohol, smoking and drugs
In Michigan, it is illegal to purchase, possess, or consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21,
and illegal to purchase, possess or consume tobacco (cigarettes) if you are under the age of 18.
We expect everyone to respect local laws. Please remember that the use of narcotic and
hallucinogenic drugs is not permitted at any CISV event.
The village site will be dry, meaning that no alcohol can be stored or consumed on-site. It will
also be a strictly non-smoking space, meaning that leaders will be able to smoke only in
designated smoking areas . . . far, far away from the rest of us. Let us know if you have any
questions about any of this.
Communicating with the outside world: internet, phones and mail
A to Z:
Questions
Answered
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 9
There will be internet access on site, but please remember that it will be limited to
communicating with your delegates’ families only. Delegates will not have access to the internet,
but parents can email their kids at [email protected]. Emails will be printed out every
Friday for delegates. Please tell parents that they should clearly indicate the name of their child
and their country in the subject line of each email. Parents can also like our Facebook page and
receive regular updates and photos about what is happening in the village. Leaders will have
access to the internet, but parents should not expect to receive more than two or three updates
from you in the course of the village.
Kids are always happy to receive letters from home during a village; families should make sure
to write early. Parents may also wish to write letters and give these to the leaders before they
come to Belgium that can be given out during the camp. We will have postcards available for
you to purchase and will arrange to buy stamps so that you can send letters and postcards
home.
Leaders, please inform your delegation’s families and your chapter that you will only be able to
access a telephone at camp in emergency situations; this is true for JCs, too. Delegates will not
be able to make or receive telephone calls at any point during the camp. We will allow leaders
to contact your delegates’ families on arrival. Leaders can bring mobile phones with them if they
would like, although you won’t have much time to use them! We understand that it is often
good to send a quick text message to your families during the camp.
Exchanges
It’s a longstanding tradition for kids at CISV events to trade small items from their countries, such
as stamps, coins, postcards, etc. It would be worthwhile for you to inform your kids about this in
advance and discuss what sorts of items they might want to take to exchange.
Food and diet
Our food will be prepared by an excellent kitchen staff team. It might not be possible to make
everyone happy all of the time, but we will do what we can to prevent food-related rioting.
Important: If you or your delegates have special food or dietary needs—allergies to peanuts or
something else, or halal, kosher, vegetarian-vegan requirements etc.—please let us know as soon
as possible.
Health
The health care system in the United States is very good; there is a hospital
across the street, and a doctor can be called very quickly if necessary.
Prescription medicine for delegates should be handed over to the leader. If one of your kids is
under medical treatment, make sure s/he will have enough medicine for the whole stay and even
more if s/he loses some or some of it is ruined. Dosage should be written down. If your child needs
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 10
glasses and cannot do without them, bring a spare pair and specify all the useful data on the
medical document.
Mid-camp Homestays
Kids will spend two weekends with an American host family. Delegates will go in pairs, and it would
be nice to prepare a small present for the host family.
Insurance
In accordance with CISV rules, everyone at camp must have travel insurance and medical
insurance (that does not cover less than the official CISV Insurance Coverage from AON) for the
duration of the time they are at the village and travelling to and from the village.
If it is not possible for you to acquire insurance in your country, write or phone the International
Office. If you show up without insurance, we will inform the International Office; you will be
insured automatically, and the amount will be debited from the account of your National
association.
JC Shop
We will have a JC shop! It will sell snacks, postcards, stamps, and other stuff. The shop will be
open once each day and managed by the JCs.
Laundry
Once a week, some heroic person from the CISV Detroit family will do laundry for everyone in the
village. Leaders will have an iron at their disposal.
Money
We suggest that you bring US dollar cash from your home country if you do not think you will
be able to withdraw funds from a bank machine in the US. We advise you against buying
traveller’s cheques, and to avoid bringing large bank notes.
We recommend that kids bring no more than 150 dollars per person in pocket money, to
spend on stamps, sweets, souvenirs, t-shirts, etc. We will insist that parents hand over the total
amount of money for their child to the leader; the leader can give kids money as needed. This
will prevent problems if money disappears. Leaders will have the opportunity to deposit money
in a safe place, but CISV Detroit and the staff will not be responsible for loss or theft of money
during the village.
Open Day
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 11
On Friday July 13th, our village will host an Open Day. Members of the CISV Detroit family and
other guests from the local community will be invited to come. We will develop a programme of
activities highlighting our village theme and what we’ve been up to so far. Open Day will be
planned by staff, leaders, JCs and kids once the village starts. Note that Open Day is the only
opportunity for parents and friends to enter the village.
Each delegation will have a small booth where you may exhibit info about yourselves and your
home country. Please bring items that you would like to display. You may want to bring some
food or delicacies that will give everyone a taste of your country’s cuisine. You can also bring
some small souvenirs that you may want to give away.
Religious services
Detroit is a diverse city, with large populations of several religious denominations. If your kids want
to attend religious services during the village, please let us know in advance so we can
accommodate their needs.
Safety and security
The village will take place in one of Detroit’s suburbs, Royal Oak; you can reassure parents that their
kids will be safe here. Still, it’s important to let your delegation know that petty crime can happen
anywhere, and that when they are at the airport or train station, or venturing around Detroit during
homestays or excursions, they must remain vigilant, keep an eye on their stuff, and take normal
safety precautions.
Swimming
When it gets hot, we’ll try to arrange some opportunities for swimming to cool down. All
children and youth at the village (everyone under the age of 18) must be in possession of a
Permission to Swim and Waiver, duly signed by their parent or guardian. A copy of this form
will be forwarded to you by email. Please enter the necessary data, print it out, have it signed
and bring it with you.
If you still have some questions to ask us after reading all of Preacamp 2, please contact us by
email, Skype, or Facebook. If not, feel free to reach out and say hello! We are eager to hear from
you and answer your questions!
Yours,
The Staff Team
High Five Village 2012 Precamp 2 Page 12
Clothes, socks, and underwear – at least 10 days' worth of clothing
Sleeping clothes or pyjamas
Footwear – please bring two pairs of running shoes or sneakers, a
pair of sandals (flip-flops), waterproof shoes or boots, and white-
soled shoes for the sports hall
Semi-formal clothes – at least one set
Towels – please bring 2 towels (i.e., 1 beach towel and 1 bath towel)
Personal toiletries: soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo,
conditioner, deodorant, hairbrush, etc.
Hat, sunglasses, sun block (SPF 30+) and insect repellent
Personal medicines and medications (bring enough for the whole camp), and
prescriptions for refills if these are vital— all medications must be in the original bottle
and labelled with the child’s name if it is not there already
Costume needed for your national night
Small gifts for trading and swapping stuff, and giveaways (things to trade or to display at
Open Day, or swap with friends on camp); something small for your host families might
be nice as well
Prescription glasses and spare contact lenses if you need them (with a spare prescription
in English)
Backpack – useful for travelling and daytrips
Waterproof raincoat
Water bottle
Camera and memory card
Flashlight
Power adapters and chargers for all of you electronic stuff – the US uses 120V / 60Hz
power
Laundry bag
CISV t-shirts
Your national flag (if possible, 1m x 1.5m)
Typical clothes from your country
Placemats or booklets
All the completed forms described in the previous section
CISV spirit!
REMEMBER: Everything you bring should be marked with your name and the name of your
country!
Packing
List!