At the Qiriazi Center we try to mimic a good science class: plenty of conceptual instruction as well as safe laboratory practice. The Leadership Club is the single biggest "lab" activity on our calendar, and it started last Thursday evening.
Fifteen students (a good crowd) came, and we pitched the club to them as a great opportunity for anyone who is willing to seriously commit for the 12 weeks. Throughout the course we'll have a combination of hands-on lessons (like simulations and games) and sessions for them to lead their own service project. The Qiriazi Center will provide €200 toward the project, but it's up to them to agree upon, plan, research, organize troubleshoot, and seek outside support if it is needed. Last year the Leadership Club organized a soccer tournament for high school students.
Opportunities like this are surprisingly rare for students here. Schools offer no extracurricular activities. There are very few club sports, and nothing like the boy scouts, summer camp, shop class or cooking class. Just this afternoon we explained the vision to a student's dad, and he liked the idea so much that he offered to pitch in €50 to the project budget. We're excited by the possibilities for solid outcomes and growth in the students.
Business Trip to Prishtina
Before dawn on Friday morning, we boarded the train to Prishtina. We hoped and intended to pick up Qiriazi's certificate of registration that our colleagues applied for in May. Unfortunately the individual we dealt with was unwilling to grant it even though we had a very deserving application. Imagine trying to get work done at a DMV where the documentation requirements are not in writing and there is no guarantee that the staff even want you to succeed. Hopefully the end to that process is not far away.
We still had a good productive with an American colleague as well as several Kosovar university students who participated in the summer programs. In recent weeks, Prishtina has seen street protests against the foreign government and military missions that still chaperon Kosovo's government. Those who feel strongly about self determination feel that specific actions by the EU mission have violated Kosovo's sovereignty. This hasn't affected us in the least, but it's another aspect of the country we make a point of watching and understanding.
Train: Kosovo Railways is a much better alternative to the bus!
National Library: walking with a student through the (unmaintained) "park," which is also the the campus of Prishtina University.
Demonstration: a traditional (rural?) man demonstrating for Kosovo's sovereignty. Note how the library's domes were made to resemble the man's traditional wool hat. Photo by: Labinot Ibërdemaj, http://www.flickr.com/photos/labinotiberdemaj/1395038688/
Treasure Hunt for Students
Lastly, here are some pictures of the Saturday Treasure Hunt that was postponed two weeks ago. It was the first one most of them had ever done, and they enjoyed it a lot! It even gave an opportunity for the facilitators (us) to ask the students how tactics and choices they made might translate into leadership practices in "real life."
Share
No comments:
Post a Comment