Sandra Vasiliauskienė, head of the LRU Civic Education Department, Shares Her Experience at the First Švyturys 2024 Summer Camp in the U.S.
Q: We frequently hear about the success of youth camps organized by the Lithuanian National Guard. How many camps are held during the summer, and can children from the U.S. participate?
Sandra Vasiliauskienė: In Lithuania, the youth camp season kicks off after the school year ends in mid-June and wraps up by mid-August. We host around 50 camps over these two months. Yes, children from the U.S. are more than welcome to join some of these camps. We strongly encourage their participation. Some camps are tiered, meaning that participants are evaluated, and based on their performance, they can advance to higher-level camps. At the end of these camps, we assess the campers’ knowledge and skills, awarding badges representing their competence level. While these tiered camps are mainly for young members from Lithuania, we have about twenty camps that are not tiered, and we invite children from the U.S. to participate in these.
Q: Where can U.S.-based parents and children find information about camps in Lithuania? Some parents are interested in specific regions related to their ancestry or where relatives live. Who should they contact?
Sandra Vasiliauskienė: We announce our summer camps at the end of May, so that’s the best time to plan. All the details about the camps are available on the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union (Lietuvos šaulių sąjunga) sauliusajunga.lt. Lithuania has ten National Guard units, and the website offers information about each, including staff names, positions, addresses, phone numbers, and email contacts. I suggest contacting the informal education teachers or deputies within these units. You can inquire about general camp-related questions before May, but the specific details typically become available around that time.
Q: You’ve attended many youth camps in Lithuania, and now you’ve witnessed the first camp in America, which you helped organize with your team. What are your impressions, and how do you evaluate the Švyturys 2024 camp?
Sandra Vasiliauskienė: We spent several months planning the program to pack as many activities as possible into one week. Coming here, we weren’t sure what to expect – it’s a different country with different traditions, and this was the first camp of its kind. We had no prior experience to guide us. We didn’t know the children, their mindsets, or how they would respond. While we have extensive experience organizing camps in Lithuania, where the system is familiar to children and instructors, we weren’t sure how it would work here. We encountered more individualistic children; in Lithuania, children tend to adapt more readily, whereas here, we had to adjust to the children.
The main challenge was being flexible in responding to situations. We were focused on implementing the camp’s program while adapting it to the needs of the participants. The Švyturys 2024 camp was a new experience for everyone involved – instructors, organizers, and children. I think we did a great job. After speaking with the instructors, we feel confident that we achieved everything we set out to do, adapting to the conditions by making things more flexible, straightforward, and manageable. This approach was necessary since it was the first camp, and we didn’t want to overwhelm or make it too difficult for the children, who were already facing many challenges.
I believe that next year, we can deliver the same level of programming that we offer in Lithuania.
Q: You mentioned a more robust program for next year. Will it be for the same children, as a higher tier, or for newcomers as well?
Sandra Vasiliauskienė: Yes, I think it will be stronger. It will be open to all children who wish to attend, with clear expectations set in advance. In preparing for next year, organizing a presentation in Lithuanian schools about what children can expect at the camps so they can come prepared, know what lies ahead, and set personal goals would be helpful. This year, our camp communication did a significant job of keeping parents informed daily about their children’s experiences. We created videos and daily summaries with photos, which are good visual material to introduce future camps to parents and children.
Some children from the Švyturys 2024 camp have also attended camps in Lithuania, where they experienced more discipline and adapted quickly to the camp’s structure. In Lithuania, we have about 6000 young members attending the camps, and they all know what to expect, why they are there, and they are motivated to achieve their goals.
This year’s Švyturys 2024 camp was a pilot project where everyone gained valuable experience. The Lithuanian National Guard members who participated in the camp learned how to run the program in the future, saw how we operate, and became familiar with the activities and themes.
The difference in what the children achieved from the first day, when they lined up, to the last day, when they marched with their squad’s chant, is remarkable. I would add that the Rako camp has excellent facilities, allowing us to complete all program tasks within the campgrounds.
No matter how well-organized or attended, challenges and unforeseen situations arise in every camp. Being adaptable is essential, and evaluating your personal qualities is important. Spending a week in a tent with strangers is difficult, but you shouldn’t take it personally. Instead, seize the opportunity to be present in the moment. A camp is a team effort for the children and adults. The team that worked at the Švyturys 2024 camp was genuinely outstanding. We managed to form friendships and find common ground.
The camp’s goals would not have been achieved without such a team. A common goal unites people, and we reached that goal together.
Thank you for the conversation.
Also, read – Interview with Donatas Vaisvalavičius and Interview with Ralfas Andriūnas.
Vilma Kava is a Lithuanian-American author and journalist with a strong interest in Lithuanian culture and history. She has written two books that explore Lithuania’s heritage and traditions. Vilma regularly writes for Draugas newspaper, offering articles that resonate with the Lithuanian diaspora. She also contributes to the Lithuanian National Guard Facebook page, sharing stories and content that promote community engagement and cultural awareness.
