Introduction
Summer camps are traditionally associated with fun, sun, and keeping children entertained. However, the Able Elemental Summer Camp Programme in Chiang Mai, Thailand, certified by National Geographic Education, offers much more than entertainment. This programme is designed to be an unforgettable part of your child’s summer, providing education and potentially changing their worldview.
An Overview of the Able Summer Camp Programme
The Able Summer Camp Programme, located in the heart of Chiang Mai, runs from July through August. It offers children aged 6 to 15 four unique summer camps, each named after an element that corresponds with the focus of that particular camp. Parents can choose from the Air, Earth, Fire, or Water camps, depending on their schedule and preferences.
Each five-day camp provides multiple project-based learning experiences designed to foster knowledge and skills, educate, develop critical thinking, and empower. The camps are also available on Koh Phangan for those seeking a more exotic experience.
The Philosophy Behind the Summer Camp
Gui Brotto, the founder and principal facilitator of Able, explains that the programme is a social enterprise based in Thailand. It focuses on providing the ultimate nature-based experiences, regenerative products, and project-based educational experiences for children and adults.. The aim is to positively impact the environment and society through their products, programmes, and experiences.
Gui, a Brazilian serial entrepreneur, first came to our attention when he co-founded The Little Urban Farm in Chiang Mai. This innovative project was later recognised by HundrED.org as one of the top educational advancements globally in 2022. Gui believes that the environment is his most incredible educational tool, and he has taken this learning concept to new heights with Able Summer Camps.
The Need for a New Approach to Education
The world has changed rapidly over the past few years, leaving traditional approaches to education behind. The exponential development and penetration of technology into our everyday lives, access to diverse cultures and belief systems, the isolation of the recent pandemic leading to online learning, and the importance of prioritising shared concerns such as the health and well-being of our collaborative environment, have all forced traditional norms and approaches towards education to reevaluate, adapt, and change.
Gui’s approach to education focuses on life values such as compassion, honesty, self-confidence, respect, creativity, curiosity, trust, and others. He believes that nature is our greatest tool and experiences our greatest teacher.
Preparing children for the future
In the face of modern and unknown future challenges, children today must learn to adapt to an ever-changing new world. It isn’t about learning the latest buzzwords du jour — regeneration, community, empowerment, innovation, inclusivity — but understanding how to imbue and apply them in everyday life.
Able Summer Camp offers a truly immersive experience designed to educate and inform and inspire into action. For example, to understand regeneration, children can visit award-winning coffee, cacao, micro greens, or açaí farms in Chiang Mai, getting their hands dirty and indulging in a post-activity coffee cookie, an iced chocolate drink, or a poke bowl brimming with açaí and microgreens.
The National Geographic Certified Experience
With this National Geographic Framework, your children can enjoy a unique and fulfilling Summer Camp experience in Chiang Mai. The camps are designed around Fire, Earth, Air, and Water, each offering various activities that promote critical thinking, collaboration, problem-solving, and well-being.
The Brave New World is here; our children must prepare for and adapt to it. Able Social Enterprise has acquired both accolades and accreditation for its approach to education and the greater understanding of our relationship with this planet and all who live here. Give your children a chance to learn new skills, meet new people, have new adventures, open and expand their minds, control and direct their emotions, as well as add an arsenal of valuable tools to their belt so that they are equipped to not only face the world to come but thrive and perhaps even shape it.
This year’s summer camps in Chiang Mai
Air:: 31st July to 4th August
The Fire Summer Camp is designed to ignite campers’ passion for exploration and innovation, focusing on collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving. Build a volcano, create a balloon and make a candle. Learn to cook plant-based food, visit a museum, climb a wall and learn all about mushrooms.
Earth: 24th July to 28th July
Learn about the sciences of the earth and how it shapes our planet. Focusing on critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving. This programme challenges children to develop new skills while promoting their well-being. Visit a cave, hike through stunning nature and learn about different ecosystems and all the wonderful creatures wo live and thrive in them.
Fire 17th July to 21st July
The air element is associated with mental clarity, communication and freedom. This camp will teach meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises and provide activities that foster focus, attention and self-awareness. Communication and social skills are also a focus of this camp which will provide activities such as kite making, studying the earth’s layers of the atmosphere, cooking steamed food with hot air, going on a zip line adventure, and building a windmill of emotions.
Water: 7th August to 11th August
The water element is often associated with emotions, intuition and creativity. Children will swim, paint, play music, and identify and discuss their feelings to develop their emotional intelligence. The NatGeo World’s Freshwater initiative, which protects and conserves freshwater sources globally by promoting sustainable practices, will be integrated into this course. Visit the sticky waterfall, learn how to make a river of noodles, and study waves and the water cycle while practising letting go of the river of emotions.
The Able Summer Camp Programme in Thailand offers children a unique and enriching experience. It combines fun, education, and personal development in a beautiful natural setting, providing children with the tools they need to thrive in the future. The Able Summer Camp Programme could be the perfect choice if you’re looking for a summer camp that offers more than just entertainment.
Q&A
Q: What is the Able Summer Camp Programme?
A: The Able Summer Camp Programme is a National Geographic Education-certified summer camp based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It offers children a unique blend of fun, education, and personal development, with each camp focusing on a different element: Air, Fire, Water, or Wind.
Q: What differentiates the Able Summer Camp Programme from other summer camps?
A: Unlike traditional summer camps focusing mainly on entertainment, the Able Summer Camp Programme is designed to educate and change children’s worldviews. It uses nature as an educational tool and focuses on life values such as compassion, honesty, self-confidence, respect, creativity, curiosity, and trust.
Q: How does the Able Summer Camp Programme prepare children for the future?
A: The Able Summer Camp Programme prepares children for the future by teaching them how to adapt to an ever-changing world. It helps them understand and apply key concepts such as regeneration, community, empowerment, innovation, and inclusivity. The programme also offers hands-on experiences that elicit critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and collaboration.
