Education is a key point of progression for the foundation in Cape Verde so we were more than happy to support our Portuguese law firm GPA with their English Summer School.
The school was established to teach local children to speak English and has been especially successful this year. With the help of The Resort Group PLC, who arranged accommodation at the MELIÃ Tortuga Beach Resort, three young lawyers from the GPA Lisbon office were able to volunteer as external teachers for the school. A local GPA lawyer was also a part of programme and helped to coordinate the whole process from the Sal office.
Children were put forward by the local teachers, according to their behaviour at school and their families’ economic situation. Held between 18th and 29th July at the School of Espargos, the scheme received a high number of requests from the local children to attend courses, far exceeding the initial expectations so much so that next year the plan is to repeat the initiative and to increase the number of classes. In fact, due the limited submissions before the Summer School started the team were expecting 30 kids but ended up with an incredible 60 applicants.
Bruno Santos and his mother: Bruno is 13 years old and attended the courses where students were a bit more advanced. He was born in Portugal, but he has lived in Cape Verde since he was very young. Ana Sousa: teacher and lawyer of GPA Lisbon.
Victor Finizola and Riselene Barbosa, who is 11 years old and attended the courses of the basic level.
Vânia Cunha, our local lawyer, who helped with logistics. Victor Finizola, teacher at the Summer School and lawyer at GPA Lisbon. Divânia Cunha Spínola and David Cunha Spínola: Vânia Cunha’s kids who are 11 and 10 years old, respectively, and attended courses of the basic level.
The courses were aimed at children aged between 9 and 15 years old, and were divided in two classrooms. Children aged between 9 and 12 years old essentially had their first contact with the English language during this Summer School. During their time, they’ve learned basic English, such as how to introduce themselves, primary vocabulary including animals, food, jobs, hobbies, sports, personal features and nationalities, as well as some fundamental grammar. With the older 13 to 15 year old students, the classes went one step further to teach them more advanced grammar and vocabulary. By the end, they were able to have small discussions and read some simple texts.
During the Summer School, the children also received two meals, prepared by local cooks hired by GPA. They took part in some extracurricular activities too, such as didactical games in English, movie projections, dancing and football – where they were encouraged to introduce English expressions, a great way to practice the language.
On the last day, the School organised a basic exam and finished the experience with a ceremony, attended by the parents, to present the children with their correspondent diploma.
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