上海市人民对外友好协会副会长景莹宣布第12届上海国际青少年互动友谊营开营。

    Jing Ying, Vice President of ShanghaiPeople’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries announced theopening of the 12thShanghai International Youth Interactive Friendship Camp.

    7月13日上午，第12届上海国际青少年互动友谊营在东方绿舟开营。来自安提瓜巴布达、澳大利亚、保加利亚、中国、丹麦、法国、德国、意大利、墨西哥、缅甸、新西兰、韩国、俄罗斯、斯里兰卡、圣马力诺、塞尔维亚、瑞典、瑞士、泰国、乌兹别克斯坦、英国、美国22个国家的近130名青少年及带队老师参加本次互动友谊营。其中，安提瓜巴布达和乌兹别克斯坦两国系首次参加。

    一系列丰富多彩的主题活动将贯穿为期10天的互动友谊营。在“中国文化”、“我爱上海”、“国家主题秀”等板块中，中外青少年将有机会体验传统扎染艺术、汉服文化，通过“城市定向”了解上海风貌，走进朱家角古镇和迪士尼乐园感受历史遗韵与现代时尚，并以演讲和搭展台的形式，展现各国文化特色。此外，营员们还将参观东方明珠、上海历史陈列馆、自然博物馆、城隍庙、田子坊等标志性景点。活动期间，外国营员还将入住上海志愿者家庭，体验最接地气的民风民俗，学做一天上海人。

   互动友谊营采用随机编组的形式，每个小组都有来自世界各地的小伙伴，这为营员们提供了亲密互动、深入交往的机会。在今天的开营日上，各小组的第一个任务就是制作队旗。

    10个“联合国”小组制作和展示各自的队旗 Flag making and displaying

    互动友谊营在邀请的国别上与服务国家整体外交大局相结合。近年来在参与国家的选择上重点考虑“一带一路”及周边国家。今年，中亚文化大国乌兹别克斯坦首次参加互动友谊营。带队老师扎拉说，孩子们通过才艺选拔和语言考核赢得参加此次活动的名额。来到这里能让他们开阔眼界，更好地学习中文，并交到全球各地的好朋友。

    中美洲岛国安提瓜巴布达也是第一次参加友谊营。安巴中国友好协会为了遴选营员，还组织了面向全国中学生的题为“我为什么要访问中国”主题征文比赛。安中友协主席、总督夫人桑德拉•威廉姆斯亲自给安巴所有中学校长写信，详细介绍征文比赛的具体要求。征文比赛的脸谱页面点击量超过了2万，这在总人口8万多人的安巴实属罕见，也反映出安巴青少年对中国的热情和喜爱。最终来自圣安东尼中学的安迪亚•温特和来自国王基督中学的弗朗切斯卡•索斯维尔以详实的内容和优美的文笔脱颖而出，获得了参加互动友谊营的机会。

    今年，增强现实技术（AugmentedReality，简称 AR）首次用于互动友谊营。营员们正在学习如何使用。This is the firsttime that Augmented Reality has been used in thecamp. A camper is learning how to use it.

    今年互动友谊营的营服上，上海友协60周年的Logo清晰可见。绿色代表着青春、理想、希望与和平，象征各国青少年携手进步。憨态可掬的小猴象征着友协60周年正值猴年，它给人活力和生机勃勃之感。衔着橄榄枝的和平鸽寓意和平和友谊，也象征着上海友协将秉持“为国交友”的宗旨，继续推动跨国界、跨时空、跨文明的交流互鉴活动，从而拉近中外人民距离。

    志愿者Volunteers

    以“和平、友谊、未来”为主题的上海国际青少年互动友谊营创办于2005年，由上海市人民对外友好协会和上海市青年联合会主办，上海市青少年活动中心承办，是面向未来，开拓创新，开展中外青少年友好交流、促进民间外交的有益尝试。自2005年至2015年，来自50个国家和地区的1000多名青少年参加了互动营，形成了“欢乐、互动、友谊、使者”的鲜明特色。作为“青少年外交”的重要展现方式，已成为上海民间外交的知名品牌，在国际舞台上绽放异彩，为促进上海青少年与世界各国青少年之间的相互了解和友谊起到了积极的推动作用。

    Here comes 2016 Shanghai Intl Youth Interactive Friendship Camp

    The 12th Shanghai International Youth Interactive Friendship Camp kicked off at the Oriental Land in Shanghai, July 13, 2016, featuring avariety of events and exchanges such as culture experience, home stay with local families and city tour of tradition and modernity.

    Almost 130 campers, including teenagers and their teachers come from 22 countries, that is, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bulgaria, China, Denmark, France,Germany, Italy, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia, SriLanka, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Uzbekistan, theUnited Kingdom and the United States. It is the first time for Antigua Barbuda and Uzbekistan to take part in the camp.

    During the 10-day events, these young people will experience traditional tie-dyeing art and Han clothes culture, know about Shanghai’s style and features through orienteering walk around the city, feel the historical charm and modern fashion inZhujiajiao Ancient Town and Shanghai Disneyland respectively, and showcase cultural characteristics of their countries in the form of speech and exhibition.

    In addition, they will visit the landmark attractions in Shanghai such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Municipal History Museum, Shanghai Natural History Museum, City God Temple of Shanghai and Tian-Zi-Fang.

    The camp randomly divides the campers into 10 groups, offering them opportunities of close interaction and in-depth exchanges. Today, their first task is to maketheir group flags. At the weekends, the homestay with local volunteer families will give foreign teenagers exposure to the real-life customs of Shanghainese.

    The friendship camp has been giving priority to the countries along the “One Belt and One Road” these years, corresponding with China’s overall diplomacy.It is the first year that the campers of Uzbekistan, a big country of culturein Central Asia come to the camp.

    Uzbekistan tutor Zara said that they chose the campers through talent show and language proficiency. Andthis event helps students broaden their horizons, learn Chinese-language better,and make friends all over the world.

    Antigua and Barbuda, an island country in Central America selected campers through anation-wide essay competition with the topic as “Why I would like to visitChina”. President of the Antigua and Barbuda China Friendship Association (ACFA), Lady Sandra Williams wrote letters to the principals of all the secondary schools in Antigua and Barbuda, elaborating the specific requirements of the essay competition. The competition page on Facebook received over 20,000hits, which was rarely seen in the country with a total population of more than 80,000. It also reflects the passion and love of Antigua and Barbuda teenagersfor China. Finally Adia Wynter from St. Anthony’s and Francesca Southwell from Christ the King won the trip to Shanghai with their detailed depiction and elegant writing style.

    The logo for the 60 anniversary of the establishment of Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries is clearly visible on thisyear’s camp T-shirts. The color of green implies youth, ideal, hope and peace;the adorable monkey represents the Year of Monkey and the dove with olivebranch symbolizes peace and friendship.

    With the theme of "Peace, Friendship, Future", Shanghai International Youth Interactive Camp is sponsored by the Shanghai People’s Association forFriendship with Foreign Countries and the Shanghai Youth Federation andorganized by the Shanghai Youth and Children’s Activity Centre, encouraging young people all over the world to become goodwill ambassadors and leverage thewisdom of youth for world peace and friendship.

    Since its launch in 2005, the camp has attracted over 1000 youngsters from 50 countriesand regions and has been well recognized for its features of "Joy, Interaction, Friendship and Ambassador". The camp has played aninstrumental role in deepening mutual understanding and exchange between youngpeople in Shanghai and other countries.