As our in-house English program continues to flourish with an updated curriculum and a dynamic teaching team, we are thrilled to announce a major milestone in our students’ educational journey: the launch of three brand-new student clubs!
These clubs are designed as interactive spaces where our kids can take what they learn in the classroom, put it into real-world practice, explore new talents, and expand their language skills through hands-on learning. To make sure everyone stays focused and receives adequate mentoring, we have dedicated two full hours every Friday specifically to club activities, allowing our mentors to maximize training, guidance, and encouragement for our students.
Each club is guided by a dedicated mentor whose strengths, expertise, and passion align with their group’s goals and long-term vision.
The Reading Club – Mentored by Teacher Roxanne
Who it’s for: Tailored for younger learners, including four of our littlest ones—Jules, Maya, Chrissy, and Ennio.
Purpose: We know that not everyone grows up loving to read right away. That’s why Roxanne’s focus is to help the kids fall in love with reading. Rather than setting strict page counts or rigid schedules, the club is all about exploring different genres, enjoying stories, and building a strong, natural foundation in literacy.
Future vision: After our first term, we plan to create our very own podcasts and voice-recorded storybooks featuring the real voices of our Reading Club members!
The Public Speaking Club – Mentored by Teacher Panha
Who it’s for: Open to students eager to build real-world communication skills and stage presence. It currently includes eight kids: Sammy, Jamie, Naomi, Vandeth, Dina, Bunrath, Jeff, and Lisa.
Purpose: We want our students to feel comfortable, knowledgeable, and confident whenever they speak, whether standing on stage in front of a large crowd or engaging in everyday conversations. Teacher Panha guides them to express their ideas clearly, refine their pronunciation, and speak with ease.
Future vision: Once our speakers build momentum, we plan to take them outside Little Hearts to participate in oral presentations and friendly public speaking competitions with other schools.
The Debate Club – Mentored by Teacher JJ
Who it’s for: Designed primarily for our older kids, especially our university students.
Purpose: Debate isn’t just about arguing; it’s about knowing how to discuss issues in a sensible, structured, persuasive manner. Under Teacher JJ’s guidance, students learn to do thorough research, think outside the box, take initiative, and develop sharp critical thinking skills. These abilities will directly benefit our university students in their higher education and as future working adults.
Future vision: As their training progresses, our debaters will represent Little Hearts in inter-school debate competitions, seminars, and external youth forums.
How the Clubs Were Formed
To ensure every student gets the most out of their experience, we took a thoughtful approach to forming each group. We first asked the kids which club they were most interested in joining. Then, to maximize learning, our teaching team adjusted placements based on age, language level, and educational needs, ensuring that all our university students stepped into the challenging environment of the Debate Club, where analytical thinking is essential.
To officially launch the clubs, the students took on their first major project: conceptualizing, drawing, and presenting their own unique club logo, alongside defining their mission, goals, and vision. With guidance from their mentors, the kids drew and brainstormed every design themselves. Because the concepts were their own creation, the students spoke with incredible pride, clarity, and enthusiasm when they presented their designs to everyone else.
The kick-off was made even more special thanks to perfect timing: we were joined by special guest visitors from Belgium (Teneka, Monique, and Jack), who served as our panel of judges. They evaluated each club on their readiness, clarity, presentation quality, and logo creativity.
“Visiting Little Hearts years ago and returning today to see the kids speak with so much confidence is incredible. Their growth and English skills are amazing, and I am so proud to witness this milestone!”
— Tineke, Judge & Former Volunteer
“Having cared for these kids as a volunteer ten years ago, seeing them now fills me with immense pride. Even as an adult, standing up to present in front of an audience can be terrifying, yet these kids spoke with such poise and complete lack of nervousness. They are truly incredible!”
— Monique, Judge & Former Volunteer
Every club delivered an outstanding performance, explaining their aims and logo symbolism so well that the scores were extremely close. But as in every competition, there must be a winner… Congratulations to the Public Speaking Club for winning the logo presentation competition!
Looking Ahead
Learning a language requires more than textbooks and traditional lessons. By applying classroom knowledge to activities tailored to their age and abilities, our students are building conversational confidence, critical thinking, and teamwork.
We can’t wait to see our kids grow, express themselves, and reach new heights through these clubs. A heartfelt thank you to our guest judges, dedicated teachers, and supporters for making this launch such an inspiring success!