To help employees deal with family obligations and challenges, children were spending time on the premises of Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) all last week – for the first time, a 5-day camp was organised for employees’ children, which gathered 40 kids.

From activities in the faculties to trips to the Kaunas Zoo and trampoline park

The organiser of the camp, Welfare Manager Smiltė Juraitė, says that the idea to organise the camp came from the desire to help employees who face challenges in planning activities for their children during the summer.

‘Thinking about our employees, we also set a very low price for this camp per child, which amounted to 50 euros, which included all entertainment, excursions and meals 3 times a day. The employees were very grateful for this because similar camps cost at least 3 times more,’ shares S. Juraitė.

Not only 3 camp managers worked at the camp, which gathered children aged 5–11 years – students of the Pre-School and Pre-Primary Education study programme also developed practical skills while participating in the camp and helping managers. The young participants of the camp not only got to know their parents’ workplaces, which left an impression on them, but also visited the faculties of Kauno kolegija HEI, sports and leisure spaces, and the zoo, and actively spent time in the trampoline park.

‘Children at the Faculty of Technologies visited the Robotics Centre, put applications on canvas bags, tasted freshly made ice cream in the food technology laboratory, watched educational videos created by students of the Faculty of Technologies about the importance of saving nature, sorting garbage and not wasting food, and at the Faculty of Medicine they learned the most important first aid skills and found out why it is important to wash your hands thoroughly,’ says S. Juraitė.

She reveals that the Kauno kolegija HEI library, the art exhibition in the Owls Hill gallery, and performances by students of the Pre-School and Pre-Primary Education study programme also attracted a lot of interest from children.

‘At the Faculty of Arts and Education, the children saw how glass is engraved, participated in a creative drawing task, and the lecturers of the Language Centre introduced them to the Japanese and Spanish languages ​​and the culture of these countries. Children also had an educational trip to the renovated Kaunas Zoo and a very active time in the trampoline park,’ shares S. Juraitė.

Spaces dedicated to sports at Kauno kolegija HEI also were checked out – a multi-purpose sports hall, a basketball hall, and a stadium. At the end of the day, the children had chosen their favourite activities: who danced, who rested in the sensory room and the prayer, silence and meditation room, and who played board games and drew.

Both staff and students contributed to the implementation

S. Juraitė shares that the goal was to involve as many Kauno kolegija HEI departments and their employees as possible in the organisation of the camp activities for children, to foster one of the values ​​of the institution – a sense of community.

‘Not only a lot of effort was put into every organisational detail, the organisation of every activity, but also a lot of love and warmth – as if you were doing it for yourself and your child. Not a single employee refused to help, and wherever a contribution was asked, everyone gladly agreed,’ says Welfare Manager S. Juraitė.

It was a great way for Pre-School and Pre-Primary Education students who completed their internship at the camp to try on the profession of a teacher, to test themselves by solving various challenges, trying to keep children’s attention with activities and most importantly – to ensure their safety.

‘All this corresponds to our main task as an educational institution in preparing students – not to distance them from real work situations, but to always look for ways to better prepare a specialist for the labour market,’ says S. Juraitė.

Initiative that fosters a sense of community

A sense of Community is one of the five values ​​of Kauno kolegija HEI, and its fostering creates close, sustainable and long-term relationships among community members.

‘From the perspective of creating community well-being, every initiative, event or project that can have a positive influence or impact on the physical, mental, emotional or social well-being of the employees of our organisation is very valuable and welcome. The day camp for employees’ children is another beautiful initiative, the idea of ​​which has matured from the constantly raised question: ‘What else could we do good and useful for our employees?’, S. Juraitė shares her thoughts.

She notes that the staff’s thanks and feedback about the camp inspire her not to stop, and the children’s hugs and repeated statements that this was the best camp they’ve ever been to were like the biggest bonus.

‘I sincerely thank Vice Director for Organisational Development Dr Inga Stravinskienė for always actively supporting and promoting ideas for the welfare of employees. For helping to organise this camp I would like to thank Šarūnas Stanionis and Jolanta Simanavičienė, employees of Wellness and Sports Centre, and Andželika Anisimenkaitė, a student of the Pre-School and Pre-Primary Education study programme,’ says S. Juraitė.

Brought closer to colleagues and helped to get to know each other better

Faculty of Technologies Vice Dean for Science Dr Lina Skinulienė says she is happy that a children’s camp was organised at the Kauno kolegija HEI. According to her, the children not only had a meaningful time but also had the opportunity to get to know the place where their parents work.

‘One day when I was driving the kids home, they said, ‘Mom, it’s a shame Kauno kolegija HEI is so far from our house,’ smiles Dr L. Skinulienė, who sent three children to the camp.

As one of the biggest advantages of the camp, she singles out a meaningful and active time spent, introducing children to various activities.

‘Children are full of excitement every day, and they fall asleep when they are taken home. Consequently, children are very interested and engaged in activities that are presented in a very interesting way. One morning, the daughter kept trying to speak Japanese while drinking milk from a glass that had been engraved in a glass workshop. During the camp, the children have so many new experiences and they are always looking forward to the next day,’ says Dr L. Skinulienė.

She is happy that during the week that the camp was held, the children were so involved in the activities that they lost interest in computer games.

According to Dr L. Skinulienė, this initiative contributes to increasing the welfare of employees, as it helps employees raising children both in the performance of their daily parental duties and encourages the creation and strengthening of relationships with colleagues.

‘You can start simply with the fact that you don’t have to cook breakfast at home or make sandwiches for lunch – during camp the children received full meals three times a day, so parents’ time is saved. Children are getting ready to go to work together with their parents as if they were equal employees of the Kauno kolegija HEI – it is very fun to meet colleagues in the morning when driving and picking up the children in the evening, with whom we discuss not work issues, but how our children have become friends and listen to them talk about how their day went,’ – Dr L. Skinulienė shares her thoughts.