BRATTLEBORO-Each weekday morning from Aug. 12 to 23, local high school students are invited to participate in a two-week camp experience planned for refugee teens to be held at the Brattleboro Municipal Center.
Newcomers will arrive at 9 a.m. for English classes to prepare for the day's challenge and local teens will arrive at 10:30 a.m. to help prepare and will be paired with international teens for a two-hour challenge.
"With getting to know Brattleboro and each other as the goal, teams will find unusual lunches, do community service, and learn about local businesses and municipal agencies - all in the service of language learning and community building," organizers said in a news release.
This effort rises out of the town's sustained interest in fostering intercultural friendships at the high school and familiarizing newcomers with the many interesting facets of Brattleboro. The town of Brattleboro, Brattleboro Community Television, Windham County NAACP, Rotary, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), St. Michael's Episcopal Church, and Guilford Community Church, UCC have all contributed to make the camp possible.
There are currently 20 refugees from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Eritrea, Congo, and South Africa at the high school, and organizers are looking for as many local teens for partners. For high schoolers, the Challenge serves as a way they can earn some of the 40 volunteer hours required to graduate.
For more information, contact Lise Sparrow at 802-345 3982, Colby at 802-380-4738, or Adnan at 802-689 0490.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.