The main task of this project will be gardening works on the grounds of a youth club not far away from your living place (the youth club M 24). Your help will be needed for digging, planting, painting and simple carpenter’s works in the youth club Kurt Lade Klub. Other small gardening or maintaining works are possible.
The countless historical castles and park areas in Berlin-Brandenburg are run and maintained by the Stiftung Preussische Schloesser und Gaerten. The highlight of this cultural 300 year old landscape is the city of Potsdam, including the Sanssouci castle and gardens. You will be working right in the expansive Sanssouci gardens and will therefore get a sneak peek in this diverse field of work. In the Charlottenhof Park, created in 1883 by P. J. Lenne, you will help care for paths, flower beds, and grass areas. You will learn all about the various areas of the park and the work that it takes to care for them.
Accomodation & food:
You will stay in the Freie Schule Potsdam and sleep on mattresses placed on the floor. Meals will be prepared as a group.
Leisure:
The camp s proximity to Potsdam and Berlin means you will have endless free time activities and places to go sightseeing, as well as nature areas. You will be provided with a ticket for the Potsdam public transportation which is good for the duration of the camp.
Age:
16-26
Location:
Potsdam, Brandenburg, on the southwest edge of Berlin.
The Friedensdorf Storkow is an antiracist youth project, which works for humanity, solidarity, and intercultural youth work. Your support is needed with maintenance and renovation work on the green areas in the city and on the grounds of the Friedensdorf. After work, you will have the opportunity to improve your German ability. Through two hours a day of language instruction as well as using German in everyday situations you will make great strides in your language skills. Your language instructors are native speakers and have experience in teaching German as a foreign language. They are also a part of your group throughout the camp.
Accomodation & food:
You will be living in a three story apartment in the Friedensdorf Storkow. Meals will be prepared as a group.
Leisure:
Free Time: Storkow is one of the oldest city in Brandenburg and has a historical palace. Along with cultural activities you will also have access to sports facilities such as a volleyball court, a basketball court, and soccer fields. You can also explore the area and visit areas such as the Scharmuetzelsee and the Wildpark Bad Saarow. Berlin is only an hour away by train where you can experience all that a big city has to offer.
Age:
16-26
Location:
Brandenburg; Storkow is 50 km southeast of Berlin.
Language:
The camp will be run in German. A basic knowledge of German is required.
The Horst Bauspielplatz is run by the city of Gelsenkirchen. It contains a large ground area, an animal and hut area, sand, water, mud, a fire pit, and climbing equipment. The side building needs to be renovated for use by local kids and youth, and your help is needed. You will begin by doing repair work on the roof as well as on the windows and window sills. Other renovation jobs on the walls and in other places in the building need to be done as well.
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying at the Bauspielplatz Ueckendorf. Meals will be prepared as a group.
Leisure:
In Gelsenkirchen you will find open air and indoor pools, museums, and bars. Due to its central location, Gelsenkirchen has good public transportation connections so you can travel to nearby cities such as Dortmund, Cologne, Hamburg, or even to the Netherlands.
Requirements:
The work may be physically challenging at times. A talent for working with your hands is of advantage.
Age:
16-26
Location:
Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia; Dortmund 25 km, Cologne 85 km.
The motto of this year s camp is Enjoy with all Senses, and fits with the Sense Garden in Merzig. Here, you can explore nature in 11 so called garden rooms, and experience the world around you in a whole new way. In our theater garden one also finds many small concerts. Your team is needed to build to new plots with a labyrinth and a green learning world to be used by local school classes. Tasks include building the labyrinth and pond, building an insect hotel, a wooden house, a green classroom, and a clay oven. You will be accompanied by experts for the work and in your free time the locals will show you around the area.
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying at the Realschule Merzig. Meals will be prepared as a group.
Leisure:
You will be able to visit nearby historical cities such as Saarbrucken, Trier, Metz, and Luxembourg. Locally, you can see a wolf area, and the Villa Borg in Perl, which dates back to the Roman times, and tours there will give you a blast into the past. On hot summer days, pack your suit and go to the Stausee, the disco, the city center or spend the evening at home or around the fire. There are also many events going on in this region for you to discover.
Age:
16-26
Location:
Merzig, Saarland; Saarbruecken 35 km, Trier 60 km, Luxembourg 65 km.
Your project will be taking place in a family oriented after care clinic for children with cancer and heart problems. Your help is needed to renovate the outer grounds of the clinic. Your group will build a nature trail, while being accompanied by local experts. The second project will take place in a Montessori school, where you will also be doing some manual labor. A local playground needs to be taken down, fixed, and then built back up again. Your creative side will also be needed during this work.
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying at the Mehrgenerationenhaus Conradinum. Breakfast and dinner will be prepared together, and lunch will be provided by the clinic/school.
Leisure:
A camp will also be taking place at the school from July 11-15, and is a research camp for students interested in natural sciences. You are invited to take part in activities with them at night, such as observing the stars with telescopes, learning about a scanning electron microscope, glass blowing, learning about producing glass pearls, or even photography and photo editing. Your project is located near a forest and a lake, and if you feel like venturing into a city, you can also travel to Berlin
The Stiftung Sozialpaedagogisches Institut Niederlanssung Brandenburg runs the Pegasus cultural and leisure center in the city of Senftenberg. Here, you can visit the city center as well as the Senftenberger See and its water sports facilities by foot. Your team s job will be to support the kids during their summer vacation. The children come to the Pegasus and are here cared for by teachers. You will lead various sports and games, and can even let your creative side shine while coming up with creative activities, such as building small pieces of playground equipment. Your help will also be needed with renovating and enlarging playgrounds in the city.
Accomodation & food:
You will be sleeping in the Kultur- und Freizeitzentrums Pegasus either on mattresses or on cots. Meals will be prepared as a group.
Leisure:
The Kultur und Freizeitzentrum Pegasus offers many free time activities, such as an internet cafe, a movie theater, and a youth bar as well as a large yard with a sports area, table tennis tables, a trampoline, and a climbing wall. You will also have the opportunity to explore the surrounding area, paddle along the Spreewald, or go sightseeing in Dresden.
Requirements:
Minors must bring a permission slip signed by their parents or guardian to be allowed to swim.
Age:
16-26
Location:
Senftenberg, Brandenburg; ca. 100 km south of Berlin.
Your group will prepare an area that families and their children can use as a place to relax in their free time. Along with a small body of water at the edge of the district, your team will build play equipment for children that also help bring them closer to nature, as well as paint a small hut. You will also create objects from various materials to be added as art along the walkways, which your team will also be building. A creative side and a talent for working with your hands are very welcome here
Accomodation & food:
The group will stay together at the Grundschule Algermissen. Meals will be prepared as a group.
Leisure:
You can easily walk to a grill pit, a beach volleyball court, soccer field, basketball hoop, and a table tennis table. Algermissen is located between Hildesheim and Hannover, and both are easily reached with public transportation. Hildesheim offers UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and Hannover is the capitol of Lower Saxony. Both cities offer countless activities such as movie theaters, concerts, pools, parties, and restaurants. For more information please seewww.algermissen.de, www.hildesheim.de, www.hannover.de.
Age:
16-26
Location:
Algermissen, Lower Saxony; Hildesheim 15 km, Hannover 25 km.
« I would recommend participating in a workcamp, especially with VAP, who ensured that I found a project to suit me and provided essential training for me in preparation for my trip. Being part of a workcamp really is a life-changing experience, oh, and it looks great on your CV! »