Campground "Batyr" teaches students to live without gadgets

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Real wild life environment was created for children 200 km away from Astana, where they master team work and learn how to love nature

Tourist camp "Batyr" is located in Ereimentau district of the National Nature Park "Buiratau" about 200 km from Astana. Over the last 17 years every summer children from secondary schools come here, where they learn how to live in a natural environment without the benefits of civilization.

"Children learn self-management and self-care at home. They live in tents, sleep in sleeping bags, prepare food themselves on a fire. Each child has his duties. We have a captain. There are co-drivers, who leads other children by the map. There caretakers on nutrition, who are responsible for issuing the products. There are coaches, who lead the morning exercises. Of course, they have older mentors, who follow them", - said the director of the station of young tourists Mels Abenov.

The camp can host 120 children in total at the same time, who are divided into 6 groups, or, as they call them, "batyrs", "ligaments". "Climbers in hazardous areas are connected to each other with a rope. If one falls, others will pull him. We try to highlight the idea: one for all and all for one", - explained Abenov.

Within 10 days, the children climb on the climbing wall, undergo rope courses, learn to navigate the terrain with the help of the compass, map, stars and some other tokens. "How to put up a tent, how to assemble a backpack correctly, there are some instructions for cutting wood. Our city kids do not know how to hold an ax and a saw in the hands. Through such collective activities children get educated, accustomed to work", - he said.

In addition, for 3-4 days kids go hiking along the route. "We prepare them, get them required food products, pack backpacks, tents, etc. They are accompanied by instructors. At the same time they reach standards "Kazakhstan sayahatshysy" and "Zhas tourist". "Zhas tourist" - is 25 km with a minimum of one night in the field. "Kazakhstan sayahatshysy" - 75 km. More trained guys, who are engaged in our circles, go for such serious hikes", - said Abenov.

"Nature out there is incredible! Children see argali, badgers, roe deer, hares. Then they prepare reports on their routes. There are a lot of plants that are listed as endangered, such as black alder, which grows here in Karkaralinsk and Canada. There are around 100-150 springs in Yereimentau region ", - he added.

Abenov stressed that "Batyr" camp is struggling with a major problem of urban children - physical inactivity, that is a sedentary lifestyle. "Another beneft our camp is the fact that there is no network coverage. That is, the phones are not needed there. And yet we do not have electricity. We do not conect for the past 17 years ", - he said.

Every evening, we hold themed evenings in the camp, where young visitors are singing songs with a guitar, dombra, bayan.

"We have no fences, we are surrounded by forest. In stationary camps, kids are limited: Do not go, do not go here. Of course, we keep everything under control, but at the same time the child feels free. They walk through the woods, collect strawberries, herbs, brew tea with thyme", - said Abenov.

At the same time, according to him, there was no food poisoning at "Batyr" camp for 17 years.

"At the end we award badges, certificates. We have more than 5000 "graduates". This, of course, is not crucial, but it is important for the child. When these children arrive at the Faculty of Tourism, many colleges take this into account ", - said mentor of young tourists.

Of course, not everything goes smooth at "Batyr". There are problems that make it difficult to work. For example, in Kazakhstan, according to Abenov, there are no rules for campsites. Therefore, it is required to comply with sanitary conditions as well as a stationary one. "SES comes and asks where is your fridge? To do this, you need electricity, and it contradicts the idea of such camps. There are campgrounds in Kazakhstan, which exist at stationary camps. They eat in the dining room, go camping once and all. And we take the risk. It would be desirable that the special rules are developed, it will facilitate our work", - concluded Abenov.