Russian Language and Culture Programs in Siberia

The Educational Center "COSMOPOLITAN" (http://cosmo.qc.nov.net/), located in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia, Russia, is pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for the "LINKING THE PLANET" International Summer Language Camp, that we are going to run in Novosibirsk region in SIBERIA in the summer of 2008, and the "SIBERIAN WONDERLAND" Winter Language Camp that will be run in January 2009.

The Summer camp will be taking place during the summer 2008 in four consecutive two-week sessions, with participation of local Russian children, youth and adults, as well as volunteer teachers and international students from around the globe. Please note that on August 1st Novosibirsk will be the centre of the TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE providing ready access to the eclipse track and to the most favourable area for viewing it. Viewing the total solar eclipse will be an exciting experience of the 4th session of our summer camp.

The Winter camp is run from January 3rd until January 12th, 2009, and is a unique opportunity to celebrate the coolest festive season in Siberia with lots of exciting events, and experience all the winter fun you have ever dreamed of in ten days.

Both the summer and the winter programs are a great chance for international participants to learn the Russian language and get a first-hand experience of the Russian culture and life style. The programs provide a unique cultural opportunity of daily interaction with the Russian children, youth and adults. The RUSSIAN COURSE is organized for overseas students and volunteer teachers and includes language studies as well as learning about the Russian culture, history and society.

We are looking for native speakers of English, German, French, Spanish and other languages, who would like to be VOLUNTEER TEACHERS of their language and/or Volunteer Creativity Workshop Coordinators at the Summer/Winter camps. No previous teaching experience is required. University students are eligible to apply as volunteer teachers/workshop coordinators. Teaching at the camp can also be considered as an INTERNSHIP with all necessary paperwork and an on-site internship supervision provided. We are looking for people who are energetic, enthusiastic, open-minded, sociable, enjoy camp experiences, are willing to share their knowledge and culture.

We also seek people worldwide (SCHOOLCHILDREN, university STUDENTS, and ADULTS) to join the Winter/Summer camp as international students of the RUSSIAN courses offered at the camp, and enjoy all the exciting activities scheduled within the program.

We have been running these programs for fourteen years already. In the past years volunteer teachers from Argentina, Australia,
Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Holland, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia,
Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, the United States of America, as well as university
students and school children from the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Greece and Switzerland have
participated in our summer and winter language camp programs.

The major benefits to join our program are as follows:

1) We organise an exciting cultural, social and excursion programe for
international participants of the camp, which is a very enriching
experience. You will be involved in interaction with the Russian children, youth and
adults all the time. This is the kind of experience you will never get if
you go as a tourist.
The camp lives a full cultural and social life. In addition to language and culture studies we also offer sports, intellectual games, quizzes, entertaining activities, shows, performances, presentations, parties, discos, etc.
2) You will gain a first-hand experience of the Russian culture and life
style and particularly the Siberian one. They say if you want to know what
real Russia is like you should go to Siberia.
3) This is a not-for-profit program. Participation fee covers expenses on
accommodation and ALL meals, and tuition fee for students as well. If you come to Russia (Siberia) on your own or through a travel agency you will
spend much more money compared to what you would pay to participate in our
program. Participating in our program you won't need much pocket
money, you may only need some spending money to buy souvenirs and gifts to take back home.
All the local services (airport pick-up, local transportation, excursions)
are provided by our school without any additional payment.
4) You don't have to be a professional teacher in order to
volunteer for the program. The most important aspect is your willingness to
participate and share your knowledge and culture, as well as your enthusiasm
and good will. Teaching at the camp is not like an academic teaching routine, it's more like fun where emphasis is
made on communication. Our school will provide you with the daily topical schedule for the classes and will be happy to assist with lesson planning and teaching materials. University students are eligible to apply as volunteer teachers. You will gain valuable practical experience, proven ability and contacts that you can use to get a future job. Teaching at the camp can also be considered as an INTERNSHIP with all necessary paperwork and an on-site internship supervision provided.
5) International participants have an opportunity to attend Russian languages classes every day. Russian classes
are taught by well-educated native speakers trained to teach foreigners. Students are placed in a group
according to their level of Russian. No previous knowledge of Russian is required.
We will also be happy to arrange courses on the Russian culture, history, music, etc., if required.
6) We are dedicated to providing a student with the most excellent supervision possible. All the students are supervised and each group has a group leader who is normally responsible for between 10 – 15 students and stays with the group 24 hours a day. Everyone can expect a warm, supportive and friendly atmosphere along with professional service. Our goal is that a student has the most enjoyable and worthwhile experience possible during the stay with us. We are determined to ensure that everyone benefits fully from the interaction with other students and the staff. The Head of Studies, Psychologist, the Social Program Coordinator and the Program Director are constantly monitoring the program to assure that everyone is enjoying the stay and taking advantage of the many activities offered by the school. Parents are allowed to the program.
7) You will meet people from other countries who are going to participate in
this program and this is a unique experience. Many of our former
foreign participants keep in touch with each other after the program and
even visit each other in all the different countries.
8) We also offer excursion packages which include trips to Moscow, St.
Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk,
Lake Baikal, the Altai Mountains, TransSiberian Railroad, 'Welcome to
Siberia' program. All the details
and tour descriptions are available at request.
9) We provide all our foreign participants with an invitation to obtain a Russian visa and arrange their registration on arrival.

* Have you always wanted to add some meaning to an overseas adventure?

* Do you want a new, challenging experience?

* Do you like to meet people from other countries and get your energy from working towards a goal as part of a team?

* Are you willing to gain experience, improve communication abilities, and develop skills that will help in your future employment?

* Have you ever daydreamed about gaining insight into the Russian culture and life in a way no traveler could?


If ‘yes’ is the answer, our program is the best way for you to spend your summer or winter vacation! For further details please email cosmopolitan@rinet.su or cosmoschool2@mail.ru