This August brought Shokkin Group’s team one of the biggest events that we have ever done locally, which was to create and lead our own camp theme for a week. It has been a collaboration with Ole Lukoe Laagrid, who cooperates with us since its beginning. We are very glad to have such great friends and partners with whom we share a similar vision and expectations for cooperation and quality of events. And we are thankful that they believed in us!

The camp shift was developed over a course of a year. It was not an easy process, since it was our first experience designing a program for over 70 kids and teens aged 7-17 (we are used to a bit older crowds and  content-oriented events). But creative work takes you to new worlds and we soon were designing fun running games, simple quests and intriguing plot twists. Of course, we had some people dropping out of the process due to various reasons, some joining at a latter stage and a lot of planning was done online, since Pavel and Olalla were not in Tallinn. Nevertheless, by 18th of August we were ready and making the final team meeting at the venue in Kloogaranna noortelaager, sharing the plan and creating our new imaginary world for the kids. We could not expect what was waiting for us in the upcoming days!

The theme we chose to work with was the world of cinema and video-making, something very practical, fun and never ending as a source of inspiration. The day before the camp started we prepared the area of Shokkinwood studios with a huge screen that invited kids into a new world “behind the screen”. Once the kids entered the world, they met Margaret, an efficient movie director, who was trying her best to keep Shokkinwood studios alive and was very worried about its future and Johnny, a playful actor who was all about fun and games. The two characters were stuck trying to build Shokkinwood and asked the kids and their leaders to help making the greatest movies ever. The kids agreed to help and 4 movie teams were formed to make various genre movies to help Shokkinwood and find a way out of the cinema world. 

The world behind the screen was full strange events. Each day, a new genre took over in the world, which meant that kids got extra challenges to help Margaret and Johnny, who was often the cause of trouble. So during the week teams helped to gather zombies, get rid of evil spirits, solve the mystery of stolen equipment, put superpowers back to where they belong and much more. All of that while creating movies from scratch. But at the end of the week all the work paid off and four movies were nominated for the Oscars. Best movies, actors, screenwriters received their trophies and the whole group could return to the real world to come back home. 

The kids left Margaret and Johnny to keep working on their Shokkinwood project. Before leaving the other side of the screen, kids saw Margaret and Johnny finding a balance between work and play, which they also wished for the kids, to make sure they find in the newly starting academic year. And we hope they will remember this!

After the week finished and we gave and received all the hugs in the the world, the team started packing to head home. We were drained and tired but still joking and smiling. At the end of the week you realize that this kind of work is paid best with wide smiles of kids during the week, very true tears at the end and strong hugs with a very sincere “I will never forget you”! 

We want to thank Ole Lukoe Laagrid for believing in us, our team of leaders and helpers for being there and doing their best, parents for sending their kids to this Shokkin week and all the great kids who made the week so much fun! 

#Stayshokkin!

P.S.: Find more pictures of our #ShokkinShift in the following link!