Machik’s Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) is a unique four week program in the rural Tibetan community of Chungba that is open to children from across the Tibetan Plateau. The SEP offers Tibetan rural children the rare opportunity to not only learn English and new skills, but develops leadership skills and enables them to connect with enthusiastic volunteers who are Tibetan, Chinese, Canadian, American, and so on. Every summer since the launch of the Ruth Walter Chungba Primary School in 2002, the Machik SEP has offered students, teachers and members of the local community alike unique opportunities for enrichment and skills development. Drawing on the skills and experience of volunteers both from places like Lhasa, Beijing, Shanghai, Cornell University, and so on, the summer program has brought English language training, new resources and new technologies to the doorstep of this rural Tibetan community. These enrichment activities - which have included English classes, participatory film-making, incense making, photography, yoga, sports, cooking, music, art, science and other activities - have helped develop values such as community service, responsibility and environmental conservation. At the same time, the SEP has also offered support for local cultural renewal. One example has been the revitalization of the art of traditional Tibetan storytelling.
Most Tibetans today are rural farmers and nomads, and when their children have access to schools they generally do not have English training - especially from native English speakers - or many extracurricular activities such as photography, film, reading music, drama and art. Language differences limit Tibetans’ access to economic opportunities in a globalized world and also threaten the survival of their own local dialects. Tibetan children are in need of strong language skills in Tibetan, Chinese, and English. In addition to the need to preserve the Tibetan language, English is increasingly necessary in order to compete in a large sector of society that is bilingual in Chinese and English. Finally, many young Tibetans come from smaller communities and so may not have exposure to global experience, networks and training. The SEP offers an unprecedented opportunity for Tibetan children to meet educated and enthusiastic people dedicated to service through education.
The SEP seeks to:
• Enhance the English skills of Tibetan rural children
• Introduce new skills to rural Tibetan children such as participatory film, photography, music, art and so on.
• Create a unique space where young Tibetans, Chinese and international volunteers can work together in service of Tibetan children’s needs and so develop greater mutual understanding and respect
• Establish an environment where everyone is a learner and a teacher. For example, the English teachers learn Tibetan and the Tibetans learn English.
In the first three years the SEP was located in the Chungba community. In the fourth year the SEP was opened to children from across the Plateau. Since its inception, many new activities have been added by a wonderful group of volunteers - activities such as, participatory film, origami, HIV awareness training, yoga, painting, soccer, drama and so on. With each successive year the number of volunteers interested in volunteering from Tibetan areas, Chinese urban areas, and the international community grows. Significantly, the SEP has been able to add a very popular ESL curriculum.
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Losang Rabgey, Tibetan Studies Expert
Born in a Tibetan refugee camp in India, raised in Canada, Losang Rabgey has found her life's work in remote Tibetan villages of farmers, seminomads, and nomads.
