Going from door to door, Ms Ib and her team found it fascinating to distribute flyers for the Holiday school program. The warm reception of the occupants of each home further encouraged the team’s pursuits and eagerness to go around the community and publicise the program. In one house, they went into, Ms Ib and her team met the occupants playing WHOT (a card game) and joined them. At the next house, they walked in, Ms Ib spotted a fruit tree and said,
“Mama, we’re not leaving here without plucking some fruits.”
The mother reeled in laughter, offering them some. These somewhat “icebreakers” and home visits, Ms Ib and her team, fostered trust and a relationship between them and the parents.
In Ms Ib’s observation, the parents showed little curiosity about the program. However, they were happy to have their children spend the holiday meaningfully. The parents were confident in the safety measures put in place for the program.
Each day, for two weeks, over twenty students from ages 3 to 17 turned up on the school premises. The lessons started from noon until mid-afternoon. The program had different activities, including Life Skills, indoor and outdoor games—badminton, long tennis, football, scrabbles, Chess, WHOT, Ludo and puzzle-building.
“It didn’t all go as planned,” Ms Ib noted. “But it turned out outstanding.”
Although the learners showed more excitement for the Games than Life Skills, they each learned valuable lessons and needed skills through each activity. The learners understood teamwork, punctuality, and respect.
According to Ms Ib, everyone learned new games and unfamiliar words.
On the last day, the students were treated to a shop-for-free event where they received books and other valuable items.
“It was fun and an eye-opener for subsequent programs,” she said. She wouldn’t mind leading the students to another more adventurous holiday program.
