This year, work camp volunteers will be helping out at a culture festival in Nagold. Local clubs and associations will be participating in the festival and you will be helping them with preparations for music, dance and international food. On other days, you will work on various environmental tasks within the community of Nagold.
Accomodation & food:
The group will be staying in the YOUZ youth centre. Two sleeping rooms with beds and a large kitchen are provided. Please bring a sleeping bag! Showers are available at the swimming pool nearby. Take a look at the youth centre here: http://www.youznagold.de/YOUZ2012/wordpress/
Location & leisure:
Nagold is situated in the beautiful Black Forest and has about 22,000 inhabitants. The youth centre, located in the inner city of Nagold, is a popular meeting point for young people aged 14 to 20. Beside many other possibilities to spend time in the youth centre you will find rooms and equipment to play music, to dance, to take videos and plenty of other things to do in your leisure time. Trips to Stuttgart and Tuebingen, hiking in the Black Forest, horse riding, swimming and playing beach volleyball are only some of the possible activities. Local youth will be around at almost all times, so participants can look forward to getting in touch with them.
The international group will work together with many other volunteers from Karlstadt. The main tasks will be setting up of the stage and campground on the site of the festival, as well as the disassembly at the end. While the festival is running, the volunteers will assist in different areas: bar, stage, organisation, catering etc. Volunteers should be very flexible, because often there are no fixed working hours. The organisation of the festival is in many parts done "just in time" and depends for example on deliveries, which are arranged on short notice or even on the same day. This can result in longer breaks or the need to work quite late. Speaking or understanding basic German will be a plus!
Accomodation & food:
In the local youth centre for the first days. For the main part of the Camp the group will be lodging in tents on the site of the festival, where all helpers will also stay. Food will be served in the festival canteen throughout the day. Sanitary facilities are provided, but be aware of festival standards. Expect very basic amenities!
Location & leisure:
Karlstadt is situated in the Bavarian region called Franconia. The town is home to around 7000 inhabitants and has a historical touch. If you are interested in architecture, you will find lots of traditional German buildings in the town centre. Also, with its vast vineyards and rolling hills, the region provides an opportunity for some calm and relaxing outdoor activities as an alternative to the hectic life of the festival.
This year is planned to renovate a stage made of wood and to embellish an old construction site trailer. This means to work with wood and to be creative with paints.The stage is located in our garden, after you changed some beams and planks of the construction, it can be used again for our events. The trailer needs to be prepared as tool shed and you are welcome to decorate him with a graffiti !Important as well is the work in the "Garten der Sinne", which needs maintenance every year. Especially the tunnels made of wicker. Volunteers will be integrated into the household and are asked to cook for approximately 20 guests and stuff of the Müllerhof. In the end of the workcamp an international evening is planned as big party for the volunteers and guests of Muellerhof. You are invited to introduce your country and to offer typical food of our country. In addition there will be a band playing and a teacher will show how to dance traditional folkdances
Study part:
Volunteers can explore the possibilities and activities of the Müllerhof as an example of a socio cultural center.
Accomodation & food:
The participants will sleep in the big loft of the Muellerhof (80m²) which includes a shower and toilets. Food will be prepared together in the big kitchen of the Muellerhof
Location & leisure:
Mittweida is surrounded by a nice landscape with nice places waiting to be visited. Next interesting cities are Freiberg, Leipzig, Dresden. There is a university for applied science with lots of international students.
There is a range of possibilities for excursions and visits of interesting places:
Guided tour through the University of Applied Sciences, visits to the town hall, museum and church of Mittweida. We will also offer outdoor activities and guided hiking-tours in the area (e.g. a hike to a dam, the fortress Kriebstein or the Rochlitzer Porphyrberg). It‘s also possible to visit the cities nearby: Dresden, Leipzig or Chemnitz.
Age:
18-26
Location:
Mittweida
Language(s):
English, German
Airport:
DRS: Dresden (Dresden, Germany)Vegetarian food will be available
A variety of tasks are waiting for your help. One task will be the maintenance of a hiking trail in the forest. So-called "neophytes" (invasive non-native vegetation) need to be removed in the nature protection area. You will cut and clear those plants. Furthermore, cleaning and clearing of vegetation needs to be done in biotopes like ponds and tarns. You will, most likely, also repair fences and maintain grasslands around fruit trees. Be prepared for hard physical work! Due to working in damp and steep areas (ponds), rubber boots and/or sturdy shoes are necessary for working effectively!
Accomodation & food:
The workcamp team will stay in a nice community house in the middle of the forest, where you can find sanitary facilities, showers and a good equipped kitchen. You can have a look at their website: http://moosenmaettleweb.de. There are 4-bed-rooms for you. Due to the position of the house in a rural area, it is likely that there will not be access to internet and no coverage for mobile phones. Just be prepared to spend three wonderful, adventurous weeks away from your busy and usual everyday life!
Location & leisure:
Lauterbach is situated in the heart of the Black Forest nature park, close to Schramberg and the town Rottweil. There are many possibilities to hike and experience nature first hand. Just step out the door and find yourself surrounded by beautiful nature! On weekends, you'll have the chance to visit Rottweil or the university town of Freiburg.
After the successful workcamps of the last year, volunteers will again help in renovating some facilities in the town and in the local zoo. Beside this volunteers help is needed in the renovation of the surrounding of the local youth center. You can select from various tasks waiting: to set up benches, to renew a volleyball field, to repair different enclosures, etc.
Study:
Volunteers will learn about different types of youth culture in Germany
Accomodation & food:
Volunteers will live in the local youth center called „House IV". The group can cook for itself in a modern kitchen.
Location & leisure:
The leisure time program will be organized together with the local Eilenburg youth groups and clubs. The focus lies here on the encounter and the exchange with local adolescents. Also there are sports activities such as soccer, volleyball, swimming and bowling. In addition there will be a cultural program. A trip to Leipzig and Dresden is scheduled. You can get to know the rich history of Eilenburg through guided tours in the museum and in the cellars, located in the hill in the center of the city.
Region:
Eilenburg is a small town with approx. 17 000 inhabitants, situated on the border of the „Dübener Heide" and approximately 25km from the exhibition city Leipzig. Its rich history of over thousand years, makes it easy to call it one of the cradles of Saxony. The continuous rule of the Wettins-Dynasty beginning with the Earl of Ilburg in the 11th century was carried on until 1918. Part of their territory is the state of Saxony today. In medieval times and during industrialization Eilenburg was a rich city. At the time of Martin Luther its main business was brewery and in the 19th century it was a national center of textile industries. But Eilenburg also was devastated several times in its history. In April 1945, Eilenburg was almost completely destroyed.As the only evidence of former rich times remained the „Sorbenturm" as a remaining part of the Ilburg. It was assumedly built in the 12th century at the highest part of the 220m x 150m plateau. A loop footpath outside the castle wall connects the „Sorbenturm" with the „Amtshaus"(deanery), the former county court. This path has been renewed with the help of the volunteers in the last workcamps.
Age:
18-26
Location:
Eilenburg
Language(s):
English, German
Airport:
LEJ: Leipzig Halle (Leipzig, Germany)Vegetarian food will be available
There are different projects where volunteers can help a lot. According to the skills of the volunteers and the interest of the group, your manual work can give valuable contribution. Work can be done like: to pave a new path through the wood to the hut, to build a new fence around the property or to construct an innovative toilette system.
Accomodation & food:
Volunters will be hosted in the Grammar school "Goetheschule" in the city of Goslar. You can use showers, a big kitchen and you will sleep in two classrooms, equipped with camp beds. Please bring sleeping bag and a pillow (if you need one).
Location & leisure:
The youth department will offer a range of activities as cultural programme: Volunteers can visit lots of the ancient places of interest in and around Goslar. It is also possible to hike through the picturesque nature of the "National Park Harz". There is also the option to organize an intercultural party together with other youth groups, which will be visit Goslar at the same time. It will depend to the interest of the group.
Age:
18-26
Location:
Goslar
Language(s):
English, German
Airport:
HAJ: Hannover (Hannover, Germany)Vegetarian food will be available
Volunteers will help to renew local playgrounds: old playground equipment needs to get removed; new tools need to get set up. This might include different tasks such as digging, placing of concrete and also the painting of the new tools.
Accomodation & food:
The accommodation will be on the first floor of a youth club, with all facilities needed, such as: kitchen, a shower and a bathroom. Participants will sleep on sport mats. The volunteers will interact regularly with the local youth who visit the club often.
Location & leisure:
Bernburg is a town with a history of more than 1000 years and is situated in the eastern part of Germany. Overlooking the valley formed by the Saale River, there is a medieval castle. There are plenty of possibilities for leisure activities, such as visiting the town, having a drink in a local pub, taking an excursion to cities like Leipzig or Magdeburg, canoeing on the river, hiking, or simply making conversation with the locals.
The workcamp will help the organizers in all phases of the festival. The main tasks will be setting up of all facilities at the festival site as well as the disassembly at the end. While the festival is running, the volunteers will assist in different areas: bar, stage, organisation, catering etc. You will work closely with the people from the association. Volunteers should be flexible enough to work long and unusual hours and enjoy music. Speaking or understanding basic German will be a plus.
Accomodation & food:
TBC. Because the festival is taking place in a very urban area, it is difficult for the organisers to find accommodation for the volunteers. In the past volunteers were staying at a youth club, in an empty house or had a home stay at several members of the local team. Everything is possible and please note that arrangements might change and that everything is improvised - a typical festival experience!
Location & leisure:
The small garden city of Graefelfing is 1,250 years old. The townscape is famous for its many villas from the beginning of the last century. Graefelfing has about 13,000 inhabitants and is situated very close to Munich (18min by S-train from Munich Central Station). Please be aware that during the duration of the workcamp there will not be much time for trips to Munich, even though it is very close. If you are interested in the touristic site of Munich, please plan some time before or after the camp.
« I can say that the best things about the workcamp and this whole experience were the chance of making a real difference to the lives of very needy children. This is an extremely valuable project where volunteers can have a massive impact. Also the possibility of learning a huge amount about a country so different from our own. I learnt ten times as much by carrying out a workcamp than I would ever do backpacking. »