No other event captures the beautiful diversity of JOYKIDS quite like International Day, the annual event where JOYKIDS parents participate in creating a unique cultural experience for our children to learn from and enjoy. Thanks to the contribution of this year’s generous parents, we were able to have twelve countries represented. These countries included America, Ukraine, Pakistan, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Malaysia, Japan, India, Slovakia, United Kingdom, and Korea. Volunteer parents planned, prepared, and executed their Country Booths, displaying their cultural background in a fun and educational way.
The program began with a short welcome speech, prepared and presented by Ms. Nadia and Ms. Slvina. Following the welcome speech, the JOYKIDS students took to the stage to sing “We are Unity” as a group. After the children had taken their seats, the teachers performed a beautiful Malaysian dance while Ms. Slvina sang a moving rendition of Dikir Puteri. Next, students were called up to give a show and tell presentation featuring a culturally significant item to them. We especially enjoyed the Traditional Korean Masks and Japanese Sword. The program ended as the children and their families were dismissed to go explore the cultural booths that had been prepared for this event.
To encourage our students to experience as many booths as possible, an Activity Passport was distributed to help guide them through all the activities available in each country booth. Once 7 activities were completed, children could redeem their Activity Passport for a prize at the Malaysia Booth. From the Easter Egg decoration at the Ukraine Booth, to the Chocolate Fondue fountain at the Switzerland booth, our students had a myriad of opportunities to enjoy their time exploring.
As we did last year, in conjunction with International Day, JOYKIDS teamed up with the Daily Bread Food Bank, running a food drive to benefit those in need. These donations will be distributed on behalf of JOYKIDS to various poor and remote families in November. We had a wonderful time at International Day 2019, thank you to all of our volunteers and participants for making this year so special. Au Revoir, Adios, Sayonara, Zai Jian, and Goodbye until next year!
