The Educational & Personal Development Courses Now At Les Elfes

Learning Through Adventure since 1987” has been our byline.

The  Educational & Personal Development Courses in Leadership & Arts, Cooking & Theatre make the program complete by having equal emphasis on physical and soft skills, thus developing and enriching both the left and the right brain.

 We at Les Elfes have constantly been changing and developing various facets of our program to ensure best deliverables for our participants

The aims of the Educational Courses which, from 2015, will become a trademark feature of our Spring Camps are to:

1. Provide Adventurous Activities built on a well-established foundation of professional and safe practices.
2. Inspire holistic personal development and an exploration of inter-personal identities through culturally diverse experiences.
3. Outdoor Learning which enables young people to discover their true potential to be dynamic and prosperous in their future lives.

 The sessions in these educational courses have been designed to be flexible in their content and structure to suit the requirements of the individuals participating in each course, building on their current level of experience and confidence.

 During the Educational & Personal Development Courses our Learning Outcomes  include:

•   Verbal Communication – Considering appropriate use of Verbal communication; instruction, encouragement, direction, humour, tone, projection of voice and managing verbal communication during conflict.
•        Alternatives to Verbal Communication – Appropriate circumstances to use different methods of communication, the impact of body language and posture as a leader on the behaviour of a group, using clapping, whistles and touch to communicate effectively.
•         Characteristics of an Effective Leader – Exploring ideas of the expectations of a leader, the character traits which influence leadership styles, role models, behaviors and the individual characteristics of participants in the group and the ways in which their characteristics shape their group.
•       Time Management & Personal Organisation – Learning to plan an effective session in leading, accurately approximating the time for each activity, managing equipment & facilities to produce an effective session, giving clear and precise instructions and motivating others when leading a session.

 Our Educational & Personal Development program is a question as much as an answer. Through our activities we pose questions to our young people that spark creative action and engender reflective thinking, giving them the tools to cultivate a leadership style which is truly their own. The experiential learning pedagogy employed in Les Elfes Leadership is focused on the unlocking of innate potential within the young people we teach.

 Les Elfes Educational & Personal Development  Programs are designed and facilitated by graduates of LJMU’s Outdoor Education degree where they have studied under some of the UK’s foremost academics in the field Development Training and Outdoor Leadership.

Together with the team of experienced and dedicated staff and the fabulous resources available in and around our alpine campuses, Les Elfes are able to offer some of the most exciting, contemporary and relevant leadership programmes in the Alps.

The Learning Objectives for this years classes , but are not limited to were:

• v   Communication skills
• v   Interpersonal skills
• v   Intra personal skills
• v   Team building skills
• v   Goal setting skills
• v   Reflection skills
• v   Time management skill

With the success of this session, we will be making this resource of learning for our participants more intense. We will have 6-8 such classes through the two week session

For under 12 years of age, cooking will be replaces with public speaking & creative writing and art and theater will be integrated to maximize the participants creative skills. Different tools will be used each year to eliminate repetition for repeating participants.

 In Spring 2016, for over 12 years of age, areas addressed in the Leadership classes will be

v Self-awareness

v Organizing

v Listening

v Thinking strategically

v Critical thinking

v Conflict resolution

v Optimisation

v Self Actualisation

And the classes in Spring 2017 will focus on

v Innovation

v Setting expectations

v Delegation

v Recognition

v Stress management

v Crisis management

v Emotional intelligence

Leadership Training & Career Orientation at Les Elfes Camps

 

Les Elfes introduces Leadership Training and Career Orientation for our 12-17 year old campers. We work with highly professional experts who developed a unique and fun-based approach. Our campers will gain valuable practical skills

Leadership Training

We will offer an exclusive one-day leadership training for our 12-14 year old campers. We work with highly professional experts who developed a unique and fun-based approach. Our campers will gain valuable practical skills, such as goal setting, presentation skills, group dynamics and the essence of time management, which will be discussed and experienced during interactive presentations, great role-plays and exciting fun-filled games.

 Career Orientation

Our oldest campers aged 15-17 years old will have the chance to participate in a one-day career orientation workshop during their session. Based on an interactive method, the students will discover their talents, interests and management styles and how to apply these elements in their professional orientation. Each student receives a motivation profile and his personal talent definition.

Adventure Camps Do Change Your Life !

The camp experience is life-changing – developing friendships and memories that last well beyond the final campfire

Research shows that first-hand experience with nature, like those at camp, reduce stress in children and help them better handle stress in the future. In addition to teaching children how to be good stewards of the environment, camps are teaching children how to enjoy the world around them and take a minute to breathe deep and feel the nature, which ultimately teaches them how to de-stress the natural way.

Camp is a great place to try new activities and hobbies. Afraid of rock walls ? Research states that 74 percent of campers reported that they tried new activities at camp that they were afraid to do at first. And, those activities often leave lasting impressions. In the same survey, 63 percent of parents reported that their child continued new activities from camp after returning home.

Camp gets those neurons pumping! Education reform debate and concern over summer learning loss have pushed academic achievement into the spotlight. Research shows that participation in intentional programs, like camp, during summer months helps stem summer learning loss. In addition, camp provides ample opportunity for developmental growth, which is a precursor to academic achievement. And, because of the “hands-on” nature of camp, often children who struggle in traditional education settings do well at camp.

Camp builds leaders for the 21st century and beyond! Independence, resiliency, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and the ability to relate to other people — these are the skills that tomorrow’s leaders will need, and the skills camp has been adept at building for 150 years. “Tomorrow’s leaders will not be those who can type or text with lightning speed, they will be those who can have a face-to-face conversation and articulate their thoughts, ideas, and values,” said Smith. “Tomorrow’s leaders will be able to relate globally and find common ground with people who are vastly different from themselves — people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Tomorrow’s leaders will be made and educated by experiences like those provided at camps of Les Elfes”

Win A GoPro Camera Contest from Les Elfes India (15th -16th Feb 2014)

Win A Go Pro Camera

Short & Sparky  Contest

  15th Feb-16th Feb 2014

A great football kick ,a poetic dive, an awesome ski jump,

A friend’s tennis shot, sisters back flip,dad’s golf swing,

Neighbours cricket shot

Any of these could win you a camera

 

Les Elfes  India invites young adults aged 7-18 partake in a photo contest by sharing an exciting sporting video

Shoot or download a short video of any sporting action

The video has to be of 1-2 ½ minutes duration.

You could shoot yourself from any mobile or basic camera

You can even download a sporting video from the net & recreate or reinvent it

Add music or effects to spark it up

Upload it on our facebook page

Get friends to like it & convince Les Elfes International to love it !

And Voila! You have a shot at winning the great GoPro Camera

PS. you must like our page to enter or to vote

Rule & Regulations

1. Open to all children aged 7-18
2. The video has to be of any sports action
3. Videos must be uploaded on 15th 16th Feb 2014
4. One child can submit only video
5. The video should have largely original content.
6. The video should be uploaded on the Les Elfes India page at www.facebook.com/leselfesindia
7. Les Elfes will monitor the contest to the best of our ability
8. We will remove all content/comments, in our sole discretion, that is deemed inappropriate, and then block the user
9. By submitting a video, you understand that Les Elfes India is not responsible for comments or negativity regarding your photo,
10. Facebook is in no way associated with this contest and every contestant is entering into an engagement with Les Elfes India
11. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook
12. By submitting a photo, participants are agreeing to abide by these rules and conditions

Winner

Winner shall be adjudged on the basis of the following criterion
The video which gets lots of likes on face book & is selected by Les Elfes International will be deemed the winner.

The Winner will be announced on our Face book Page

Prize

An Exciting GO Pro Camera 

All the short listed ten zonal winners will get a chance to participate in the Annual Champ Contest, the winner of which will win one week free in any of the Spring Summer Camps 2014

New Certified Adventure Courses from Les Elfes International

Besides Skiing now certified courses in Paragliding ,Mountain Biking & Rock Climbing

Les  Elfes has evolved a new direction for our repeating young adults to be able to give our participants more and more achieving experiences. This year we cross another mile stone.

While academics remain to be the key to success, the repeated experience at Les Elfes will help campers become confident young individuals and expands their horizons.

For our repeating participants we bring in the second week ,two amazing options after the week of skiing at Zermatt

1. Paragliding course

The participant after this course achieves EP2 level will be able to fly solo, under supervision anywhere in the world . In continuation of this  course, in the subsequent year the Elf can complete EP3 which enables him to fly unsupervised.

•       Has an age limit of 14 years and over.
•       Will be at an additional charge of Sfr 1000 over the camp fee.

2. Mountain biking and Rock climbing course.

•     Has no age bar, is open for all our participants.
•     Will be at an additional charge of Sfr 600 over the camp fee.

These are offered through  each of the sessions in the second week in substitution of the multi sports and excursion week.

These will be conducted under professional guidance and carry certification on completion which form part of a record of their personal triumphs.

While in two or three years of continuous exposure not only does the Elves become proficient in skiing, they also learns another sport for life and thus a clear and logical progression. The opportunity to develop from a beginner to a leader by able to define levels of personal achievement.

Thus while the Elves skies the first week and take their skill to a new level, they can choose one of the two above options in the second week.

The various spring dates for this year are

1 .  19th April to 3rd May

2.   26th April to 10th May

3.   20th May to 3rd June.

Camp Diary 2 -Nehal Gupta Winter 2013- Les Elfes India

Adventure Sports &   Ski Camp at Les ELfes Verbier

Les Elfes was a dream before I visited it . It was a yay moment when my parents agreed to send me . I was so enthusiastic while packing all my stuff and thinking about travelling to Switzerland with an international group of my age. The campaign brochures and its sites had already captivated me a lot. Finally the day came and I travelled with my chaperon Ms. Rachna  and  eight more children from India to Swiss.

At the GVA airport Les elfes had its own counter . The guy who came to pick us up was Fred. He  gave a taste of how my coming week would be. He was too easy to talk to and such a hilarious guy . There I met two more people from New York and Russia . Nicole was the girl from New York and became a good friend of mine.  It gave an essence of being free and independent. Then we travelled till Les Elfes together and was really impressed the way our chaperon told everything about we were seeing on our way. After reaching the members there welcomed us really warmly by introducing themselves with smiling faces . We were shown our chalets and rooms which were no less. Also we went to shop that day with our group and got our ski equipments . The same evening we met a French woman who specialised in baking cookies and snacks. They were lovely and we wanted to eat more than our bellies allowed us to.  Next day we went to Ski on the bunny slopes and our trainers Alice and Alessio were so friendly and tranquil. Learning how to get skis on and handling them was a lot of fun. Then after that day our group got promoted to blue slopes . Travelling together on lifts and clicking pictures with them was the real fun.  It was a sense of achievement and ” yes I have done something”. Getting lunch on slopes and sitting on snow was something unique and amazing . Even falling after every try didn’t loose are confidence but encouraged us to do better. Everyone of us was so curious to learn ski in such an amazing aura . Under this excitement I could also bear the coldest days of my life till now.

Then on the last day I realised that Ski is actually my cup of tea. We did the red slopes. We went 2400 metres high and skied . The view we got there just can’t be expressed in words. It seemed that I was on top of all the mountains amidst the clouds . Moreover when the strays of Sun came across the mountains it all glowed and looked all animated . Rainbows were visible and seemed to just purify one’s soul . Skiing down from there in that wind completely turned me into another person . That sense of handwork and accomplishment can’t come in me with any other thing I do. My chaperon used to encourage and cheer us so much . In all Les elfes is a mandatory place to go to find yourself and turn your personality upside down .

Nehal Gupta

The Indian Mascot

#adventurecamps #leselfesindia #leselfescamps #skicamps

Camp Diary Ranveer Modi Winter of 2013 at Les ELfes Camp

Ski Week at Les Elfes  Camps in Verbier

The night of 27th couldn’t have been spent in a more petrifying manner. An 8 hour haul to Zurich and to top it off, a half an hour lay over at Zurich airport en route Geneva. Midway, I was almost beginning to wonder whether it was all worth this exertion? Would this trip be a bubble ready to burst prematurely?

Once we reached Geneva after a not-so-snappy journey, we found one of the drivers waiting for us. He did nothing to inflate our mood by informing us that we had to wait for another flight.  After an hour or so of waiting, we finally re grouped with two Russians and an American and started our drive towards Verbier. The main attraction was the Geneva Lake. It was humongous to say the least and at the same time the view served like divine nectar to my head which was on the verge of exploding. On the other side was France. That was some retina busting boundary. The rest of the journey was spent in tucking in some much required shut eye. The weather was terrifyingly gloomy but the moment I beheld snow, my face started emitting a radiant glow. It was shameful not to have touched snow till then in life but this was hell of a beginning.

The chalet appeared right in front of us. It was just as proclaimed on the website! There were two chalets: one for the boys and the other for the girls. The road had bit of frozen ice on it which made it more difficult to snail towards the reception. We were allotted our respective rooms. Mine was 207 and I was sharing it with my friend and an excited albeit quiet (hybrid) Russian. The whole day was bit of a drag with the usual orientation and etcetera. This just reminded me of the first day at Doon.

-15! The moment I stepped out in the open, I  felt my thumb freeze and my toes shiver. After wearing uncountable layers if this was the outcome, then the apparel brands seriously needed an overhaul. After we gathered our equipments, we proceeded towards the buses that carried us to the piste. We were in the blue piste, which was one step above the bunny slopes, the basic ones. What a view! There in front of me ensconced in the snowy Alpine slope, lay the legendary ‘magic carpet’, which my parents had so enthusiastically talked about (probably because it had the word ‘magic’ in it ).  Whoosh! That might have been the onomatopoeic version of what happened when I crashed into a fellow skier for the first time. I just wanted to break my skis at that time and I decided to try again. That day I crashed/fell 25 times, to say the least.

The next day was the same, but the day after that we got our bearings right and was granted our first promotion. I felt good and accomplished. I felt enthused and impatient. I wanted to be a black level skier! The whole day was spent talking about the much awaited new year night.

A carnival! Seriously? What’s the use of Disneyland? The excuse of the instructors was it was supposed to be for all age groups. Well, I thought we were having a kindergarten kitty party. The torch light walk was fun but the fireworks was nothing compared to the ones we get to witness at private residences back home in India. The disco was fun even though the instructors’ and our taste in music did not quite overlap. Sadly.

All I could think of was skiing the next day. I went to sleep at around 12:30 am.  The  only heads-up was that we could wake up at 8:30am., an hour later than ususal. The routine was always the same but that day the lunch was under Mont Fort, in a cabin. We would be skiing there someday but not that day, we were informed rather patronisingly.

Our last day was the most memorable in terms of skiing. We went up to the red slopes and took a 10 km long route on the groomed piste downwards. It was fun and was a mesmerising experience with the wind slammimg against my face. I felt I was getting sucked into a vortex but I didn’t care. My instructors, Alice and Alessio, were literally after my life as I was always out of line, cruising along at my own breakneck pace. I was really sad when we were informed that it was time to head back to the chalet. That night I was named the ‘Mascot for India’ and we also bagged the ‘Best Group Award’!

Again I was back on the flight. This time homeward bound. I will always cherish those days and will always thank the people who are responsible for me going to Les Elfes, in my prayers. The staff was skilled, meticulous and most importantly, compassionate. And gloriously funny and cheerful. I will miss every bit of it in the days to come. Thank you Les Elfes for helping me to ring in the new year amid such a spectacular alpine sweep. A warm experience in the chill of Alpine winter.

Ranveer Modi

#adventurecamps #leselfesindia # leselfescamps

Les Elfes India -Adventure Sports Camps from India

Les Elfes is a Swiss organization with over 27 years of working with children. With a client base spanning all the continents, we offer opportunities to young adults between the ages of 8 and 18 years, to discover and learn beyond formal education in an international environment.

Today Les Elfes has emerged not only as the pioneering organization in its area of expertise, but is the only organization in the world  open to participation in high-end adventure/ intense learning environment for a week or more in continuity from the month of December to August each year.

Having started operations in India since 1997 we have had the pleasure to host hundreds of young adults from India At Les Elfes we offer Spring Summer and Winter Camps combining the best of adventure sports like skiing snowboarding along with learning and perfecting languages. Children and teenagers discover other cultures and make new friends.

Activities are designed to promote leadership and teamwork and challenge students toward excellence in a way that maximizes both personal and group development and enhances self-confidence and interpersonal skills.

Our endeavor is focused towards the nurturing and challenging of the young mind. To move them out of comfort zones, to help them think for themselves on their feet, to make them self reliant yet team players. To help them gain confidence though a sense of self achievement .To enables and equips them with skills that make them confident adjusted and contributing global citizens of our flattened world. And this is achieved in an extremely safe, fun and international environment.

Keeping cultural sensitivities in mind India is the only country form where we have introduces the concept of Chaperoned programs which are led by some of our experienced team members in all the sessions. We also believe in personalized service therefore whether a child or a parent we are always accessible.

Detailed schedules of all our sessions are available on our website ( www.leselfes.com) and .leselfesindia facebook page offers glimpses of our past and our present.

For detailed information you can email us on leselfes@gmail.com

Adventure Camps in Switzerland