Russian/Eastern European/Central Asian
(REECA) Heritage Camp |
| July 22nd - 25th, 2010 at Snow Mountain Ranch, Fraser, CO |
| 2010 Directors: Pam Bassett, Barbara Everhart |
| “The most valuable thing about Russian Heritage Camp is the chance to see ourselves reflected back to us by so many other families from so many other states, backgrounds, values, etc. There was such a wealth of information and problem solving techniques made available to us. The generosity, patience, and availability of the heritage camp staff was amazing. Our kids really loved seeing how similar their orphanage background and experiences were to other Russian kids and enjoyed the opportunity to use their native tongue. It was an absolutely outstanding and invaluable opportunity for us all!” |
Russian/Eastern
European/Central Asian Camp (REECA) is one of the few camps of its kind in
the country, specifically designed for families with children adopted from
Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Our acronym is a mouthful - REECA,
but our campers are coming from a variety of countries; Russia, Ukraine,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and more and we want to acknowledge
that and assure you that everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend! This
inclusiveness has made for a very culturally rich heritage camp indeed. It
is amazing to eat Russian food, sing Ukrainian folk songs, learn dances from
Belarus, enter an entire room devoted to the Kazak culture, and much more,
all in one long weekend! REECA is one of ten camps facilitated by the highly
respected Colorado Heritage Camps, a non-profit organization, which has been
conducting heritage camps for adoptive families for 16 years.
This
year’s camp will again be held July 22nd-25th in the beautiful Colorado
Rockies at the YMCA Snow Mountain facility near Winter Park, CO (www.ymcarockies.org)
a family vacation destination located not far from Rocky Mountain National
Park and other colorful Colorado sites.
Registration materials will be going out this Winter, so NOW is the time
to request registration
information and be placed on our mailing list.
Russian
(REECA) Heritage Camp is a family camp with programming for each member of
the family. Campers from age 3 to 18, plus their parents, grandparents, family
friends, etc. participate in classes and workshops taught by adoption professionals,
parents, and cultural community members.
Counselors
from various backgrounds, mainly Eastern European and Russian, serve as role
models and mentors as they participate with the children in cultural activities
while adult family members attend cultural and adoption-related workshops
ranging from cooking and customs to the blessings and challenges inherent
in our adoptive families.
We
will be celebrating our eleventh year of REECA Heritage Camp! Eleven years
of enriching our kids’ lives through experiencing their culture and
connecting with kids who have the same unique backgrounds! The 2010 theme
is “Fairytales and Folklore.” These are an integral part of our
children’s birth heritage, part of the very soul of any culture, and
the REECA culture is rich with this kind of history.
We are searching for
presenters who can spin a good tale, and we will be highlighting fairytales
and folklore from each and every country represented at REECA Heritage
Camp this summer! So from the Snow Maiden to the Firebird, come learn what
makes
the REECA countries so special. This theme will be incorporated throughout
the preschool and elementary aged workshops.
Middle and high school campers will once again take advantage of Snow Mountain
Ranch’s recreational opportunities as well as have a strong cultural
program that will strive to promote team building and bonding in that age group.
We are hoping the high school students will get
to create the Ukrainian eggs this year that the parents so enjoyed doing
two years ago. We are also trying
to arrange an adult adoptee panel to help our teens gain more understanding
and be able to ask questions they might have. Both groups will participate
in “More Than Me” where the kids make contributions to less fortunate
kids left behind in REECA countries.
In 2009, the kids contributed art supplies
to Maria’s Children, an organization providing artistic opportunities
for kids in orphanages. This year’s project is still in the planning
stages.
Parent workshops will include sessions where we can learn about the REECA
countries from cultural community volunteers, as well as experts on the
REECA culture.
These could include crafts, cooking, or historical presentations. Other
workshops will include ideas on parenting and adoption-related issues
to inform and
help parents. Some topics we are hoping to include this summer are an
update on
fetal alcohol syndrome and some tips for preventing bullying, as well
as positive ways to help build your child’s self-esteem and confidence as an adoptee
from another culture.
Please join us for another fun-filled week-end celebrating our children and their rich heritage, in a breathtaking setting in the heart of the Rocky Mountains! It will be an experience your family will never forget!
Thinking about giving camp a try but want to know more?
Click here to read our Frequently Asked Questions and
"Four Days in the Life of Heritage Camp"
To see pictures of REECA Heritage Camp 2009 click here
We are thrilled that our fabulous friends and supporters from the Russian/Eastern
European/Central Asian communities in Colorado will be joining us again to
teach us about their culture, entertain us, and participate in all of our camp
activities. They enable the children and families to truly see and appreciate
the rich heritage from which they come. We couldn’t do it without them!
We would love to hear from even more community
members and adoptive families from Central Asian or Eastern European countries.
Please contact us.if you have any questions about camp activities or suggestions
for introducing more of your child’s culture at camp!
Although we have built a strong network of community volunteers, we are always
looking for more volunteers to work with the kids, teach workshops, cook meals,
etc., and to be counselors at camp. Though we have built on this community
participation each year, we’d especially like to invite more members
of the Eastern European and central Asian communities to join us as volunteers
this year! Please consider joining us this year!
As a non-profit 501 C(3) organization, REECA Heritage
Camp is always seeking financial assistance to help keep camp costs reasonable
for families, and still provide an
outstanding program. If you'd
like to help, please go to the Donations section
of this web site, and thank you very much in advance.
We are also in need of donations of frequent
flier miles to help defray costs of out of state speakers. If
you have miles you can donate, please email us at info@heritagecamps.org
