The stories she shared about the growth of her son, the positive impact this experience has had on his confidence and personality, as well as his education, were so moving that we felt goosebumps listening and compelled to share them.
“It was a life-changing experience for him, because he matured. Even only for one week there, he met so many people from around the world, to be by himself, and to be in a host family that was different from his family, I think enriched him in many ways. He came back home changed.”
“It was not only a growth of personal development, but a lot of things he learned about the environment that he cannot learned in Bulgaria. The theme there was Life Below Water and he had a chance to witness a lot of amazing things that wouldn’t be possible to do in Europe. For example; the releasing of turtle hatchlings, swimming with manta rays, participating in the planting of mangrove trees. These are things that he couldn’t experience anywhere else, and it really enriched his perception of nature and the world in general.”
This has obviously helped Alex to develop interests and increase his confidence to share his experiences, but Latinka went on to describe how it has also encouraged him to be more responsible and take on more leadership roles, through his participation as a student intern. “From my experience, and his teachers’ feedback, we see him taking more responsibilities. He wanted to be an intern here at the Global Montessori Games in Bulgaria and to take more responsibility of a group of younger children, so I think because of that experience in Mexico, he wanted to participate here in a new light, and for sure, it is something that he will continue to develop.”
She went on to describe how these events as more than an opportunity for young people to meet and to learn together, but as an inclusive experience for the whole families too.
The Sustainable Development Games were not only beneficial for my son. They were also beneficial for us as a family, because we had the chance, distantly, to meet the host family in Mexico. Even now, we are still in touch of the mother who received Alex in her home and almost every month we change pictures and videos of what is happening with the kids, about what is going in with the families, and even information about her son going to the Global Montessori Games in Bolivia.”
“Now, here in Bulgaria, I met 2 girls from Bolivia who recognized him from a picture I showed them, so we now have even more information to exchange. So, it is building friendships and expanding horizons, not only for the kids going to events, but also for the families. Now, as a host family, we have had the chance to meet a wonderful girl from the Netherlands, so we keep in touch with her family too, and so it is an opportunity for parents to be involved too.”
We are so happy to hear of Alex’s growth and thank Lainka for such wonderful feedback, and for further encouragement of the impact that our events can have on people, families and communities around the world.
We hope to continue to receive the thoughts and experiences of all who are involved in our events, and welcome more stories of impact from you all.
PEACE
Global Association of Montessori Education and Sport
