What we do
Ambassador Programme
Using English to empower future generations.
The Bright Kites Foundation offers Colombian students from disadvantaged backgrounds an opportunity for personal and academic growth. We send students from schools from the lowest strata neighbourhoods in Medellin, Pereira and Cali to study English at a language school in the UK for a month.
Our ambassadors will:
- Stay with British families, practising their English every day
- Take part in Bayswater College’s Junior Summer Camp (English classes, cultural activities and excursions)
- Visit Universities to get a taster of higher education in the UK
- Record their experiences and create a log of their progress to take back to Colombia, enabling them to become language ambassadors
- As language ambassadors, will give a presentation about their time away, bringing materials and ideas back with the goal of promoting language learning
- Help us decide who will receive the grant the following year
- Participants are in grade 10 and the programme aims to enrich their final year at secondary school, positively impacting their final English language grades and widening their opportunities for further education.
We ran our pilot programme during the summer of 2019 and received tremendous feedback!
Our ambassadors, Hamilton & Salome helped us to select the candidates for 2021.
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Selection Process
Students who wish to apply for the competition will need to make a video about themselves as English learners and why they want to study in the UK. It can be a song, rap, poem or a ‘day in my life’ style video.
A decision will be made based on the student’s level of English, motivation and effort put into the video. The board will also ask the English teachers about the attitude of the student towards the subject and their grades.
We take into account the students’ future plans and those who are looking at studying at university (scholarships and bursaries) will be supported throughout their final year at school. We hope this experience will help students in their applications and encourage them to believe in their own abilities.
Click the link below to view an example of one of our previous alumni’s application video:
STEP 1
October – November
Submit videos
STEP 2
December – January
Candidates selected and notified
STEP 3
February – April
Visa applications and other administrative preparation
STEP 4
July – August
Travel to London
STEP 5
August – September
Return to Colombia to complete studies with improved English ability!
Our Partner Schools
The Bright Kites Foundation currently works with schools in Medellin, Pereira & Cali.
If you would like your school to be considered for the Ambassador Programme please send us an email at info@thebrightkitesfoundation.org
Our partner school in Medellín is I.E. San Pablo in Manrique. The institution teaches students to be ambassadors both in and outside of the classroom so that they can have a positive influence the transformation of their own community and country.
pereira
Our partner school in Pereira is I.E. Aquilino Bedoya. The school is known for developing tolerance and respect and encouraging academic excellence and community development. Alongside this students are known to excel in music and the arts.
cali
Our first partner school in Cali is Celmira Bueno de Orejuela or ‘CBO’ in Chiminangos. The school offers education from preschool level to secondary, instilling values of solidarity, respect, responsibility, leadership and discipline.
Our second partner school in Cali is I.E Alvaro Echeverry Perea, in the south of the city. The school focuses on developing young citizens with entrepreneurial spirit as well as coaching students who wish to access higher education.