Are you interested in archaeology and historical craftsmanship? Then this is the camp for you. You can participate in setting up the archaeological open-air museum "Zeiteninsel" (Times Island). Numerous settlement remains from all prehistoric cultural periods have been discovered in the Lahn valley near to the Niederweimar and Argenstein areas. The extensive archaeological evidence proves that there has been a constant settlement in the region for millennia. The first archaeological open-air museum on the history of settlements in the region of Hessen is being set up here in order to display the rich archaeological discoveries. There will be 5 stations on the grounds of the museum, each dedicated to a certain time period. You will aid the completion of a Germanic residential stable from the early Roman Empire (around the birth of Jesus Christ). It is likely that a large family or clan lived in this type of house, almost 30m in length and around 7m in width, together with their animals. With professional guidance from a team on-site, you will help with the construction of the house. More specifically, you will be making walls out of wooden wicker and then plastering them with clay. There could also be an opportunity for you to take part in certain workshops (such as archery, bronze casting, etc.).
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying in a local youth centre in Wolfshausen.The group will prepare and cook meals together.
Location & leisure:
You will be stayin.g in Wolfshausen, a district of Weimar (Lahn). It is very rural, but there is a train station in Niederweimar from which you can reach the university town of Marburg, with its numerous attractions, in just 7 minutes. Besides this, major cities such as Frankfurt and Kassel are also very easily reachable by train. If you haven't had your fill of archaeology after working, you could also visit the "Römerkastell Saalburg" archaeological open-air museum near Frankfurt.
Requirements:
The work involved could sometimes be physically demanding. This camp designed for participants who are interested in archaeology and historical craftsmanship.
The Märkische Schweiz wildlife park, 40km to the east of Berlin, offers not only unique natural and cultural landscapes, but also the backdrop to our project. In co-operation with the wildlife park, the "Drei Eichen" environmental education centre and the Märkische lakes LAG, we will not only get to know the park together, but we will also be actively involved in designing it. Young people from the local area will also be invited to help with this task. We will be completing various landscape projects in different natural areas at a number of locations in the Märkische Schweiz wildlife park. On the one hand, we will eliminate the Indian/glandular balsam, especially in particularly sensitive areas (such as embankments, or near the water). The employees of the park's nature watch will be supporting us with this task. Together with the state forestry company, we will remove conifers from the moor in order to have a positive influence on the water balance, as part of a moorland conservation projects. Besides this, we plan to shred dry grass in order to preserve this particularly sensitive habitat for protected species. By mowing an orchid meadow, we will familiarise ourselves with its historical uses and also get to know this particular habitat. We will also be renewing and repairing sections fn the walking trail around the Klobichsee lake. Together with a local timberman, we will spend several days on this particular task. This area is also home to beavers, so we will be able to admire their own handiwork. We will help on the grounds of the "Drei Eichen" environmental education centre by cleaning up some "wild corners" and reshaping them as habitats for endangered species, such as a cairn for lizards and amphibians, wild bee houses and bat boxes. We will renovate an old trailer as a living space for ourselves and the guests of the environmental centre by plastering a room with clay, which will make it very comfortable. The handicraft and creative work will predominantly take place outdoors. There is an addition registration fee of 50€ for participants who are not from Germany.
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying in simple rooms with several beds in the "Drei Eichen" environmental education centre, located in the middle of the forest 4km from Buckow (www.dreichen.de).The group will prepare and cook meals together.
Location & leisure:
GPS tour(s) of the park, guided hikes to Biological Diversity, bat museum, lakes, cinema in Buckow, campfire.
Important:
Please bring waterproof clothing with long sleeves and waterproof trousers with you, since you will be working outside.
Requirements:
Please bring waterproof clothing with long sleeves and waterproof trousers with you, since you will be working outside.
The "Holznagelhausen" adventure playground is a holiday activity in the Veitshöchheim area. For 2 weeks, together with other volunteers, you'll be looking after 200 children between the ages of 7 and 13 – split into 14 groups - across a large outdoor area. You'll build wooden huts, offer sport and other workshop activities to the children (from football to baseball, baking pizzas in a stone oven to crafts and pedagogical games). You'll be able to have a lot of fun together. A highlight is the overnight stay in the huts complete with a night-time walk. During the camp you'll be able to contribute your own ideas and skills, learn how a youth project is carried out, experience working in a big team, learn new languages and make many new friends!
Accomodation & food:
You'll be staying in rooms with multiple beds in the "Kalten Brunnen" Friends' of Nature House.The group will prepare and cook meals together.
Location & leisure:
In Veitshöchheim there's a very nice outdoor swimming pool, boat tours along the river Main and lots of nice people to get to know. You can get to Würzburg in about 10 minutes on the train, where you can enjoy its many sights (castles, chapels, residences) as well as shopping opportunities, cinemas, cafés and night-life. In the surrounding areas there is a climbing area, a leisure park, a go-kart track, all kinds of youth clubs, relaxing areas, cycle paths and skate parks. Everything that can be found in a large city (and indeed much more!) can also be found in Nuremberg and Frankfurt. So come and have a look!
Requirements:
Special Requirements: A good knowledge of German as well as a desire to work with children are absolute requirements for this camp.
Note:
There is an additional administration fee of 50 € for participants who are not from Germany.
If you enjoy being outside amongst nature, spending the evening around a camp-fire, discovering the forest first-hand with people from all around the world and working hands-on in the forest with real foresters, then this project at the Forestry Education Centre in Hahnhorst is exactly the one for you! The study part of this project consists of several workshops like to start a fire without equipment, recognizing edible plants and prepare meals with them, to learn how to build a place to sleep for the night and archery. These workshops will prepare you for an overnight stay in the forest at the end of the project. Besides this, you'll be working in co-operation with foresters and forest workers on conservation projects in the forest and will help to improve the quality of habitats for rare species of plants and animals. In the mornings (you'll be working up early), you'll be focusing on the work tasks. The survival workshops will take place in the afternoons.
Accomodation & food:
Shared rooms in the Forest Education centre with participating in house work. Full catering with participation in kitchen duties.
Location & leisure:
There are some free afternoons for enjoying the range of free time activities available (for example a bike tour, sitting around the camp-fire, a trip to the swimming pool). At the weekend, you could also go on a day-trip to Bremen for sightseeing and shopping. Schwaförden is a small village with 1.500 inhabitants.
Requirements:
395 € additional fee. You have to be keen on working in the forest and taking part in outdoor activities. You have to be able to ride a bike.
At the Heiligensee cemetery, north-west of Berlin, you and your team will be helping with maintenance work on the graves of war victims. There are both German and non-German soldiers and civilians, for whom a war grave cemetery was created. Together with your team you'll be helping to mow and restore grassy areas and, amongst other things, cleaning gravestones and concrete frames. Besides this, you'll be repairing fencing surrounding one section of the cemetery. You will only be working 4 days per week, so will therefore have the opportunity to not only enjoy Berlin's wide range of free-time activities, but also to take advantage of walking tours related to this topic (culture, history, East-West Germany and Berlin...)Please transfer the 150 € for the public transport ticket to the following bank account:
Name of Account Holder:
ijgd Berlin
Name of Bank:
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft Berlin
BIC:
BFSWDE33BER
IBAN:
DE94 1002 0500 0003 1175 00
Reason for Payment:
Extra-Gebühr 79102, your first and last nameThis money can also be paid to the ijgd office after the start of the camp!
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying in an accommodation building in Berlin-Tegel.The group will prepare and cook meals together.
Location & leisure:
The accommodation is near to the "Tegeler Fließ" nature reserve, therefore your group has many opportunities for outdoor games and walks. This is also true of the wider surrounding area, where you can easily reach both Mecklenburg and Rheinsburg lakes, the Spree forest and the Oder river, as well as many more beautiful landscapes. The city centre of Berlin is just 30 minutes away, so you'll receive a Cityticket to use on all public transport across Berlin for the duration of the camp.
Requirements:
150 € extra free (including the Cityticket in Berlin)
You'll be helping the surrounding communities with mowing fields and collecting hay. Sometimes, the fields are on a slope and are difficult to reach with machines. In nearby orchards, you'll be repairing fences and protecting trees from being gnawed away by sheep. You'll take care of rough grazing land, in order to conserve the habitats of endangered plants and animals. You'll also be pulling out small tree saplings from the meadow in order to prevent them spreading in this particular habitat – therefore learning a lot about conservation in the process. For one week you'll be at the Domberg Hill at Freising, where you'll be working on paths to protect them from erosion and repairing sheep shelters and fences around the meadow. An absolute highlight for nature lovers is a 4-day trip to the Alps, where you can go hiking. Bring your hiking boots!
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying in a large, cosy, self-catering house for nature lovers, 7km outside of Freising in an idyllic hillside location.The group will prepare and cook meals together.
Location & leisure:
You can reach Freising by bike along the river Isar. From there, the S-Bahn train travels to Munich. In Munich you have the opportunity to visit many museums, the English Garden or the famous Munich Hofbrauhaus. In the area surrounding Munich and in the Alps, you can go hiking and enjoy nature. Due to the close proximity to Hallertau, the largest hop-growing region in the world, there are many typical beer gardens.
Requirements:
The camp lasts 4 weeks. You must be able to ride a bike. Ankle-high hiking boots/wellingtons and warm, waterproof clothing are necessary both for working outside and going on hikes! There is an extra fee of 80€ for this camp.
The South-East Brandenburg branch of the “Sozialpädagogisches Institut” (Social Pedagogy Institute) foundation operates the “Bergschlösschen” inter-generational centre in the city of Spremberg. This year will be the 18th time that an international workcamp takes place there. There are refurbishment tasks within the holiday resort in the neighbouring community to be completed. It has been planned for the workcamp to start to prepare this project (dismantling work), for which we will need your energetic support.
In the city of Spremberg you will have the opportunity to get to know a bit about intercultural work with refugee children, adolescents and families and to enrich this work with your ideas – such as with childcare, for example. You will experience the traditional local festival in Spremberg up close and will help to organise the children’s party with us. You can also actively support the Spremberg film nights on the open-air stage in the city. Besides this, you will have the opportunity to be creative and artistically engaged. There will be numerous opportunities to get to know the local landscape and people during this camp.
Extra fee:
There is an additional administration fee of 50 € for participants who are not from Germany.
Accommodation:
You will be staying in a B&B in Spremberg city centre.
Food:
The group will prepare and cook meals together.
Free Time:
You will be staying in a B&B in the centre of Spremberg. The central location of our “Bergschlösschen” centre offers a variety of diverse leisure activities, such as using the media and youth rooms, creative projects and sports. In Spremberg itself there is an outdoor pool, a cinema, a skate park, various tourist attractions, well-established cycle paths (there will be bicycles available for you). It is also possible to go on trips as a group to the nearby regions. The unique Spreewald region is a paradise for boat tours and canoeing. Spremberg is in the region of Brandenburg, around 120km away from Berlin and 20km away from Cottbus (both reachable by train). There are buses that run within Spremberg itself. Upon your arrival at Spremberg train station, you will be picked up with a shuttle bus which will take you directly to your accommodation.
The Erich-Kästner-Haus is a youth welfare institution in the town of Gelsenkirchen. The youth centre offers a large outdoor area with a football field and amphitheatre, as well as an indoor area with darts, table football, table tennis and much more. Under the guidance of a carpentry expert, you will be building a witch's house and a hobbt's den together with the educational staff and volunteers. You will also build a bridge, which can be used as a seating area, in order to connect the two playhouses to each other. There is an additional administration fee of 50€ for participants who are not from Germany.
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying in a flat in the "Die Villa" youth centre. The group will prepare and cook meals together.
Location & leisure:
In Gelsenkirchen there are both outdoor and indoor swimming pools, museums and pubs. Due to its central location, Gelsenkirchen is an ideal starting point for many excursions, including trips to Dortmund, Cologne and Hamburg, or even to the Netherlands.
Requirements:
Some of the work may be physically demanding. Skills or experience with working with tools would be an advantage.
« The outside world did not interfere, because it seemed so distant, and so we spent our spare time getting to know each other and learning about each other countries', languages and cultures. Everyone was completely relaxed. This simply would not have been possible on any other type of holiday. VAP enabled me to have a truly memorable experience. »
