Short-term (2 to 4 weeks) "study/educational" projects in Denmark

The Peace and Tolerance Camp is hosted by Soenderborg Student Foundation (SSF), which is a foundation working to create an exciting, appealing and rich learning environment, for all students in Soenderborg no matter their nationality. The camp is located in the city Soenderborg, near the border between Denmark and Germany.

The Peace and Tolerance Camp is making a statement towards the intolerance that exists today between different countries, cultures and religions. The aim and purpose of the camp is to educate the volunteers to become peace and tolerance ambassadors.

Based on the wish to make the world a better place, the work camp will work with examples from all over the world, which proves that all humans can live together and benefit from diversity. There will be workshops, lectures and debates about the problems and how people can learn from different conflicts around the world. At the end of the work camp, the aim is to create an action plan based on the different solutions discussed and debated during the camp.

The idea behind the location in the border area, is to explore the living and coexisting habits from the past and up to the present in this particular area, as an example on how people of different nationalities, co-exist in the border area. Denmark and Germany were at in war for many years and even though they have been enemies many times in the history of mankind, there is a minority of the Danish and German families living on both sides of the border. They live with each other, in peace and tolerance, benefiting from each other’s diversity.

The work camp wants to explore if there is something we can learn by studying this community and the way they coexist, which can be related to the rest of the world.

There will of course be free time outside the camp and the team of work camp leaders and helpers will make sure that the volunteers get to know each other and the wonderful surroundings in Soenderborg.

It is important that the volunteers are interested in the different issues surrounding minorities, religious and cultural diversity and at that same time are motivated to take active part in the debates, workshops and lectures. We would therefore kindly ask you to write a short motivation letter where you tell a little about yourself and why you want to be part of the Peace and Tolerance Camp.

Soenderborg on the island of Als.

Volunteers will stay close to the University of Soenderborg in a place with beds, shared kitchen and bath. Volunteers will cook and clean by themselves.

18-30

(Train) Soenderborg

Billund (From here there are bus connections to Soenderborg). Soenderborg also has its own airport but it is very small

English

The volunteers are expected to be active participants in debates and lectures. It is therefore required that the volunteers master English at a level of conversation.

The camp is hosted by Brenderup Folk High School. Brenderup Folk High School is working as a boarding school with an international approach and accept both Danish and foreign students. You can read more about the school here: http://www.brenderuphojskole.dk/filer/english.htm

For the last years, Brenderup have hosted work camps that have supported the building process of Brenderup's environmental friendly straw bale house and the ellipse-shaped "lotus house". This year Brenderup wants to develop the idea of sustainability further into different ways of constructing. The volunteers will in cooperation with the constructors of Brenderup build various small buildings and activity equipment in the school garden, by using environmental friendly materials – also considering a nice aesthetic look. One of the bigger constructions will be to make a boulder wall for climbing, which also should be used as a roofed corridor between some buildings. The wall will be made in natural sustainable materials, with an artistic shape, challenging the other buildings in the garden. Everything will happen according to sustainable principles and sustainable materials. During the work camp participants will take part in workshops facilitated by the staff and students of Brenderup, where the idea of sustainability will be challenged and debated and also other workshops about recycling design, music, art and gym are planned.

The work camp will be an integral part of the daily life at Brenderup Folk High School. The international volunteers will each day eat together with the rest of the school's students, and common social activities will be arranged. The school has many international students and their integration with the camp contributes to cultural exchange and understanding, which is one of the school's basic values.

People, who are used to work with their hands in combination with artistic skills, will be preferred to the work camp and volunteers are expected to be ready to share their culture with the other participants and students at the school. All volunteers should prepare a presentation for the work camp entitled "How do youth in my culture think about sustainability, and what do they do towards securing a sustainable world?" The volunteer presentation will form the basis for debate on how young people can help to promote sustainable development around the world.

Brenderup is located on the island Funen (Fyn) in Denmark. The village Brenderup (2000 inhabitants) is close to the beach, forests and idyllic countryside.

Volunteers will be accommodated in a tent camp in the middle of Brenderup's huge garden and will have access to showers and toilets in the school buildings. Food is prepared by the schools kitchen staff and served 3 times a day. Volunteers should expect to assist doing dishes and preparing meals. The school is making ''green food'' from sustainable products and also serve vegetarian food - volunteers just need to sign up for this upon arrival. There is wireless internet at the school and bicycles can be rented for the whole stay.

(Train): Odense (36 km.) or Middelfart (16 km.) – from there by bus to Brenderup.

Billund or Copenhagen – from here it possible to go by train or bus to Odense and from there to Brenderup.

English at a conversational level is also required. The school is a folk high school and will have students and course participants (50 people) during the work camp. They have their own program but there will a lot of opportunities for volunteers to interact with the students, especially during dinner and through different social activities during the evenings. Volunteers are expected to follow the rules at the school. Please read about the school at http://www.brenderuphojskole.dk/filer/english.htm

WORK PERMIT IS REQUIRED FOR NON-EUROPEAN CITIZENS!