You will be working in a home for people with mental handicaps, run by the Social Foundation of Koepenick. Your central task is to organise and put on a summer festival, working with the residents of the home. The theme of the festival is up to your creativity and you can even put an international theme to it including decorations, games, music, theatre, and food. You will also have the opportunity to go on small excursions with the residents. Since they are occupied in various workshops until the early afternoon, you will work 3 to 4 hours with them during the late afternoon. Koepenick lies on the edge of Berlin, near two rivers, countless lakes and pristine forests. Berlin's city center is easy to reach with public transport and you will be provided with tickets.
Age:
18-26
Location:
Berlin
Accommodation:
Dorms in Youth Guest house, computer and fitness room available, bring a sleeping bag, crash mat and travel pillow.
Terminal:
Basic knowledge of German is required for the language course as well as for communicating with the resident.
Special requirements:
You will receive intensive German language lessons in the morning, with a focus on interacting in everyday situations. The instructors have experience in teaching German as a second language and are also members of your team.
Gamig Castle is an estate consisting of a farm, chapel and small garden. Some of the Castles buildings date back as far as the 16 th Century. Recently Gamig Castle was used as a centre for repairing machinery and as the headquarters of a local fruit farm. Nowadays it is used for the rehabilitation and treatment of people with metal health problems. The centre provides treatments ranging from all day therapy to independent living and integration in the nearby village of Dohna. The patients work on a large organic farm, as well as in art and craft workshops. Volunteers are asked to do different gardening work and help in agricultural activities such as cherry harvesting and the cleaning and harvesting of vegetables and fruits. Sometimes you will work alongside the patients. If you are interested, we can have talks about methods and aims of the medical treatment of the centre with the doctor. Of course you will have the possibility to visit different workshops, where patients spend their working day.
Study part:
None
Max age:
26Accomodation: Dohna near Dresden
Location:
Dorms in the castle, bring a sleeping bag, crash mat and travel pillow
The former convent in Sonsbeck is now a home for people with various disabilities. Together with other participants, volunteers will build an artistic fire pit in a section of the park on the grounds. Here, the residents will be able to grill out and have parties. Volunteers will also create a recreation room for the residents. The fire pit will be built out of natural stones and plaster. Working in teams, benches will also be built in a creative manner using stones and natural stone walls. Additionally, plants and other greenery need to be planted to beautify the grounds. Volunteers will also have contact with and work with the residents; they should therefore be ready to be involved with disabled people. At the end, an international grill party is planned with the residents.
Free time:
The Sonsbeck Society lies right on the gorgeous Lower Rhine, nearby the Dutch border. The workers of the center will organize a trip for the group to the historical Xanten, where volunteers will tour the archaeological park and the new Roman museum. In Xanten there is also a beautiful outdoor pool and a high ropes course. The area is perfect for biking. There are tons of excursion possibilities, to Cologne, Dusseldorf, or to the Netherlands. Participants can also use the pool or bowl in the house. If there is interest, they can grill or play volleyball or football with the Scouts of Geldern-Kapellen.
Age:
16-26
Accommodation:
In rooms of the home. Bring a sleeping bag, crash mat and travel pillow.
Location:
Sonsbeck, North-Rhine Westphalia; 60 km northwest of Dusseldorf, 100 km north of Cologne.
The Bedheim castle is located in the west of Thuringia, close to the Bavarian border. The next bigger town is Coburg (28km away). Bedheim is surrounded by the extraordinary beautiful Franconian landscape. The castle, which slowly rotted at the time of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), is now being renovated by the community of heirs of Ruehle von Lilienstern. A non-profit association is supporting the renovation work. Since 1992 this association has been organising workcamps with yap-cfd. In 1994 a biological-dynamic, social therapeutic recognized nursery was added. The association is running an organic market garden. Since 2007 the castle also runs a garden café. A shared house for senior citizens, a pension as well as a small castle museum are also planed. Besides training courses and cultural activities are offered. Aim of this whole project is to create an atmosphere where people with or without disabilities may come, live and work together without any prejudice against handicap, nationality or religion.
Work:
Volunteers will work 5 hours daily, either in the organic-dynamic market garden (“Demeter”) with disable people or in the castle (intensive renovating work). During the first Workcamp we will prepare and run the “Day of the Open Monument” (on Sunday, the 13th of September).
Study part:
Volunteers may learn more about the following topics: natural beauty in the environment, excursions to places of cultural and historical interest (e.g. Weimar, the city of Goethe), discussions and lectures about German history, society, culture and politics (the German East-West border was only 9 km away from Bedheim), Human Rights, encounter with young people of the region, getting to know more about living in the countries volunteers come from. We will be pleased about any idea or suggestion about how to get a more peaceful world.
Accommodation:
Basic group accommodation, the meals will be cooked by the volunteers (less meat but a lot of very good vegetables and fruits from the nursery). Please bring a sleeping bag, slippers, towels and warm pullovers.
Remarks:
Please bring rain and working clothes (rubber boots) as well as swim suits. You can also bring a map, pictures or special food from your country.
Age:
18-26
Terminal:
8km from the train station of Hilburghausen and 15km from the train station of Bad Rodach. Frankfurt/Main.
The Bedheim castle is located in the west of Thuringia, close to the Bavarian border. The next bigger town is Coburg (28km away). Bedheim is surrounded by the extraordinary beautiful Franconian landscape. The castle, which slowly rotted at the time of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), is now being renovated by the community of heirs of Ruehle von Lilienstern. A non-profit association is supporting the renovation work. Since 1992 this association has been organising workcamps with yap-cfd. In 1994 a biological-dynamic, social therapeutic recognized nursery was added. The association is running an organic market garden. Since 2007 the castle also runs a garden café. A shared house for senior citizens, a pension as well as a small castle museum are also planed. Besides training courses and cultural activities are offered. Aim of this whole project is to create an atmosphere where people with or without disabilities may come, live and work together without any prejudice against handicap, nationality or religion.
Work:
Volunteers will work 5 hours daily, either in the organic-dynamic market garden (“Demeter”) with disable people or in the castle (intensive renovating work). During the first Workcamp we will prepare and run the “Day of the Open Monument” (on Sunday, the 13th of September).
Study part:
Volunteers may learn more about the following topics: natural beauty in the environment, excursions to places of cultural and historical interest (e.g. Weimar, the city of Goethe), discussions and lectures about German history, society, culture and politics (the German East-West border was only 9 km away from Bedheim), Human Rights, encounter with young people of the region, getting to know more about living in the countries volunteers come from. We will be pleased about any idea or suggestion about how to get a more peaceful world.
Accommodation:
Basic group accommodation, the meals will be cooked by the volunteers (less meat but a lot of very good vegetables and fruits from the nursery). Please bring a sleeping bag, slippers, towels and warm pullovers.
Remarks:
Please bring rain and working clothes (rubber boots) as well as swim suits. You can also bring a map, pictures or special food from your country.
Age:
18-26
Terminal:
8km from the train station of Hilburghausen and 15km from the train station of Bad Rodach. Frankfurt/Main.
« 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. »
