The real fairy-tale about Latvian Little RED Riding Hood, called Sintija. :-)

Once upon a time there was a Little Latvian RED Riding Hood who decided to start her journalist’s carrier. She was a very impatient girl; she didn’t want to wait till she will grow up, so she started when she was five. Her grandma was so nice and taught her to read and write one year before she entered in the primary school. While other girls were playing with dolls, she created her own magazine. She made interviews with her grandma, mum and little brother, and wrote them down by her ugly-cute child’s handwriting, put all together using the scissors and glue and asked to her aunt (godmother) to make some copies for everyone in the family. It was the most popular magazine at home!

When Little RED Riding Hood was in 6th and 7th grade in primary school, she created the magazine at the school. That was her dream and she accomplished it even though it cost a lot of free time in afternoons, some luck of understanding and big jealousy from the daughters of stepmother (oops, sorry, that’s another fairytale!)

Before Little RED Riding Hood finished the high school, she got a job in the local newspaper, and at 11th grade she went to the local radio (they said the director was a witch, but she didn’t get scared, she knew what she was going to do!). Well, and she got her broadcast time half-hour per 2 weeks which she enjoyed with other pupil. That was nice talking time at radio!

After half-year studies in capital of Latvia, Little RED Riding Hood felt that the student life is too boring and money is not enough and she found her fist job in state-level magazine writing about celebrities. It was a huge “breaking-herself,” but very enjoyable time. In 2 years, she found more peaceful time in health and lifestyle magazine, called “Orange”, but two years later another weekly magazine asked her to turn back to her previous field, and she did it for next 5 years.

Probably, you will ask now when the wolf will come. Oh, there were many! At school and at village, and in the forest, everywhere! Sometimes Little RED Riding Hood got really scared of them. But she knew that she needs to deliver the pie to grandma (and she really wanted to do it!). So, she kept moving that direction and they didn’t eat Little RED Riding Hood. Why? Probably, they didn’t have so big mouth and teeth. But maybe Little RED Riding Hood was just not eatable or tasty? Or she just didn’t let the wolf eat her. However, she always survived.

When she was 23, Little RED Riding Hood got a bit tired of celebrities and accomplished another dream. She took a break and went to Italy for 6 months to do volunteering. She spent hard and nice times with Italian kids, youngsters and adults, eating pizza and hanging out in a big square. In Italy she fell in love with non-formal education and in few months established her own non-government organization (called nonprofit in the USA). She returned to Latvia, continued to work where she was working before, but parallel she did her first international youth projects with European countries – about photography, about social rights and European Voluntary Service. She leaded some trainings and youth exchanges about social inclusion, creativity and learning to learn. She traveled around the Europe and promoted the opportunity to travel and learn to other people

And then… the time passed and Little RED Riding Hood was not so little anymore. She turned 26 and she decided to visit the United States of America. She had never been there before. Camp Augusta found her interesting and enthusiastic enough to invite her to join their team. And this is the place when YOU can continue the story about Little RED Riding Hood from Latvia before to say that they lived happily ever after (even somehow they lived happily ever also before!)!  :-)