2013 SU Update: Multi-Session Workshop teaches Volunteers English and Presentation Skills

KAZAN – Two days of practicing spoken English, two days without any word in Russian, two days of learning sports vocabulary and… two days of adventures together with Charlie and his friends at the ‘Chocolate Factory’

Coordinators and teachers of the ‘English 4U’ project used the plot of the movie for educating the 4th season’s participants. «A role playing game with eye-catching characters and an interesting plot is not only more attractive to our students but more efficient as well», commented the project’s coordinator and Chief Expert of the Volunteer Recruiting Office Albina Khusainova.

The visiting English language teaching workshop became the first event of this kind implemented over the whole year of the project’s existence. However, as the participants admitted the intensive 2-day course had helped them to brush up their memory and refresh everything that the boys and girls had been studying during several months of their language course at the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate.

Volunteer teachers that had disguised themselves as main characters of the movie hosted educational sessions in sports vocabulary, grammar and country studies.

Meanwhile, volunteer presenters of the Learn Everything about the Universiade project were offered to take a separate course during which they studied theatrics, techniques for overcoming stage fright, presentation skills, public speaking and communication skills for different audiences. The final testing for them was to prepare a perfect presentation of the 2013 Summer Universiade and apply the knowledge they were taught during the workshop. According to Maria Fadeeva, Leading Expert of the Volunteer Department’s Project Office, the speakers impressed with their creative approach, personal touch and brilliant delivery of presentations.

Let us remind you that the multi-session workshop spanned from December 3-8 and gathered over 150 Kazan 2013 volunteers in 4 different groups:new recruits, future team leaders, participants of the 4th season of the ‘English 4U’ project and volunteer presenters for ‘Learn Everything About the Universiade’.

The first visiting workshop for Kazan 2013 volunteer coordinators was held this spring. Boys and girls inspired by the Universiade learned the basics of conflictology, event management, communication theory, first aid techniques and crisis management. Each Kazan 2013 volunteer passed an examination and was awarded a certificate of completion that allowed to act as a team leader at sporting events. And in September the Kazan 2013 organizers hosted the Volunteers’ Academy International Volunteer Camp that took place in theUniversiadeVillage.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)