British Camp 
Here’s what our founder Vitaly and co-owner Darya said:
-
Why a children’s camp?
“Because children are sincere and active, because with them it is easy to dream and implement the most daring ideas, and their tears on the last day of the session are the best reward for what we do.”
Vitaly
“I first joined the camp for the summer as a seasonal employee, and after that any regular work seemed rather dull and uninteresting. After all, a camp session is like a 14-day non-stop holiday event. Almost every week you have a new task that is not similar to the previous one, which is interesting to implement. There is no room for monotony.”
Darya
-
What does the 10th anniversary of British Camp mean to you?
“For me, this project is more than just work, and 10 years is a huge period during which we grew, learned and matured together with the campers. And it’s great to realize that we have contributed to shaping their habits, interests, values and knowledge.”
Vitaly
“It’s definitely pride. Not every project celebrates such a date.
Although this path actually consists of different moments. Sometimes parents call with the words “find at least one place for our child, please)) – they want to get to the session so badly. And there are times when you doubt whether you need this product at all.”
Darya
-
What was the biggest challenge for British Camp? Was there a desire to close everything?
“Neither covid nor war could stop us. There was never a desire to close the project, rather the opposite – we just wanted to adapt and find new ways to ensure a happy childhood for children and the development of a talented team. As long as we have 1,000+ campers coming every year, I will feel responsible for the team and for maintaining the level that parents and kids expect.”
Vitaly
“As for any business, the biggest challenges were the pandemic and the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At that time, the relevance of camp activities was not obvious.
And thanks to our membership in international camp associations, we had access to the most effective methods of organizing the work of camps in America during the pandemic. The nights were spent studying a large 80-page manual that helped us create a safe environment for the team and campers in 2020. I don’t even want to mention how difficult it was to breathe 24/7 through a mask at +35! But everything is not in vain – we received incredible feedback from parents, because then the camp helped more than ever in socialization, formation of children and exploration of the world in safe conditions without parents.
It’s the same in wartime: we don’t neglect any air raid and work only with those locations where there are bomb shelters. Happy and carefree childhood of Ukrainian children – this was the request of our regular customers in March 2022, and we realized that the work of British Camp is exactly on time.
And answering the second question: no, there were no thoughts to close! There were only reflections on how to combine the main activity with the work of the support project for children affected by the war. Glad it worked out!”
Darya
-
The most precious thing at British Camp is…
“We can be proud of the number of sessions we have organized, new locations and countries, membership in international associations, unique programs and successful cooperation, but our greatest asset is people!”
Vitaly
“The most valuable thing is people.” Team, campers, parents.”
Darya
-
How has British Camp changed in 10 years? And what lies ahead?
“As I said, British Camp is about the people. Someone leaves us, someone joins us – changes happen all the time. Similarly, the project itself changes according to the needs of the times, but the most important thing for me is the feeling that we are not betraying the principles that were established at the beginning. Even if it is very difficult or not entirely profitable, we will continue to maintain the bar under all circumstances.”
Vitaly
“The journey of British Camp started in a small location and now lives in 2 countries – including in central London, opposite Big Ben itself!
And in the future, we plan to become the №1 English-speaking camp in Europe and accept children from all over the world both in locations abroad and in Ukraine ❤️🇬🇧))“
Darya
