7th Scholarship Meeting

It's Thursday 12:30 am and 20 continuing and 12 new students have gathered in front of the Savoy Café. Especially the new ones are anxiously anticipating what is going to happen. All of us jump on a bus that is heading to Brandýs nad Labem to the Continental Corporation site. Laughing, we all get dressed in funny protective cloaks with special shoe sleeves with a grounding function, and start our excursion at the radio production process. It's a place not just anybody has the chance to visit. After the site tour and a little refreshment the bus takes us to the Laguna hotel at the Slapy dam where we are going to spend the time until Sunday. In the evening we get acquainted with the newcomers, and we try to distract their concerns. The atmosphere starts to warm up.

Friday is challenging since from the very morning there is a training on the art of etiquette under the leadership of Mgr. René Cienciala. We are all excited by not only the new knowledge acquired but also by the attitude and presentation skills of the instructor who knows how to convey the whole topic in a really funny way. With small pauses the etiquette training keeps us busy until the afternoon. Then the relay is taken over by our colleague Mgr. Marketa Vankova who acquaints the students with contractual arrangements, contract making, and all possible pitfalls that must be taken care of before signing a contract. Everyone is already looking forward to the dinner and the time-off. The students who had dutifully studied are also looking forward to the payment of their Motivational scholarship and the Scholarship of Merit that we gladly pass on to them for their efforts.

On Saturday morning we learn information during the marketing and media training delivered by Jaroslava Musilová from the Kofola company. As part of this training we role play some of the mentioned situations. The lecture becomes fun, and eventually we also get insights into the process of manufacturing Kofola (beverages). Everybody is fully drawn in the situation. The weather turns out to be favorable so we are not forced to cancel our visit to the climbing rope park. Those who don´t want to experience cold high rope obstacles go for a walk. The evening is dedicated to different games. We laugh until our stomachs hurt.

On Sunday we eagerly wait for the healthy diet counselor Kateřina Cajthamlová, MD. Her lecture is energetic regardless of her fatigue from her first night appearance at the TV show Star Dance. The Weekend Meeting slowly comes to its end, and a bus takes us to the Prague-based restaurant called the Butcher's. After a delicious lunch everyone sets out on their journey back to their children´s home.

Víkend utekl a my se se všemi těšíme na viděnou na jarním setkání, v roce 2016.

The Weekend Meeting is over and we are all already looking forward to the spring Weekend Meeting in 2016.

Our sincere thanks go to:

Katerina Cajthamlová, MD for her interesting lecture completely free of charge;

the company MetLife for their financial support and gifts for the students;

the company Continental for their financial support and the preparation of an excursion;

the company RWE (Naše dítě Foundation) for their financial support;

the company Kofola and its PR Manager Jarka Musilová for her lecture and for having donated beverages;

the company Bonavita for having donated granola bars;

the company Ovocný světozor - Hájek a Boušová for having donated baguettes and pies;

and the company Lactalis CZ for having donated yoghurts and yoghurt drinks.