A dozen hands shot up into the air as Maggie Snow of the Austin Public Library asked a group of girls a how long a library book can be checked out.

She picked one girl who said three weeks and Snow handed her a pencil. The girls waited eagerly for the next question as three volunteers chuckled approvingly at their enthusiasm.

The girls were wrapping up a field trip to the library as a part of a Global Volunteers Language Camp being held in Austin this week to help children in grades five through nine adjust to speaking English again as the school year begins.

Global Volunteers, based in St. Paul, sent about 15 volunteers to Austin for the week to teach the children English.

The children and volunteers have been meeting from 9 a.m. until about 3 p.m. each day at Queen of Angels Church to play games and take field trips to improve their English.

Tuesday's visit to the library was one of three field trips. The children learned how the library system worked and what resources were available to them on the computers. They also visited the fire station and will trek to the Mower County Fair later this week.

Alejandra Salazar, 11, wasn't sure she wanted to attend camp after her mother had signed her up.

"I didn't want to come," she said.

But, Alejandra, fresh from a game where she had won five pencils, said she's likes the camp.

"It's good," she said.

Juan Sanchez, also 11, also thought the camp was fun. He has lived in Austin for one year and said his mother signed him up for the camp "to learn more English."

Global Volunteers come from all over the country. They are staying with immigrant host families and eating meals at the Hormel Historic Home.

The is the first Global Volunteers trip for Rachel Grossman, of Seattle. She said the week was going well.

Barbara Degroot, senior writer for Global Volunteers, also thought the week was going well so far.

"The volunteers are fantastic, a good bunch," she said. "They kids are fun. They're really wonderful."

Global Volunteers does volunteer work in 18 countries, but has sites in other states. They recently decided to do programming in Minnesota.

"People kept saying to us, 'You're based in Minnesota, why not do anything in Minnesota,'" Degroot said. "There's some need here too."

Today Global Volunteers President and CEO, Bud Philbrook, will visit Austin at a 3:30 p.m. reception at Queen of Angels Church. Mayor Bonnie Rietz and Southgate English as a Second Language teacher Valentina Gallegos will officially thank them for their work. This event is open to the public.

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at :mailto:cari.quam@austindailyherald.com