Day 4 - Our rights and responsibilities

Day four of the camp has been all about Human Rights and Responsibilities.We began the day with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the history of its creation. The students decided which rights they felt were the most important, but mostly found that they were all interconnected, making each one an integral part of the document.

This was followed by an activity called ‘Take A Step Forward’, meant to allow the students to experience life in someone else’s shoes.  Each student was given a role to play, such as a refugee, a teenager who uses a wheelchair, or a child of a bank manager. Standing in one line the students were asked to step forward if certain ideas applied to them, such as having easy access to technology and the internet or being able to practice their religion freely.  Some students were able to take many more steps than others, which gave them some insight into the privileges that are inherent in certain life experiences. During the debrief, the students were able to talk about the opportunity that came with their role and the empathy that might have conjured.

Our visitor today was Cathryn Casatuta, who is a Public Affairs intern for the summer at the American Embassy in Vilnius.  She is a college student from the USA and is studying political science at the University of California, Berkley. She talked with the students about helping the community and the benefits of inexperience that comes with youth, such as enthusiasm and bravery.  

This was followed by the Lithuanian delegations sharing their project proposals for how they will continue their learning once they have returned to their schools. We heard exciting ideas that involved sharing information about cultures and religions, changing perceptions regarding children in foster care, and helping out the elderly. They have a lot of work ahead of them, but there are exciting ways in which they will take the values of the camp back to their own communities.

Our evening session was about the creation of democratic ‘tribes’ where the students developed their own government structures, laws and rights, as well as judicial systems. They did an excellent job thinking through the necessary pieces to construct successful democratic tribes, but the most entertaining were the tribal dances they made up and performed as part of the cultural identity of their group.  

We finished up with a mock debate. The scenario was that the students had completed a successful school event and raised some money, and now they needed to decide how to spend the money. The sudents met in groups to develop an argument and plan their strategy. The winning solution involved using the money to enrich the school including: improving school safety, enriching the library, and updating the computer lab.  

It was a busy day of learning and fun.  In between all the thematic sessions, the students had a basketball tournament, went swimming in the lake, played volleyball and enjoyed the campfire.