Annual CHARITY BALLS are held by the International Association for Bilingual Education ("International Bilingual Education"). All collected funds go to the development of bilingual education or charitable projects in which the Association takes part.
In our "Babel" times when languages and cultures are mixed, it is really impressive to see statistics of bilingual children: their number reaches almost half of the total child population of the planet. Unfortunately education is lagging behind, as usual. Parents and children often have to cope on their own with difficulties, obstacles and complexes related to bilinguism. This issue is especially relevant in Swizerland, where population comprises 25% of foreigners, according to official data. In fact you might have repeatedly faced such problems yourself!
The development of bilingual education for children from a very early age will not only contribute to culture, but also help to prevent social conflicts.
The Association aims to engage withnational authorities at various levels and in different countriesand to unite educational institutions, professionals, parents around the development of bilingual programs that will help children not only to adopt to a new environment easily and naturally, but also to preserve their mother tongue as a cultural advantage.
The Association"International Bilingual Education" was created at the initiative of the Geneva Academic Centre in order to consolidate and optimize various existing research processes, as well as put on the agenda such vital tasks as the creation of comprehensive methods and textbooks for bilingual schools and open speech therapy and psychological care centres.
The Geneva Academic Centre is a Swiss educational holding combining university, school and pre-school levels, operating in accordance with the regulations of the Geneva Department of Education and holds all the relevant official licences.
The Center specializes in bilingual education. Currently over 350 Russian-speaking students, whose parents live and work in Geneva or abroad, are enrolled at the Center at various levels of education.
The philosophy of the Centre is based on the integration of Russian-speaking students into the European environment, while preserving their Russian cultural and family identity . The Geneva Centre makes every effort to give students the opportunity to adapt comfortably to a foreign environment, while simplifying their parents’ role and enabling the latter to focus on their work and career. Our experience has shown that parents desperately need help in overcoming language problems and ensuring the successful social adaptation of their children.
The Association is mainly aimed at solving these problems and is able to go beyond the educational centre to gather the necessary resources.
As part of its integration concept the Association organizes annual Winter Charity Balls, which gather the Russian-speaking and European elite of Geneva:
- the annual Family Winter Ball, gathering some 300 guests to celebrate the traditional « old » Russian New Year, gives both adults and young people (from the age of 15) the chance to enjoy a relaxed and merry atmosphere, take part in exciting games and win in the Diamonds Lottery.
- the traditional Children's Christmas Ball for 800 guests plunges children and their parents into the magic atmosphere of Russian fairy tales, where Ded Moroz (Father Frost) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), played by professional theatre actors from Moscow, conduct the festivities and delight guests with surprise gifts.
Ladies and gentlemen, parents of bilingual children!
We really need your participation in order to fulfil our common dream of a life without language and mental barriers! To implement the plans of the Association of Bilingual Education we really need your help!
We invite you, your family and your colleagues, some of whom have already entrusted the education of their children to us, not only to come to visit us and have fun at our wonderful family balls, but also to become friends, partners and members of our association, and, if you wish, to sponsor our ball and other events that bring together the elite of Geneva society, interested in helping children.
All proceeds from the events 2015 will go to charity project:
Charity project 2018
with Khabensky Foundation (Moscow)
more...
President of International Bilingual Education
(non-profit association)