Mission
Each village focuses on immersion in both the language and the culture(s) of its target. Counselors speak the target language from waking up to going to sleep, with the help of many communicative techniques designed to reduce frustration on the part of the villagers; villagers are encouraged to use as much of the target language as they can produce. By the end of the summer, even villagers with no previous encounters with the language remark on how much they are able to understand.
CLV also aims to develop cultural awareness. Everything from the meals to the crafts to the games is tailored to the target culture(s). Village programs are designed to cast light on the cultures in question, as well as the diversity of cultures around the world, and can take on inter-village meaning in everything from "World Cup" soccer matches between nearby villages to simulating the European Union deliberating on an issue. Additionally, at CLV villagers are able to live with, play with, work with, and get to know foreign native speakers. CLV also sponsors a "International Day" twice yearly; it is free and open to the public and aims to foster further global awareness.
Strong environmental goals encompass all aspects of the program, from recycling, waste reduction, water management, encouragement for campers to bring biodegradable toiletries, alternative energy sources like solar and geothermal power are implemented on the permanent site. The new Waldsee "BioHaus", the first certified passive house in North America, is a testament to these goals. The villages also have a relatively high vegetarian and vegan ratio, to which they cater.
Read more about this topic: Sen Lin Hu
Famous quotes containing the word mission:
“Not in vain is Ireland pouring itself all over the earth. Divine Providence has a mission for her children to fulfill; though a mission unrecognized by political economists. There is ever a moral balance preserved in the universe, like the vibrations of the pendulum. The Irish, with their glowing hearts and reverent credulity, are needed in this cold age of intellect and skepticism.”
—Lydia M. Child (1802–1880)
“We can come up with a working definition of life, which is what we did for the Viking mission to Mars. We said we could think in terms of a large molecule made up of carbon compounds that can replicate, or make copies of itself, and metabolize food and energy. So that’s the thought: macrocolecule, metabolism, replication.”
—Cyril Ponnamperuma (b. 1923)
“We never can tell how our lives may work to the account of the general good, and we are not wise enough to know if we have fulfilled our mission or not.”
—Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (1842–1911)