CENTRAL, THE ESSENCE OF PSE – Sponsored by Fundación Pelayo – PSE BLOG

Central, being the biggest and busiest programme of all, is run with impressive organisation. An organization that inspires the other camps. Around one thousand children enter the main gates each day, split in half day shifts, although this number has exceeded one thousand three hundred children on the same day. Good news no doubt, because more children have the opportunity to enjoy the summer programme and, hopefully, that will motivate them to attend school during the school year.

The biggest team

More than 80 monitors make up the team of Central!

To take care of so many children, Central has 33 European monitors, including two coordinators, and approximately 48 Khmer instructors and two coordinators. Around five Khmer volunteers usually pensionnaires, also help out during the summer programme.

The organization of Central is an inspiration for the other, smaller camps. A great starting point to know how to manage a team!

In Central, forty teams are set up in the start of summer and divided into morning and afternoon shifts. These groups are formed by about thirty children each, to carry out many of the activities, although others like the gymkhana or the big games are organized with all the children.

Parkour on a slippery surface! Sometimes getting the kids to have fun is difficult, but in this case, the game went very smoothly…

The appeal of Central

Luis, coordinator at Central with a boy from his old camp Phum Russey

“It’s important to know all the staff involved to fix any situation, which means more people than in a smaller sub-programme” Luis, coordinator

This is the fourth year that Luis, coordinator of Central, is part of the PSE School Continuity Programme. He came twice as a monitor and twice as a coordinator, but was in charge of a much smaller camp last year in Phum Russey. The remaining years he was a also a monitor in smaller PSE centers, which he admits being much more simple to control than a broad programme like Central: “It is important to know all the staff involved to fix any situation, which means more people than in a sub-programme of less magnitude”. Likewise, it’s harder to get close to all the children, although they still end up feeling close to them at the end. It all depends on the monitor’s will and experience, in addition to his memory, Luis mentions.

It is possible to get close to the kids!

José, the other European coordinator at Central, has been repeating this sub programme for many years. He confesses that dealing with a lot children has its charm. In fact, he is able to remember the particular stories of some children he met during his first years. Ra and his sister, Tiem, who is a pensionnaire are just two examples.

“I met Ra during my first year as a monitor. They were both attending Central and his sister was a pensionnaire as the family couldn’t afford to take care of her. She studied and studied and is now taking the exam national exam to become a cook!” Jose, coordinator

Jose had to leave one week early this summer, he was missed a lot!

Pelayo, who replaced Jose on the last week of camp, also highlights the advantages of Central: “You can carry out large-scale activities with all the children, or divide them into smaller groups and make totally different ones”.

Dacing is an important part of this programme and Pelayo, the coordinator, knows it!

As an example of the former, he mentions one they organized a few days ago: “Find the monitor”, in which 30 European monitors hid around while the children had fun trying to find their hiding places. It is also the second year in Central for Pelayo and he loves to be recognized by so many children: “Last summer I did an activity in which I was wearing a mask and even today most children remember it”.

Double the work, double the satisfaction

With these two little troublemakers, it’s also double the work!

It is clear that Central vibrates with energy for most of the day, which means a lot of effort and little rest for the monitors. Luis smiles as he explains that the mobile application that measures his physical activity registers about 22 km on average everyday, all recorded in the PSE center. The volunteers who assist the coordinators also receive more responsibilities at Central.

Kids see the summer programme as an escape from routine and, perhaps, from work

Dancing in front of all central kids demands a stage!

They also prepare more choreographies to motivate children, and make them more engaged in dance and music, something Luis is very passionate about!

Dancing in front of all central kids demands a stage!

The medical team singing on their visit!

Children come from the most problematic districts (sangkats in Khmer) of Phnom Penh, and they see Central as an escape from routine and, perhaps, from work, so they choose their best clothes and have the time of their lives, every day!

“Central is a big machine that destroys misery”, Christian des Paillières, founder of PSE

Quoting a fellow monitor who coordinated this subprogram years ago and Christian des Pallières (Papy), Luis sees in Central the essence of PSE: a large team that works like a clock with the aim of “destroying misery”. And the more children they can help, the better.