To be able to speak a language is one thing, but to dare to speak a language... that is something completely different. It seems logical, but many will confirm that it just isn't. What if you make mistakes? What if people don't understand you? What if... ?!
"Learning to dare to speak" is not the CLIP slogan in vain. See how we teach youngsters to dare!
If you've been on vacation with CLIP, then you know. These are no ordinary language vacations. The uniqueness lies first and foremost in the inspiration. No AND but IN. French/English is simply in the animation and vice versa. Learning to dare to speakThat's what it's all about. You can make mistakes, and you have to try!
The result is an incredible mix of countless fun and educational elements .. Add to that the relentless ambition to continuously improve everything and you know why this formula runs. Last but not least is the monitoring of all our commitments by the office staff. During the summer you won't find them in the Leuven office, but you will find them 'on the field'. With their sleeves rolled up, they make the difference during the camps.
The CLIP formula is a unique puzzle of language and vacations. Parents, teachers and participants who can compare confirm this. The action, the movement, the playfulness, the humor, the smiles on the faces of participants and monitors during the language workshops and moments of animation are for us as important criteria for an activity as the content itself. This method is a special approach that evolves from year to year and of which CLIP has made its trademark. With it, we stimulate interest in foreign languages. The names of the language workshops speak for themselves : le plouf, ABC de la discussion, le jeu des chaises, carabistouilles, Festival de Cannes, Snoep je Rijk, la simulation de classe and ni oui ni non for French; salsa verbs, water war, baseball bis, musical chairs and Voc AZ for English. The animations are also given a language aspect, using vocabulary cards, error lists,...
After all, the power of the CLIP recipe is not only in the ingredients but equally in the right mix. Just as each puzzle piece can only lie in one place, each CLIP activity has its own specific function. This language approach complements school lessons. A language bath with its own CLIP interpretation ... that works!
No! The permanent use of French or English as the spoken language among the participants is one of the principles that CLIP upholds from the age of 12 (with the exception of Wégimont and Westende where French/English is the target language for the youngest age group). It goes without saying that only in this way the language immersion is complete and leads to real results. You will only find this in a few language organisations.
The way we get to this is low-key. After all, feeling good is a requirement on a CLIP camp. Speaking is of the utmost importance here. The abrupt introduction of the foreign language is for many - mainly the youngest and the most timid participants - a threshold that is difficult to cross. We prefer the low threshold. After all, gentle immersion in the language bath is a necessity and an art. Stepping before walking. For this reason, we work in small groups so that the fear of failure is reduced to a minimum.
Immediately punishing every language mistake is counterproductive. It makes even the most motivated young people lose all desire to speak French or English. Leaving room for mistakes and positive comments only increases interest and motivation. On the one hand, youngsters who were already keen on language get an extra push in the right direction. On the other hand, the experiences of success can also break the vicious circle of poor results, aversion to the profession,.... These positive "remarques/remarks" provide concrete rewards and playful quid pro quos from the monitors during the week, both for the individual participant and for the group.
At the same time, the leaders make great efforts to get participants to use casual language through the most fun language games and animations. And it works-almost always! It sometimes happens that the helping hand of parents comes into play. We then ask them by phone to remind their son/daughter of the purpose of the language camp and to support our action. This does not miss its effect.
Every vacation is packed with events and extras. As a participant, you have to earn these, so to speak, by making language efforts. Exceptionally, it sometimes happens that an etra is dropped for a specific participant, obviously only from the second day on. The young people admit that this is the method that works.
AND it has results ! Scientific studies also proved that young people speak more fluently after a CLIP break (syllables/minute, number and length of pauses).
So a language vacation can work wonders ... and not just in terms of French or English. One young person testifies, "After my French language camp, I was the only one who dared to speak in German class." First and foremost, then, a language vacation is not a stopgap measure to get rid of poor school results but, above all, gives a boost to communication and social skills (in the foreign language). It goes without saying that you will feel this for a long time, even in your later life....
Many youngsters are motivated to learn foreign languages, to communicate with native speakers. This is what it is all about for them. In concrete terms, this means: not abstract theory, but putting knowledge into practice. CLIP has developed its own method for this: 'the language excursion'. No interminable questionnaires, but interactive fun moments with the local population where you can easily talk to 50 people in a few hours. Here we move the action outside: to the street, the village square, the markets and the parks, where the conversations are there for the taking. The CLIP leaders help youngsters cross the fear threshold in a playful but well-guided way. Going to the native speaker becomes natural and that is what it comes down to in the end.
Acquired skills are not lost, but long vocabulary lists are! In addition to the 'street conversations', for the oldest participants there are also contacts with local youth or elderly people. For several hours you become an leader on the local playground or visit the residents of an old people's home. This annual collaboration is a fantastic experience that is greatly appreciated by the local people.
Fun is not an option ... but a must from morning to night
In order for every participant to be enjoyed and valorized, variety is a must. That is why CLIP offers a cocktail of fun and varied language and entertainment activities in which everyone can participate and have fun. There is no room for boredom. Each CLIP team organizes a full day's program. The language workshops make up one third of the day's program. After the "fun language sessions," the entertainment team is on hand. The emphasis is now even more on relaxation. The CLIP leadership watches over a good dose of rest and action moments. Therefore, sleep is also closely monitored, depending of course on the age and fitness of the group.
Here is an example of a daily program. At 7:30 the monitors wake you up with a fun skit so that you can sit down to breakfast in good spirits at 8:00. At a quarter to nine you can choose between various sporting and creative options. Then the language workshops begin. Every 45 minutes between 9:30 and 12:30 you work with a different monitor on a varied language program. At 12:30 everyone is hungry and there is a (hot) meal. At two o'clock the leaders are ready with an animation activity in which the language content is particularly high. At three there is a short break for a sweet snack. Between 3:30 and 6:30, the animation team surprises you with two great animations. Afterwards, slide your legs under the table for a delicious menu. At eight o'clock, the day will end with an evening animation and we might finish around a campfire. Tired but satisfied, we crawl into bed.
CLIP programs vary substantially according to age, both in terms of language programs and approach. Therefore, on all placements, different programs are also offered at the same time. At the language level, CLIP offers language initiation (in Dutch), language animation and language. CLIP surrounds young people from morning to evening. Depending on their age, there is more room for initiative and free time ... in the foreign language, of course. For example, a 17-year-old in Malta will 'go out' with an leader one evening and get an age-appropriate entertainment activity the next. During the day, this group also gets more choices and freedom. A 14-year-old staying in the same location is logically given less responsibility. Wherever possible, age groups are split up. In this way the programs can be even more diversified.
Everyone is evaluated three times a week via a CLIPguide, a personal document that is given to parents at the end of the placement. Parents are entitled to this information and can use it to follow their children through the week. It is not the results that count but the effort made. This is also stimulating for the young people.
The comments also allow them to consider the usefulness of a second or third language camp. Many participants do this, in fact.
Moreover, through the photos on an individual web page, parents can feel the ambiance of the vacation almost daily during the camps.
Every year we evaluate and adjust the formulas. Every year almost all activities are thoroughly renewed. Ironclad formats such as a casino or dropping are retained but the content is adjusted.
CLIP offers magnificent vacation locations that can be described as top accommodations for youngsters . A castle in the middle of a fully equipped recreation domain, a water mill in Braives, a "hôtel particulier" with pool in a lively village in the Ardèche, the scouts' domain in Morocco, a cruise ship and a hotel with rooftop pool in Malta.
Occasionally we do choose a boarding school. In the latter case, these are very nice rooms with excellent sanitary facilities in an environment that we dress up with fire pits, umbrellas, ping pong tables, sitting area... until we get the vacation atmosphere we are looking for.
The countries and locations help create a relaxed, non school-like atmosphere and create opportunities that we take full advantage of.
The CLIP kitchen has an excellent reputation. First we gauge the tastes of the participants. We take this into account when preparing the menu.
This applies not only to the in-house kitchens but also to locations with an external chef.
The success of these varied meals has a huge impact on language vacations. After a tasty meal, participants are much more receptive to a language and entertainment program that does require effort.
CLIP has extensive experience with group dynamics. Each CLIP team therefore makes every effort to integrate each participant into the group. Contact activities receive full attention and this already on the bus or at the gate in the airport. During the animation, no one is left on the sidelines because they cannot participate.
Many participants leave alone, but everyone returns home as a member of the group. Friendships are drawn but pairing is inhibited. After all, it must remain workable and fun for everyone.
CLIP also strives to involve a diverse group of yoursters in its operation: most internship houses are adapted to differently-abled participants. Young people with learning difficulties do find their feet at CLIP. There is also an annual budget for the financially less fortunate to give them a "real" language vacation. Young people of different nationalities also find their way to the camps.
Participants with a pronounced social commitment can participate in a social project in South Africa, Villeneuve, Paris or Morocco. In South Africa, for example, we participate in Hope Flanders' project. We do field education of vulnerable children together with the non-profit organization and regularly roll up our sleeves.
For over 39 years, CLIP has strived to achieve its goals in the field with respect for parents, participants, monitors, cooking teams and office staff alike. Therefore, the success of the language vacations is rightly a collective achievement. The result is the recognition as a national youth organization. This means that CLIP can issue a tax certificate for young people up to age 13. That's a nice bonus.
CLIP is a non-profit association that promotes multilingualism - in accordance with its statutes. The organization is run by a general assembly, a board of directors, a staff team at the office and at the internship sites. All office staff are also active in the field during the vacation weeks and thus maintain their feel for the camp event.
Every year dozens of new monitors find their way to CLIP where they are trained as leaders (later to become chief leaders). With the 'anciens' they form a group of about 300 monitors. It is thanks to their knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment that the language vacations give so many a wow factor.
(This information refers to residential language vacations, organized by CLIP. The local language academies are excluded in part because of their externality and language aspect. Otherwise, these formulas are perfectly recognizable as CLIP activities).
CLIP is more committed than ever to sustainability. Since the beginning of 2022, we want to offset the entire CO2 emissions of our air travel. For this purpose, we are working together with Greentripper . They calculate how much CO2 is emitted per flight and provide concrete actions: a ton of CO2 emitted corresponds to a ton of CO2 avoided or absorbed elsewhere. Where possible, we choose climate actions in the continent we travel to.
Those who participate in air travel choose whether to contribute. CLIP supplements anyway until the CO2 emissions of its monitors are offset.
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