This week, the Lithuanian Community of the 18th Seimas of the World is holding a children's camp "Karūnos akademija" (Crown academy) at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. The five-day camp is attended by 25 children, whose educational and cognitive activities have been designed so that the young participants learn about the history of their parents' and grandparents' country, communicate as much as possible in Lithuanian, and, of course, make friends and have a good time.
According to camp leader Dr. Nelija Kostinienė, “On the first day, the kids were a bit shy and had varying levels of Lithuanian language skills, but when a few more children from Greece and Italy joined the next day, the whole group came to life – they quickly bonded and started chatting away. It’s such a joy to see how fast they’re picking up Lithuanian words.”
The children have come from ten countries around the world: Italy, Canada, the United States of America, Luxembourg, Greece, Australia, Turkey, Taiwan, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom. The youngest participant is six years old, and the oldest is thirteen.
With the help of Museum educators and volunteers, the campers are learning many fascinating stories about the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and how they lived. Over the five days, the children explored the secrets of the Šventaragis Valley, visited the Owl Park to learn about birds of prey, and took trips to historically important sites like Trakai and Kernavė.
The young Lithuanians from abroad will return home with stories about the Rulers’ Path through Vilnius Old Town, the defense of Vilnius, and grand feasts at the court.
“The souvenirs they create are purposefully small in size so they can easily fit into a plane or other type of luggage,” says N. Kostinienė. “But most importantly, we hope this experience and connection with Lithuanian history will inspire them to return here again in the future.”
