Vivita integration camp “Show your tongue/language!” for Estonian and Ukrainian kids
During the spring school break, the Estonian and Ukrainian children’s integration camp “Show your language!” was held in Vivistop Telliskivi. 20 bright young people participated in the camp — 10 Estonian children and 10 Ukrainian children. Throughout the camp, children were able to experience and understand how different activities and cultures can influence and relate to each other.
Day 1 was a lively music day, during which we played drums with Reigo Ahven. A joint band was created and the mini-concert took place in the outdoor area of Telliskivi Creative City! In the afternoon, Vivita Viviware Cell prototyping modules were taken out, with which they started creating new sounds and music through programming! Together with volunteer Rasmus, Viviware Cell and the music software program Ableton were connected. As Reigo Ahven said: “Half of us in this camp only understand Estonian and half only Ukrainian. “However, music is a kind of language that everyone understands in the same way!”
Day 2 was a theater day, which started with an introduction to the world of theater with the always brilliant Hanna Liina Võsa. Together, they learned the longest word (in Estonian): Supernali-vägalustlik-ekstraülivõrdes. In the afternoon, the groups invented their own shadow theater scenario! Pieces of cardboard were cut out using a laser cutter, and the moving parts were connected together to form cool characters. Then it was time to assemble the stop-motion, after which the premiere of the completed films took place with drinks and popcorn.
Day 3 was a fashion and art day, when all campers became designers and art creators. The inspiration of the day was the fashion designer Hanna Korsar, who shared her journey as a designer and encouraged children to be entrepreneurial. “Good ideas are inside all of us — you just have to look for them!” During the day, kids created exciting patterns, bags and t-shirts of their own design in two different ways: marbling, which is a method of decorating paper or fabric to imitate marble or with a digital cutter to create unique stickers on a t-shirt.
Day 4 was full of new knowledge about recycling, plastic recycling and material science. The day started with an inspirational presentation by Jegor Mljajev from Precious Plastic Estonia, who spoke about the life cycle of plastic and what cool new items can be re-made from plastic. Then it was time for the campers to wash the bottle caps and sort them all by colour. New and stylish wallets, earrings, necklaces and key chains were made by children, which got a new look from old colourful plastic bags and bottle caps.
Day 5 — the chain reaction day, started with an exciting cross-over into the world of engineering, when Enn Kerner from the Estonian Engineers Union visited Vivistop’s studio. During the whole day, the famous Rube Goldberg machine was built — a machine, which is an intentionally comically complex piece of machinery, where the final operation is preceded by a number of operations linked together like a domino effect.
Cheerful cake eating was a cherry on the top, which marked the end of the city camp “Show your language!” Many thanks to all participants, inspirers and volunteers! It was heartwarming to see how Ukrainian children found new friends in five days! Hopefully they will find their way to the Vivistop studio in the future to invent together.
Thank you inspirational speakers and workshop facilitators Reigo Ahven, Hanna Liina Võsa, Hanna Korsar, Jegor Mljavov & Precious Plastic Estonia, Enn Kerner & Union of Estonian Engineers!
Thank you Vivita volunteers Rasmus, Julia, Oliver, Heleen for helping in the city camp with all your knowledge, time and advice!
Thank you Kärbes Kitchen & Fotografiska for the delicious lunch! Thank you Fotografiska for showing your magic-composter!
Thank you Vivita team for organizing the city camp — Ljudmilla, Carlo, Eleny, Jean-Marc, Joonas, Kaidi, Anette, Sigrid!
Text and photos: Vivita Estonia
April 2023
