Our Latest News & Updates
Looking Forward to a better 2022
Spring 2021
We hope that this finds everybody well and doing as best they can, in what can only be described as a most difficult time, the world over.
There is no doubt that Covid 19 will have changed many things everywhere. It has certainly prompted people to revaluate their lives and reflect on what it is that truly matters.
At Rising Stars, we have continued to nourish our dream of creating a better understanding between the youth of Syria and Switzerland.
We have continued to maintain our contacts, as well as our enthusiasm. Although the past year and a half has taught us to be cautious about predictions, we are confident that 2022 will provide an opportunity for another Summer Camp.
Please feel free to contact us through our email address (see the bottom of the page). We would love to hear from you, your questions and ideas are important to us. We also take great pleasure in answering you!
Wishing everybody a better summer, with lots of sunshine
Wishing everybody a better summer, with lots of sunshine and best regards from all of us at Rising Stars.
video for extra engagement! Keep it interesting and relevant so that your readers read it through till the very end.
2020 Summer Camp Postponed
July 2020
The last three months have seen the world change in a way nobody thought was possible.
Covid-19 was a pandemic like no other ever before. The virus was unknown and it spread extremely quickly. The hospitals and clinics were completely overrun and the governments were initially totally overwhelmed.
We were told what to do and masks, hand washing and social distancing became the norm. It was everybody's story, and of course we are all different. A cabbage mask was a solution for some! The cabbage is sometimes called “the poor people’s doctor”, because of its numerous healing virtues.
Even very young children were aware of what was going on.
Many people, although not all, began to re-think their lives. More to the point, the plight of the homeless and the poor, the starving and those whose lives have been torn apart by fighting were not forgotten. One of France’s most eminent philosophers, André Comte-Sponville was quick to point out that the pandemic was no excuse to ignore what was happening in a country like Syria.
Although it is not going to be possible to host a Summer Camp this year, we at Rising Stars are more determined than ever to do so in August 2021. We feel that at the present time, it is doubly important to bring some sunshine and hope into the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.
We ask you to, please, never give up and to believe that when nothing is certain, everything is possible.
end.
We are on our way
March 2020
If this is our very first newsletter, it is because we are now really and truly on our way. There is obviously still an awful lot to be done, and a world in difficulty doesn’t help, but all things being well, we plan on having our first Summer Camp during the first two weeks of July 2020.
We would like to receive a total of six candidates, three boys and three girls, so if you are interested, just go ahead and send us an email.
With regard to the visas, we have been in touch with the Department of External Affairs in Bern. Our hope is that by providing each applicant with a letter from our association, in which we shall stipulate the duration of stay, as well as the fact that each of you will be living with a host family, the whole procedure will proceed smoothly. What is the famous saying? When nothing is sure, everything is possible!
I hope you all like music - singing, playing a musical instrument, it doesn’t matter. We definitely intend to make you dance a little!
You will be asking yourselves why on earth? The answer is quite simple. We believe that without some degree of hope and happiness, nobody can truly look to the future. Music is wonderful nourishment for the soul, as are laughter and companionship, sport, the beauty of nature , not to forget the value of a foreign language and it goes without saying, knowledge in general. Have a look at Doctor Tarek Turk’s video (at the bottom of the page) .... Keep Educated!
These then, are the things we hope to be able to give you during your stay with us.
By the way, there is a great deal more to Switzerland than mountains, watches, cheese and chocolate. For one, like so many other countries nowadays, you are almost just as likely to find your own food here or a book in your own language, as you are to eat a fondue or read a book in French, German, Italian and yes, English as well! Most young people in Switzerland speak at least two, if not three languages.
We really look forward to hearing from you, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.