Volunteer opportunities in GERMANY

Improving the leisure activities for the community of Ilsfeld
Ilsfeld, Baden-Württemberg          April 10 - April 30, 2011

Volunteer project: The community of Ilsfeld has big plans for improving the leisure activities for their young and older inhabitants. The community tennis club will be very happy for the support of their big project: renovating the surrounding area of the public swimming pool and making it a more exciting place to stay during summer.

Working tasks will be setting a boule court (French game with bowls), pave a path on the area of the tennis club/swimming pool and help with setting up a small fountain. There will be other renovation tasks throughout the project including fixing the fence, etc. that the volunteers will have to do, but these tasks have yet to be planned. Due to snow in Germany, the renovation hasn’t come as far as the responsible persons have wished. Helping hands are very much appreciated! The opening is supposed to be in May.
As the group will be living in the house of the Lifeguard Association, the volunteers will also build a small shed for storing tools.

Language: English

Accommodation: In the house of the Lifeguard Association next to the swimming pool and work area. Beds and kitchen and all facilities like showers and toilets are in place.

Location: Ilsfeld is situated between the cities of Stuttgart and Heilbronn (50 km). It’s a community with 8.200 inhabitants. There are vineyards and forests around. Also, as a community in Southern Germany, it has many special traditions and festivities throughout the year. In April there might still be snow – so the volunteers need to be prepared for any kind of weather.

Train station: Heilbronn or Marbach (Neckar), bus connection to Ilsfeld.

Airport: Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe (Baden-Baden) or Frankfurt-Hahn.

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Developing a new walking trail in south Bavaria
Lechbruck, Bavaria          May 1 - May 15, 2011

Volunteer project: Lechbruck is a small community in the Southern German Region called “Allgaeu”. They have just developed a new walking trail around the lake that is situated next to the community. Some tasks have yet to be finished so they are looking forward to the help of international volunteers.

There will be two tasks during the two weeks long stay. The first task will be to make wooden objects to mark a trail around the lake. So the group will work in the field of construction. Secondly, volunteers will help with planting on the pedestrian / traffic islands and roundabouts of the community.

Language: English

Accommodation: In the building next to the ice stadium, with a big kitchen and two rooms with beds or mats. All other facilities are in place.

Location: The “Allgaeu” is a mountainous region in Southern Germany close to the Alps. The community of Lechbruck is not very big and there is no train connection. But it is very lively and romantically placed near a lake and in a stunning nature. There will be lots of possibilities to hike and experience the local culture of the village.

Train station: Fuessen (Allgaeu)

Airport: Munich

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Renovating an adventure trail in the Black Forest
Hinterzarten, Baden-Württemberg          May 22 - June 5, 2011

Volunteer project: Hinterzarten has hosted a volunteer project already in 2007 and is happy to do another one with an international group. There is a specific goal they have set for the project: renovating and improving a nature/adventure trail in the surrounding area of the community in the Black Forest.

The volunteers will be cutting bushes and plants to make the trail accessible and create new signs to mark the way. Some preparation will be done by local workers whom the group is going to work with. The community hopes that by the end of the workcamp the renovation of the trail will be completely finished.

Language: English

Accommodation: Volunteers will stay in a big room in a gym hall in town. All facilities are provided.

Location: Hinterzarten is a small town in the south of the Black forest and has 2.620 inhabitants. It is surrounded by beautiful nature and is very popular for hiking and wellness in summer and skiing in winter. There will be lots of possibilities to go hiking in this beautiful mountainous landscape.

Train station: Hinterzarten

Airport: Stuttgart, Basel-Mulhouse (Switzerland)

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Creating a family-friendly walking trail in Bavaria
Bayrischzell, Bavaria          June 5 - June 19, 2011

Volunteer project: Last year some citizens of Bayrischzell had the possibility to meet and spend time together with an international volunteer group hosted by the local neighbourhood’s community. After this great and positive experience, seeing what had been achieved by the volunteers, they decided to invite a workcamp to Bayrischzell and implement together an idea about a new “family-friendly” walking trail.

The community has many ideas how to ensure that the “family-friendly” trail could be interesting for children, their parents and all nature lovers. There are many tasks waiting for you. First, the trail needs to be created and a rope bridge constructed for the playground. Also, the volunteers will be helping to renovate a small fountain integrated into the surrounding landscape and will set up a barbecue place at the end of the trail.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will stay in a house called “Maria Theresia”, which is located in the center of the village and has all needed facilities. As you are going to stay in Bavaria, don't be surprised that your accommodation is arranged in Bavarian style.

Location: Bayrischzell is a small community with 1.607 inhabitants and lies at the beginning of Bavarian Alps. They are well known for the climatotherapy and as a place to relax and fill up the energy. During your work as well as in your free time, you will have many opportunities to enjoy the beautiful nature of Bavaria!

Train station: Bayrischzell

Airport: Munich

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Nature trail maintenance in the beautiful countryside of the Mindeltal
Thannhausen, Bavaria          June 18 - July 2, 2011

Volunteer project: Thannhausen is situated in the beautiful „Mindeltal“, which is located between Augsburg and Ulm at the edge of the nature park of Augsburg. Together with a twin town in France the city of Thannhausen has already organised an international exchange, but this will be the first time for them to invite a workcamp to the their place called “The pearl of the Mindeltal”. The nature trail is in a wild-romantic forest. You need about an hour to walk along the path.

The volunteers will maintain a nature trail to make it more attractive for pupils and the youth. The work will include clearing vegetation, transporting materials such as gravel and stones, laying steps and installing handrails and benches and constructing different signs for visitors of the path way. Work will be supervised by professionals. There will be a lot of work to do with the material wood. Please be aware that you have to walk a lot and that the work can be physically demanding and you will get dirty.

Language: English

Accommodation will be in a youth hostel called “Hühnerhof” (“chicken yard”), which is placed out of the village and close to the nature. In the house you have a big kitchen and all sanitary facilities as well as many rooms and equipments to spend your free time.

Location: Thannhausen is a town in the district of Günzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Mindel, 24 km southeast of Günzburg, and 33 km west of Augsburg and has 6.000 inhabitants.

Train station: Krumbach (Schwaben), bus connection to Thannhausen.

Airport: Munich, Augsburg, Stuttgart.

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Organizing a summer festival in a Home for mentally handicapped people in Berlin
Berlin-Köpenick, Brandenburg          June 18 - July 10, 2011

Volunteer project: You and your team will be working in an assisted living home for people with mental handicaps, run by the Sozialstiftung Koepenick. The residents are busy in workshops in the morning, and for 3-4 hours during the afternoons your team will be organizing and running a summer festival for the residents. Let your creative side shine and bring ideas for decorations, games, music, theater, and food! You will also have time to go on excursions with the residents of the home.

Special requirements: Some knowledge of German is desired.

Leisure time: The Koepenick district is on the edge of Berlin, right nearby two rivers, countless lakes, and forests. At your accommodation, located in the Marzahn district, you have club rooms, a party basement, a computer cabinet, and a fitness room available for your use. The center of Berlin is easily reached with public transportation, tickets will be provided.

Language: English and German

Accommodation: You will share rooms in the Haus Pro-social.

Location: Berlin-Köpenick

Terminal: Berlin

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Creating a sensory garden for an old people’s home
Schiltach, Baden-Württemberg          June 25 - July 11, 2011

Volunteer project: Schiltach is a town in Baden-Wurttemberg. It’s the second time the town council of Schiltach together with the social community for elderly invite international volunteers to create a sensory garden for young and old, but especially for inhabitants of old people's home. This time much creativity is in demand.

The volunteers will plant and construct a garden for an old people's home with different stations. Until now a bus station, an international signpost, a billiard game and “midpoint of the world” has been planned for example, but we are also looking forward to your ideas. Therefore much creativeness is welcomed! Work will be supervised by professionals.

Language: English

Accommodation will be in rooms of an old people's home, where a kitchen and sanitary facilities are provided. Sleeping bags and mats have to be brought! Be ready and open for daily contacts and probably common activities with people, who work or live in the centre.

Location: Schiltach is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Black Forest, on the river Kinzig, 20 km south of Freudenstadt. Schiltach has about 4.000 inhabitants and a nice medieval inner city, which is under monument protection and worth seeing, especially the market place including the town hall.
There will be a lot of leisure activities you can take part in, such as a midnight-soccer tournament (01.07.2011), a festival of different cultures (03.07.2011) and a wheelbarrow race (09.07.2011).

Train station: Freudenstadt, Offenburg, Wolfach.

Airport: Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Zürich (Switzerland).

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Restoration of war victims' graves and studying German in Berlin
Berlin-Reinickendorf, Brandenburg          June 25 - July 17, 2011

Volunteer project: During the first week, you will take part in an intensive German language course (2x 90 / day), in order to learn German you will need on a day to day basis, as well as get a much closer look at the language as a whole. Your instructors are all native speakers and have experience in teaching German as a foreign language, and are also members of your team.
During the second and third weeks, you will help with the restoration of graves of war victims in Reinickendorf in the north of Berlin. Here, not only German but also foreign soldiers and civilians are buried, and a memorial was later erected in their memory. You will also help renew the lawns and cut away excess plants around the stones and clean the stones.

Leisure time: Berlin has endless free time activities, both day and night. For the duration of the project, you will be provided with a public transportation ticket, which will be good for all of Berlin.

Special requirements: You don’t need to know German yet, but you should be willing to learn it!

Language: English

Accommodation: Your group will stay in the Pfadfinderhaus in Alt-Tempelhof, with mattresses provided.

Location: Berlin, Federal State of Brandenburg.

Terminal: Berlin

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

Preparing and running a holiday camp for children on the Baltic Sea coast
Wismar, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania     July 2 - July 23, 2011

Volunteer project: Do you enjoy spending time with kids and would like to join a team that will make the kid’s summer vacation in Wismar unforgettable? Here, over 100 kids between the ages of 6 and 10 will take part in a large summer camp. Every day will have a motto. Come with creative ideas for games and activities from your homeland to help enrich the project and give it an international flair! During the first week your team will have time to plan. With a few activities in the city center, the children will find out what awaits them during the next two weeks.

Special requirements: Some knowledge of German will make communicating with the kids much easier.

Leisure time: At Wagenburg you can play volleyball and soccer. For outings to the Baltic Sea and to the center of Wismar you will be provided with bikes. The city of Wismar is one of the pretty Hanseatic cities on the Baltic Sea coast. It is considered a World Heritage Site and has a beautiful center and a harbor. You will also have plenty of opportunities to travel to nearby places such as Luebeck, Rostock, or to Poel Island.

Language: English and German

Accommodation: Your accommodation will also be an adventure. It is located at the edge of Wismar, therefore you will be provided with bikes in order to be able to better explore the city. You will stay at Wagenburg, a small camp with wagons, a grill pit, clay oven, and is full of adventure.

Location: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; Wismar is on the Baltic Sea coast between Luebeck and Rostock.

Terminal: Wismar

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Improving the recreational facilities for children and adults in Farschweiler
Farschweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate          July 2 - July 16, 2011

Volunteer project: For the first time, an international workcamp will take place in Farschweiler, a village not far from Trier, the oldest city in Germany. The local partner is the municipality. The village is beautifully situated between forests and meadows. You can find here some shops, some pubs and restaurants, the primary school and among other facilities the public playground for children. The aim of the workcamp is to renew this playground. The place should become more attractive for the different age ranges. The project will be realized together with local volunteers, they are already very excited to welcome the volunteers from all over the world and to work with you! The project starts on the weekend of the yearly village festival. This is a perfect chance for you to get to know the village, its inhabitants and German culture.

The work will include renovation of the playground (for example the construction and renovation of different tools and the playground borders) and also creating a space where some gym equipment need to be set up for citizens of all ages (called generation garden) to spend their time together. There will also be the opportunity to be creative by painting the tools of the playground and you can also make own suggestions for improving the place. The work will be carried out together with local volunteers and supervised by professional workers who will explain the tasks. They are looking forward to getting to know the international helpers.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will stay in the local community hall with several rooms, a kitchen, toilets and leisure time facilities. There are no showers in the accommodation. You can use the showers near the sports ground at a 1 km distance. There is no public internet in Farschweiler, so you have to wait for excursions to go online.

Location: Farschweiler is a village with 750 inhabitants. The village is surrounded by nature and you will have the chance to enjoy it (just go for a walk...). Nevertheless there is a direct bus connection to Trier, the oldest German city with 100.000 inhabitants. Here you can find many historical sites (from the Roman period), many clubs and events (as it is a university town) and all other facilities. Also Luxembourg and the famous valley of the Moselle with its castles and vineyards are close and might be visited.

Train station: Trier

Airport: Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN), Luxembourg (LUX), Frankfurt (FRA), Cologne (CGN)

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Conservation of historical park landscapes in Potsdam
Potsdam, Brandenburg          July 2 - July 24, 2011

Volunteer project: 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.

Leisure time: The project'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 project.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will stay in the Freie Schule Potsdam and sleep on mattresses.

Location: Brandenburg, on the southwest edge of Berlin

Terminal: Potsdam

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Creating a barefoot pathway in Merkendorf
Merkendorf, Bavaria          July 2 - July 19, 2011

Volunteer project: During these two weeks you will be working to lay a barefoot pathway. The work will take place on the grounds of the Naturfreibad Weißbachmuehle. The project will be dedicated on July 16 during a local festival.

Leisure time: On the weekends you have the opportunity to take trips to nearby cities such as Ansbach, Weissenburg, Dinkelsbuehl, and Rothenburg, on the famous Romantic Road, to Nuremberg, or to Munich. You can also use the extensive bike path network or go hiking in the nearby Hahnenkamm. Swimming and water sport activities are possible in the nearby Frankish Seenland. On Saturday, July 16, there will be a running race, the Zweistaedtelauf Merkendorf-Wolfsrams-Eschenbach, with distances from 6-10 km, which you are also welcome to take part in.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in the Merkendorf Fire Station.

Location: Bavaria; Merkendorf is near the Frankish Lakeland, about 50 km west of Nuremberg, 15 km from Ansbach, and 200 km from Munich.

Train station: Triesdorf Bahnhof (from the station it is ca. 1 km to Merkendorf)

Airport: Nuremberg or Munich

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

 

Learn German in Storkow Peace Village
Storkow, Brandenburg          July 2 - July 23, 2011

Volunteer project: The Friedensdorf Storkow (Storkow Peace Village) 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 project.

Special requirements: The project will be run in German. A basic knowledge of German is required.

Leisure time: Storkow is one of the oldest cities 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!

Language: English and German

Accommodation: You will be living in a three story apartment in the Friedensdorf Storkow.

Location: Brandenburg; Storkow is 50 km southeast of Berlin.

Terminal: Storkow

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Nature conservation work in Swabian-Franconian Forest
Althuette, Baden-Wurttemberg          July 3 - July 16, 2011

Volunteer project: Althuette is a municipality in the district of Rems-Murr in Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany. It´s the first time the community is going to invite a volunteer workcamp. They are very happy and excited to have international help for two weeks in July. The project is based on conservation work of the countryside.

The work will include clearing vegetation (plants, roots,..) close to a sawmill and a biotope and some renovation work of a building. The biotope is an old quarry, which is left to nature nowadays. Work will be supervised by professionals. Please be aware that the work is physically demanding and you will get dirty!

Language: English

Accommodation will be in a flat of the municipality, where a kitchen and sanitary facilities are provided.

Location: Althuette is a state-approved resort, which is part of the nature park “Swabian-Franconian Forest” and located directly at the “Idyllic Road”. It has 4.000 inhabitants and is situated 40 kilometres far from Stuttgart, Schwaebisch Gmuend, Ludwigsburg and Schwaebisch Hall. There are a lot of opportunities to do in outdoor-activities such as hiking, Nordic Walking, biking... around Althuette and there is also a small zoo.

Train station: Backnang

Airport: Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/ Baden-Baden

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Archaeological project in the medieval town Wolframs-Eschenbach
Wolframs-Eschenbach, Bavaria          July 3 - July 23, 2011

Volunteer project: Wolframs-Eschenbach is a medieval town in Bavaria in Germany. It´s the first time the community is going to invite an international group of volunteers. They are very happy and excited to have international help for three weeks in July. The project is based on archaeological work.

The volunteers will unearth a former tower, which was backfilled in 1900 to make it accessible for the public. Work will be supervised by an amateur archaeologist. The work will also include the examination of the ground conditions with the help of special instruments like sieves,...Please be aware that you have to work a lot in the dirt and that you will get dirty and dusty!

Language: English

Accommodation: You will stay in the old town hall building where a kitchen and sanitary facilities are provided. Showers are available at the school nearby.

Location: Wolframs-Eschenbach is a medieval town, which is surrounded by a completely well-preserved fortification (town wall), which was built in the 1300. It is located 50 kilometres far from Nuernberg.

Train station: Triesdorf

Airport: Stuttgart, Augsburg, Munich, Karlsruhe/ Baden-Baden, Frankfurt

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Restoration of war victims' graves and studying German in Berlin
Berlin-Reinickendorf, Brandenburg          July 9 - July 31, 2011

Volunteer project: During the first week, you will take part in an intensive German language course (2x 90 / day), in order to learn German you will need on a day to day basis, as well as get a much closer look at the language as a whole. Your instructors are all native speakers and have experience in teaching German as a foreign language, and are also members of your team.
During the second and third weeks, you will help with the restoration of graves of war victims in Reinickendorf in the north of Berlin. Here, not only German but also foreign soldiers and civilians are buried, and a memorial was later erected in their memory. You will also help renew the lawns and cut away excess plants around the stones and clean the stones.

Leisure time: Berlin has endless free time activities, both day and night. For the duration of the project, you will be provided with a public transportation ticket, which will be good for all of Berlin.

Special requirements: You don’t need to know German yet, but you should be willing to learn it!

Language: English

Accommodation: Your group will stay in the Pfadfinderhaus in Alt-Tempelhof, with mattresses provided.

Location: Berlin, Federal State of Brandenburg.

Terminal: Berlin

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

TV production workshop in Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony          July 9 - July 23, 2011

Volunteer project: TV38 is the local television station for the Wolfsburg-Braunschweig-Salzgitter region. It is an editorial station made by the region, for the region. One of the main goals of the station, besides producing news, informational, and conversational shows, is teaching others about the world of media. Through various courses and lessons, locals learn how to produce their own shows and messages.

Your team will also be taking part, and under the expert leadership of a local media teacher, you will be producing your own TV spot and therefore have the opportunity to get to know Wolfsburg through another light. You will first follow all of the steps in preparing your show, then shoulder the cameras yourselves. The editing and finishing of the show will take place in the Sendezentrale studios in Wolfsburg, where you will work with mostly digital media. The topic of your show will be discussed with the teacher at the beginning of project.

Leisure time: Wolfsburg is a modern, large city with many diverse cultural offerings. The castle, art museum, Autostadt, the soccer team VFL Wolfsburg, and the science museum are all known world wide. You may also visit the Allerpark.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying at the Jugendzentrum Freizeitheim Westhagen.

Location: Lower Saxony; Hannover 75 km, Braunschweig 30 km, Magdeburg 65 km.

Train station: Wolfsburg

Airport: Hanover

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Removing invasive vegetation and improving hiking trails in the Black Forest nature park
Lauterbach, Baden-Wurttemberg           July 9 - July 28, 2011

Volunteer project: Adventurous… technology-free nature workcamp! This is the third time that the community of Lauterbach invites a workcamp. Most of all, the rangers in Lauterbach are very happy to be supported by a workcamp at different environmental and construction tasks in a nature protection area!

There will be different tasks waiting for you to help with: First of all so-called “neophytes” (invasive non-native vegetation) need to be removed in the nature protection area. You will cut and clear those plants. On different hiking trails, benches, signs and view points will be renovated. Furthermore, cleaning and clearing of vegetation needs to be done in biotopes like ponds and tarns. The work will be physical and sometimes in damp and steep areas.

Language: English

Accommodation: Outside of the community in the middle of the forest lies a very cozy and basic blockhouse which will be the groups' accommodation. There will be a kitchen, living room and two sleeping rooms (sleeping bags and mats have to be brought!). Toilets are at hand and showers can be used at a public swimming pool to which each of the participants gets free entry. You will have to be flexible and like this kind of adventure - living outside the community this way. Due to the position of the house we remind you that there will not be access to internet and no coverage for cell phones. Just be prepared to spend three wonderful, adventurous weeks away from your busy and usual everyday life!

Location: Lauterbach is situated in the heart of the Black Forest nature park close to the cities of Schramberg and Rottweil approx. 100 km south of Stuttgart, close to the Swabian Albs (not Alps!!) and the Black Forest – in Southern Germany. That means there will be a lot of possibilities to hike and experience nature first hand. Just step out of the door and find yourself surrounded by beautiful nature! It will be possible to see some surrounding places of interests and towns/cities you might be curious to get to know. Towns like Rottweil have a long history, astounding architecture and other cultural highlights to discover. Be aware that you'll live idyllically yet isolated in a wooden blockhouse outside the community!

Train station: Lauterbach, Schramberg

Airport: Stuttgart

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Organizing a summer camp program for children on the Baltic Sea
Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein          July 9 - August 6, 2011

Volunteer project: The Falckenstein Youth Village, located right on the Kieler Foerde, hosts a five-week long beach summer camp for kids ages 6-11 each year. Together with other team members, you will create and run a program for this camp. Each week has a different motto, such as magic, the Vikings, or Falckenstein Idol. Bring your pedagogical knowledge, or learn from other members of the team! If you enjoy being around kids, doing crafts, playing with costumes, swimming, and building sand castles, you are going to leave this camp with great experiences. Feel free to bring ideas for games and songs from your home countries! Since the kids will go home in the late afternoon, you will have plenty of time to enjoy the beach or spend the evening around the bonfire. The Falckenstein camp is ideally located at the edge of Kiel. During this project you will be working with other participants from Germany, and therefore should be able to communicate well in either German or English. You will have one week to prepare, then will work 8 hours a day.

Special requirements: Knowledge of German is required.

Leisure time: When the sun shines you can go for a swim in the Baltic Sea, relax, play volleyball or table tennis, or have a nice, cozy grill evening. Kiel and its 200,000 residents offer countless free time activities.

Language: English and German

Accommodation: You will be staying in simple, covered tents like houses.

Location: Schleswig-Holstein; 100 km north of Hamburg, 80 km south of Flensburg.

Terminal: Kiel

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

Support a holiday play program for kids in Brandenburg
Senftenberg, Brandenburg          July 9 - July 23, 2011

Volunteer project: 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.

Leisure time: 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.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be sleeping in the Kultur- und Freizeitzentrums „Pegasus“ either on mattresses or on cots.

Location: Brandenburg; ca. 100 km south of Berlin

Terminal: Senftenberg

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Maintenance of natural habitats in Rhineland-Palatinate
Ebertsheim, Rhineland-Palatinate          July 9 - July 24, 2011

Volunteer project: Ebertsheim is located in a very green area, and is home to the Verbandesgemeinde Gruenstadt-Land, which has a few nature protection tasks for your team. You will do various maintenance tasks on biotopes and redo hiking paths. You will also have the opportunity to learn about the environment at the Ebertsheimer Bildungsinitiative where you will examine water and take part in a bee seminar.

Leisure time: You can take trips to nearby cities such as Mannheim and Heidelberg, or go hiking along the countless hiking paths in the Leiningerland. If you want, you can also travel to Strassburg, or take part in the local festivals that take place over the summer. For a city feel, take the train to Gruenstadt or Worms and experience the cultural and other free time activities there.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in a gym.

Location: Rhineland-Palatinate; 20 km from Worms, 35 km from Mannheim, Heidelberg 60 km.

Terminal: Ebertsheim

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

 

Creating a green schoolyard in Frankenthal
Frankenthal, Rhineland-Palatinate          July 9 - July 30, 2011

Volunteer project: Frankenthal, located between the Pfaelzer Wald and the Rheinebene, is home to the Pfalzinstitut for people with hearing difficulties. Here your team will help create a schoolyard that is close to nature. First you must prepare the ground so you can plant flowers, trees, and bushes, and afterwards you will build an insect hotel. For the various garden tools your group will be building a tool shed and a cistern to save rainwater. As a creative project, your group will paint murals, so come with ideas and let your creative side shine!

Leisure time: Frankenthal has very good connections to nearby cities such as Heidelberg, Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Worms, Speyer, and Frankfurt. In Frankenthal you have a beach right nearby, a movie theater, and a disco. The Pfaelzer Wald also offers hiking opportunities. There is a grill festival planned at the end of the project.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in apartments on the school grounds.

Location: Rhineland-Palatinate, Heidelberg 40 km, Mannheim 15 km

Terminal: Frankenthal

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Support the work of an animal shelter in Barleben
Barleben, Saxony-Anhalt          July 9 - July 30, 2011

Volunteer project: In the Barleben community, located 10 km north of Magdeburg, there is an organization which houses small animals. Here, you will be helping to build cages and pens to keep the animals in. You will also be building pathways and caring for the outside grounds.

Leisure time: After a long day at work, you can relax at the nearby lake, play beach volleyball, or just chill. Here you can find everything that is fun to do in summer. In Barleben, you can also use the skate park, and it’s not far to Magdeburg, where you can go bowling or go to the movie theater. Bikes will be provided for you to get to know the area better. A grill evening and a canoe tour will make the workcamp complete.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in the Jugendclub in Barleben.

Location: Saxony-Anhalt; Magdeburg 10 km, Braunschweig 90 km, Berlin 150 km

Terminal: Barleben

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

Renovating summer camp houses for kids
Soemmerda, Thuringia          July 9 - July 30, 2011

Volunteer project: The Kinder and Jugenddorf Beichlingen offers summer programs for children and youth under the motto: Adventure, Games, and Fun. Your team will be one of many international volunteer groups who have worked on forming the grounds of the camp area. This summer, a few houses need a new coat of paint. Everyone is welcome here, no matter how much or how little experience in this type of work you have. You won’t be left alone while working, but have expert leadership on site.

Leisure time: The hostel itself offers many activities, such as sports, billiards, and table tennis. In the nearby area you will also find a pool, and can even go horseback riding. Nearby travel destinations include Erfurt and Weimar with their historical city centers.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will share rooms at a youth hostel.

Location: Thuringen, Erfurt 40 km, Weimar 35 km

Terminal: Soemmerda

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Festival of Celtic history and living in Nagold
Nagold, Baden-Wurttemberg          July 10 - July 26, 2011

Volunteer project: Following the success of the last years’ projects, the youth centre of Nagold again invites an international workcamp. All previous workcamps have been great experience for all participants.
The youth centre, located in the inner city of Nagold, is a meeting point for young people aged 14-20. Beside many other possibilities to spend time in the youth centre, you will find rooms and equipment to play music, to dance and make videos and plenty of other things to spend your leisure activities.

The project participants will be helping out at the “Keltenfest” in Nagold, a festival about Celtic history and living. The city organises the festival every two years and this year they have planned something special – the festival takes place at the ruined castle Nagold, which tracks lead back to 11th century. Nowadays this is a popular place for all inhabitants and visitors of the city for nice walks and a beautiful view of the city and during the summer – open air concerts and festivals.
In the beginning of the project the work will focus on the preparation of the festival. The participants get an introduction to Celtic history so that they all know what the festival is about. Throughout the festival the group will have different working tasks to fulfill. They will build different authentic constructions, weave fences and produce Celtic costumes. From 23.07.-24.07. there will be children days at the festival, in which the group is going to help out and taking part in the team competition.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will be staying in the youth centre with basic conditions. Two sleeping rooms with beds are provided. Showers are available at the swimming pool nearby.

Location: Nagold is a nice little town with about 22.000 inhabitants. It is about 50 km away from Stuttgart and is situated in the beautiful “Black Forest”. Trips to Stuttgart and Tuebingen, hiking in the Black forest, horse and camel riding, swimming and playing beach volleyball are only some of the possible activities. Local youth will be around at all times so participants can look forward to establish a close contact with them!

Train station: Nagold

Airport: Stuttgart (50 km)

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Music festival in Karlstadt
Karlstadt, Bavaria          July 16 - July 27, 2011

Volunteer project: During the summer some communities in Germany host music festivals for young people. One of those festivals – called “Umsonst & Draußen” (free of charge & outdoors) – will take place outside the town of Karlstadt and run for three days from the 22nd-24th of July. Young people of the town have been organising festivals for a long time now; this year will be the third time to invite an international team to help with the exciting but also demanding tasks of setting up the festival in July. Around 35 bands are invited; 12000-15000 visitors are expected.

The international group will work together with many helpers 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 flexible enough to work long and unusual hours – and enjoy music! Speaking or understanding basic German will be a plus.

Special requirements: A motivation letter is required with application.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will be accommodated in tents on the site of the festival where all helpers will stay as well, basic conditions, sanitary facilities provided.

Location: Karlstadt is situated in the Bavarian region called Franconia. The town holds around 7000 inhabitants and has a historical touch to it. If you are interested in architecture, you will find lots of nice sights in the centre of town. Also the region with its vineyards and hills provide an opportunity for some calm and relaxing outdoor activities as an alternative to the hectic life of the festival.

Train station: Karlstadt

Airport: Frankfurt, Nuernberg

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Environmental conservation of the Fischbek moorlands
Hamburg-Neugraben, Hamburg          July 16 - August 6, 2011

Volunteer project: Landscaping in a great area and sightseeing in a big city… you can do both in the volunteer project located at the southern end of Hamburg. You will be working in the Fischbeker Heide, a 770 hector nature area in the southwest side of Hamburg. In order to preserve the area, your team will be removing invasive plant species (mostly pines). This serves to preserve the diverse animal species present in the area, including the 200 endangered species of insects. You will also create signs to mark the hiking paths, as visitors in the wrong areas can make the area worse. A third task will be working on the Nessand Island, located in the Elbe and reachable by boat, where you will remove trash from the area. This is a great opportunity to experience the Elbe river from another side! The work may be physically challenging at times.

Leisure time: Fischbek is an hour from the center of Hamburg with public transportation. During your free time, you can travel to Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany. There await countless free time activities, such as sightseeing, the harbor, shopping, going out, etc. On the weekends you can travel to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Language: English

Accommodation: Your team will be staying in a cozy, simply furnished seminar house on the grounds of the nature area in Fischbek.

Location: Hamburg

Terminal: Hamburg-Neugraben

Airport: Hamburg

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

 

Expanding and remodeling a network of hiking trails south of Berlin
Rangsdorf, Brandenburg          July 16 - August 7, 2011

Volunteer project: Rangsdorf, a city of about 11,000, lies 15 kilometers south of Berlin. Its highlights include its nature areas and Rangdorfer See. Since 2005, workers have been building a hiking path network in order to help others experience this beautiful landscape. Under expert leadership from the local landscape committee and in cooperation with the Berlin Brandenburg International Airport, the volunteer team will help further expand this network. The tasks will include caring for, repairing, and building pathways, clearing debris, building and installing benches, observation points, and maps, and caring for the nearby nature area. Most of the work will be manual labor, but the foresters and others will help with the more difficult tasks. At the end of the project, your team will present the work done to the local public.

Special requirements: Participants must be able to ride a bike!

Leisure time: At the edge of Rangsdorf you will find a typical Brandenburg landscape with fields, small bodies of water, and forests. Bikes will be provided and available during the whole project, so you can use them to discover the local swimming hole (ca. 3 km away) or go to the train station (ca. 4 km) without problems.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will stay in a small day care center. There is a grill pit and volleyball court in the yard. You will bike the 4 kilometers between your accommodation and work site.

Location: Brandenburg; 15 km south of Berlin.

Terminal: Rangsdorf

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

A fresh new look for the Verden Youth Center
Verden (Aller), Lower Saxony          July 16 - August 6, 2011

Volunteer project: The Verden Youth Center offers youth rooms to meet, to play, or to simply chill. There is a rehearsal room for bands, an internet café, group rooms and a large room for events. These rooms all desperately need a coat of paint. Together with local youth, your team will redo the walls of the center. The work will involve painting as well as wallpaper work. You can feel free to let your creative side shine while painting! If time remains, your team will build a small seating area on the outside grounds as well as plant hedges.

Leisure time: Verden has 27,000 residents and lies at the mouth of the Aller River. The over 1000 year old city is known as the equestrian capitol of the area. The city center and its cathedral are worth a visit. In Verden and the area you can go canoeing, hike, and bike in the nearby parks. Nearby Bremen, Hanover, and Hamburg offer endless free time and cultural activities, sightseeing, and shopping. You can also visit the Bergen Belsen Memorial Site.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying at another youth center in the town. The accommodation has no showers, therefore you will receive cards to use the showers in a nearby pool.

Location: Lower Saxony; Bremen 40 km, Hanover 90 km, Hamburg 130 km

Terminal: Verden (Aller)

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Creating an outdoor classroom and exercise facility for children in the south of Germany
Willstaett, Baden-Wurttemberg          July 16 - July 30, 2011

Volunteer project: After the success of last year, the municipality of Willstaett invites an international volunteer project for the third time this July. The project revolves around the designing of an outdoor classroom and the paving of a road.

In the first week the volunteers will help to build an outdoor classroom, which will be used by the pupils and teachers on hot summer days. Here you will work together with the pupils of the school. In the second week you will construct a plastered road for children of a day-nursery, so that they can use their exercise wheels and bobby cars. Work can be heavy at times. Volunteers will work together with workers from the local building department. They are looking forward to another volunteer group.

Language: English

Accommodation: In a building of the fire brigade with all sanitary facilities provided. Kitchen and beds are in place as well.

Location: The community of Willstaett contains several villages with all in all around 9000 inhabitants. It is situated in the beautiful southern part of Germany close to the border to France. It is characterised by its beautiful architectural style of carcass houses. There is also a lot to see and discover in the landscape close to the Black forest with its spectacular sights (waterfalls, castles…). Close bigger cities like Freiburg or Strasbourg offer a wide range of cultural events.

Train station: Appenweier, Kehl

Airport: Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe Baden-Baden

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Maintenance of an open-air-museum and memorial of the Iron Curtain
Hoetensleben, Saxony-Anhalt          July 16 - August 6, 2011

Volunteer project: The main project will be to maintain the site of an open-air-museum and memorial of the Iron Curtain. Hoetensleben is a village which was situated directly on the east of the German-German border when Germany was divided during the period of the cold war. A local association was founded after the fall of the Iron Curtain which maintains four hundred meters of the former frontier protection system as a kind of open-air-museum. Visitors can still experience the different walls and electric fences, the watchtowers and iron barriers and get a feel for the violence of this monument.

The volunteers will work on the upkeep of this monument. The concrete tasks might include clearing the former path used by border guards to patrol the border from vegetation, painting the lorry barriers, and restoring the wall and fences. The project includes several study-parts on this period of the German history with several excursions and activities together with local people.
During the project period there will also be a huge rock festival in the village, you might be asked to give a hand.

Special requirements: Volunteers should add a short motivation letter describing their interest in this particular project. Volunteers need to be able to ride a bike!

Language: English

Accommodation: In the former village hall, different sleeping rooms.

Location: Hoetensleben is a little village with approx. 2.500 inhabitants. International volunteer groups have been invited for some 13 years, so local inhabitants are looking forward to welcome the volunteers and many activities will be done together with local associations e.g. the voluntary fire brigade of Hoetensleben. Volunteers should be interested in a close contact with the German population and in German history. Therefore, volunteers should add a short motivation letter describing their interest in this special project.

Train station: Helmstedt

Airport: Hanover, Berlin

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Art Summer workshops in Brandenburg
Wiesenburg/Mark, Brandenburg          July 16 - August 4, 2011

Volunteer project: From the 27th through the 31st of July, you will be a participant in the so called Art Summer, which is led by 10 artists that work together and lead 5 workshops. During these courses, you will research and then display topics such as the future, ecology, and sustainability. With your body and voice, head and heart, hand and eye, dancing and painting, color, wood, and metal, you will create projects that embody these themes. During the first week, you will be helping to set up the camp and its infrastructure. This includes signs, setting up workshop rooms and the outside grounds, as well as setting up sleeping and common rooms. During the workshop, you will help in the kitchen and outside (i.e. at the fire pit). You will work in rotating groups so that you will also have a chance to visit the workshops without any worries. During the last week of the project, you will help with taking down and cleaning after the workshops.

Leisure time: Nearby, you can find the Wiesenburg Schloss with its park, as well as other historical buildings within walking reach. There is a train station nearby which makes trips to Berlin, Potsdam, or to Belzig possible.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be sleeping on cots in tents.

Location: Brandenburg; 100 km southwest of Berlin

Terminal: Wiesenburg/Mark

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Help convert a former mine site into a recreation area
Eisenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate          July 17 - August 5, 2011

Volunteer project: Eisenberg is a small community situated in the beautiful south-western region of Germany called “Pfalz”. Eisenberg used to be a busy community heavily involved in underground mining. After closing the mine at the end of the 1980's nature has recaptured most of the area and created a unique landscape with small ponds, forest and marshland. In the last two years, international volunteer groups were assigned to make the landscape accessible for people of Eisenberg and neighbouring communities. Many visitors are enjoying the area on the weekends. It is a popular place for children most of all.

The volunteers will help to clear vegetation in different places within the nature protection area “Erdekaut”. Paths within this area have to be constructed in order to make it more accessible to the visitors. Small bridges crossing ponds need to be rebuilt as they have become unsafe and old. Probably other tasks like building fences complete the work of the group. The working tasks offer a great opportunity to learn about plants and nature in general. It is the perfect workcamp for people who love nature and to work outside and with their hands.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will live in a well-equipped building of a sports association close to the working place (about 500 meters) complete with a sleeping room, showers, toilets and a kitchen. Mattresses or beds will be in place. Around the house you can find a sports field (soccer etc.) and a barbecue place which helps to relax after work.

Location: With its around 10.000 inhabitants the town itself has lots to offer. Volunteers will have the chance to discover the traditions and ways of living of the region as well as enjoying the surrounding by hiking. Eisenberg lies close to bigger cities like Mannheim or Kaiserslautern.

Train station: Eisenberg (Pfalz)

Airport: Frankfurt (Main), Frankfurt (Hahn)

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Renovation of heritage buildings of a centre for social, cultural and artistic activities in Mainz
Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate          July 17 - August 7, 2011

Volunteer project: The „Alte Ziegelei“ is a former brickyard founded in 1900 to produce bricks in industrial manner with big ovens and technical machines. More than 30.000 bricks were produced per day. The factory was closed in 1972 and it provides a good insight into European Industrial culture.
An association was founded to prevent the area from destruction and to ensure the maintenance of its character for non profit reasons: now the former industrial place is under heritage protection and used as a centre for social, cultural and artistic activities. More than 50 refugees found home in the former factory buildings and different actions are well established such as a school for actors, an ecology group, a kindergarten, a historical museum about the production of bricks, ateliers for artists and educational institutions. The place can be used by the general public for festivals, theatres, having barbecues and celebrating parties.

Volunteers will help with the renovation of a building. The work will include the pointing of the facade, building new windows in, wallpapering and painting the rooms. Apart from this you will support the construction of a toilet for disabled people. Professional supervisors will explain the tasks and take care of security.

Language: English

Accommodation: In a building in the area. Several rooms including all facilities are provided. Lots of other people will be around on the area, so volunteers should be open for contact with local people.

Location: Mainz is the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate with over 2000 years of history. It was an important domicile under the Holy Roman Empire and previously it was a Roman fort city. It is located on the banks of the Rhine River. Mainz is a very beautiful and interesting city with lots of places of interest within its own boundaries as well as in its vicinity.

Train station: Mainz

Airport: Frankfurt International Airport

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Nature conservation activities in Hesse
Frankenberg, Hesse          July 17 - July 31, 2011

Volunteer project: Your help is needed with various forest and nature protection projects: in the Rothaargebirge your team will first learn about the ecological relationships between forest, animals/plants, and climate protection. Afterwards, your hardworking hands are needed to build and repair fences and areas used for hunting. Your team will also maintain forest stands, cut plants free, and protect against damage caused by game animals. In this project, you will learn about the relationships and effects of storms and about working with wood.

Leisure time: Your group will have countless travel opportunities to cities such as Marburg or Kassel, or to other local areas. The Edersee region offers various free time activities such as swimming, hiking, climbing, and archery. The Kellerwald National Park and its visitors center is also located nearby. Your accommodation is located a bit outside the beaten path, ideal for all nature lovers!

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in single and shared rooms in the conference house Oberlinspher Muehle.

Location: Hesse; 40 km north of Marburg, 100 km west of Kassel.

Terminal: Frankenberg

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Youth Adventure Camp
Wismar, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania          July 17 - July 31, 2011

Volunteer project: What do you do when you can’t go any further? Here you and your group will always find a way to get ahead! Cross a river with your self-made cable bridge, climb, canoe, kayak on the Baltic Sea, sleep in a nature camp… all this in one camp! If you enjoy being active, are outdoorsy, and love adventure, you are in the right place! Together with a team from “Grashalm e.v.” you will work under the motto “Life is Adventure” and will experience two unforgettable weeks. The building and the grounds are a large adventure teaching area and there is always something to do.

Special requirements: You must be able to swim and ride a bike.

Leisure time: Adventure education doesn’t just start in the morning and end in the afternoon, each activity has an adventurous side to them. Through hikes, biking, and canoeing you will get to know the area, and you can also visit Wismar and Rostock when you aren’t spending your evenings around the bonfire.

Language: English

Accommodation: Your team will share rooms, but on a few nature adventures you will sleep in tents.

Location: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; 20 km from Wismar

Terminal: Wismar

Age range: 14 - 17 years old

 

 

Environmental work and improving a hiking trail in the idyllic Franken region of Bavaria
Heilsbronn, Bavaria          July 23 - August 6, 2011

Volunteer project: After the success of the projects in the last three years, the town of Heilsbronn is anxious to host another volunteer project this year. There will be different environmental and construction goals to be achieved by the international group around this beautiful Bavarian town.

People in the town hall are big fans of the volunteer workcamps and are very happy to have another group supporting them in environment tasks like constructing different water barriers and ramps. Apart from that, there are several tasks that need to be done outside of Heilsbronn on a hiking trail.

Language: English

Accommodation: In the local youth club with all necessary facilities. The local youth are looking forward to get to know the group.

Location: The town of Heilsbronn is located in the idyllic Bavarian region called „Franken“. Typical for the small town with its 9300 inhabitants are the old half-timbered houses. Heilsbronn also has some unique sights to offer, for example the monastery and the cathedral. Nature friends can find several hiking trails in the beautiful landscape around the city. Remarkable above all is that “the Way to St. James” also known as “Camino de Santiago” leads through Heilsbronn. For this reason the region is adorned by many old churches and frequently visited by tourists as well as pilgrims.

Train station: Heilsbronn

Airport: Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Nuremberg

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Experience nature with all senses
Bieren-Roedinghausen, North Rhine Westphalia          July 23 - August 7, 2011

Volunteer project: A fun and diverse project awaits your team in the forest rich area of Roedinghausen. With support from local organizations and from the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Forestry Office, your team will complete some of the stations of a nature experience trail. This trail and its games and stations awaken interest in nature phenomena and ecological relationships. For example, the Forest and Cultural History is located next to the Aussichtsturm Nonnenstein, and here you will be building information points that teach visitors about the tower. The Underworld station is built as a part of the ground that one can step on. Here, the visitors learn about life in the root system of a tree. At the weather station, you will be planting plants that also reflect what the weather is like that day.

Leisure time: Your team can take trips to Bielefeld, Munster, or Osnabruck. The surrounding area is very pretty and lends itself to canoeing, swimming, or visiting the local open air museum.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in a youth hostel with an attached mini gold course and a soccer field.

Location: North-Rhine Westphalia; 30 km from Bielefeld, 10 km from Herford, 30 km from Osnabruck.

Terminal: Bieren-Roedinghausen

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Creating a Culture Garden in the heart of Franconian lakelands
Georgensgmuend, Bavaria          July 23 - August 13, 2011

Volunteer project: On the Umweltstation Haemmerleinsmuehle e.V. grounds, the international volunteer team will be planning and helping to build a habitat where nature, people, and culture can unite, a so called “Culture Garden”. You will build a waterway, with gutters, pipes, sinks, waterfalls, a watertower, and a water pump. Your team will also be building a solar powered shower and a humus toilet based on the ideas of artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. In a workshop, you will have the opportunity to build walls and other garden objects out of osier stakes. As much recycled material as possible will be used for these projects and you will be led by expert artists and builders. Work may be physically challenging at times.

Leisure time: The Georgensgmuend community lies in the heart of the Frankish Lake Country. You can go for a swim, enjoy local festivals, go climbing, take trips to various museums in Nuremberg, or go to Munich or Rothenburg.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will stay in a youth house with a cafeteria, kitchen, party and common room, and two sleeping rooms with 6 beds each, showers, and toilets.

Location: Bavaria; 45 km south of Nuremberg

Terminal: Georgensgmuend

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

 

Youth media workshop "Stop & Motion"
Bremen, Bremen          July 23 - August 6, 2011

Volunteer project: „Stop & Motion“ – Make your own movies! –
You can do this and more in this international media camp. Your group will learn by doing, collecting and experimenting in small groups. You will learn how to use Legetrick with the TrickBoXX, turn your self made clay figures into heroes, or animate every day situations. Your creativity and fantasies will have no limits here! Along with working the camera and working with various software programs, you will learn to edit your cartoons on the computer and add sound.
The results will be posted on an online blog, so that your friends and family can see your final product!

          "I had a lot of fun making the cartoons and I found it very interesting. I am also very happy for making new friends“

(project participant from 2009)

Leisure time: The 1,200 year old city of Bremen offers sightseeing, cultural activities, nightlife, and shopping. On the weekends, you can take trips to the North Sea, to Hamburg, and to other nearby cities.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in a simply furnished youth center.

Location: Bremen; 120 km from Hamburg.

Terminal: Bremen Central Station

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Developing a community garden in Hanover
Hanover, Lower Saxony          July 23 - August 13, 2011

Volunteer project: The Internationale Stadtteilgaerten Hannover e.V. has built a community garden in the Sahlkamp district of Hannover, where families from all over the world can plant vegetables, spices, and flowers. In order to bring immigrant families into contact with German families, there are also educational opportunities. You will be supporting this project by building a ceramic wall mosaic with a body map theme, helping to improve the scenery around the gardens. The work will help to answer the questions “Who am I?, Who do I want to be?”. Your team will also build a wooden pavilion in the orchard and will create an area where plants that enjoy dryer weather can grow. Through this work you will also learn about ecology and cultural diversity.

Leisure time: Along with the project, your team will also participate in a study section where you will learn more about climate change and ecology with a beekeeping workshop, a trip to the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven, and an excursion to Hannover for a workshop on people and consumption. Tourism highlights in Hannover include the Herrenhaeuser Gaerten, the Zoo, and the Maschsee.

Language: English

Accommodation: In a nearby youth center

Location: Lower Saxony; Gottingen 120 km, Bremen 130 km, Hamburg 160 km.

Terminal: Hanover

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Help running a summer camp for children in Dortmund
Dortmund, North Rhine Westphalia          July 23 - August 13, 2011

Volunteer project: The Eichlinghofen Youth Center, run by the Youth Office of Dortmund, runs a summer camp for local kids and youth. During the first week, there is a tent camp with the younger kids on the outside grounds. During the second week, excursions to a nearby lake are planned, where you will run various sport and game activities, such as canoeing, swimming, and other games. After an introduction during the first few days, your team will jump right into the camp with the kids. Your main task will lie in catering, meaning you will prepare meals and drinks for everyone (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Please bring ideas for food from your home country to help enrich the menu! Your help will also be needed during various pedagogical activities.

Special requirements: A good knowledge of German is required.

Leisure time: Dortmund and the surrounding area offer many free time activities, such as concerts, parties, and sports. Activities with the local youth will be suggested, such as parties and sightseeing. You can also take trips to nearby cities throughout the Ruhr region, to further away cities, or to neighboring countries.

Language: English and German

Accommodation: You will be staying in tents on the grounds of the Youth Center.

Location: North Rhine-Westphalia; 20 km north-east of Bochum, 90 km north-east of Cologne.

Terminal: Dortmund

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Renovation and landscaping of a Centre for disabled people in Thuringia
Muehlhausen, Thuringia          July 23 - August 13, 2011

Volunteer project: The local host is a charity organisation running workshops and schools for disabled. They have been hosting international volunteer projects for many years now. Former workcamps got a very warm welcome and were a big success – it always meant a great experience for all volunteers and inhabitants of the place.

The work takes place on three locations. First, the charity organisation has its own farm (horses and more) for children, restaurant, and a holiday place called “Alter Bahnhof” outside of town. Several things need to be done in and around this farm: The building itself needs to be painted from the outside and the inside. The bike shelter for the Bike Bed & Breakfast has to be enlarged. A fence for the horses’ pasture has to be built. Moreover, the painting work started in 2010 in the workshop is to be continued. Lastly, the volunteers will work outside the special education centre “Janusz Korczak” where an art-bible-sound-garden is created. The centre itself has to be painted as well. All works will be done together with disabled people. There will be exchanges between international volunteers and the local people who work in or with the charity as well. Bring ideas and be open towards this exchange since it needs your motivation and an open heart!

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will be living in the special education centre “Janusz Korczak” where some of the works will be done. Kitchen, sleeping rooms and sanitary facilities are on-site – and much more. There is a big garden around the house with meadow, trees, a pond and a barbecue grill. Next to the workshop buildings you can also find a soccer field. On the roof of the house there is a balcony from where you have a great view on the landscape around. Muehlhausen provides a lot of shopping possibilities and is easily reachable on foot or by bike.

Location: Muehlhausen is a very old German town with about 50.000 inhabitants. Visiting the city centre and looking at the old houses, you can still imagine how Germany must have been in former times. Muehlhausen is situated in the beautiful forest of Thuringia. Nearby are many interesting places like the city Weimar (home of the poets Schiller and Goethe) or the Wartburg where Martin Luther translated the new testament of the Bible. There are also many other interesting and historical places to go for an excursion.

Train station: Muehlhausen (Thueringen)

Airport: Leipzig, Berlin

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Renovation of a playground for the children of Bielefeld
Bielefeld, North Rhine Westphalia          July 23 - August 13, 2011

Volunteer project: In Bielefeld, your team will be working to clean and renovate a playground, so that it can be used again by the local kids. First your group will work with the old play equipment, repairing the sandbox and other defects, and making the ground soft and safe, build pathways, and continue to make the play equipment safe. Your creative sides will also be put to work since you will be repainting not only this playground, but also others in the area. At the end, you will be organizing a large party with the local kids and their parents to dedicate the playground. Work may be physically demanding at times.

Leisure time: Bielefeld, with 300,000 residents, lies at the edge of the Teutoburger Forest. The city offers rich free time and cultural activities, such as music, theater, movie theaters, bars, etc. The forest is also a good place to go for a hike! You can also take trips to nearby cities such as Hanover, Osnabruck, and Munster.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be accommodated at the Niedermühlenkamp Youth Center.

Location: North Rhine-Westphalia; Bielefeld is 50 km east of Munster and 80 km from Hannover

Terminal: Bielefeld

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

“Wild Wild West” holiday program for children
Bad Oeynhausen, North Rhine Westphalia          July 23 - August 15, 2011

Volunteer project: The Jugendamt of the city of Bad Oeynhausen will once again be hosting a two week long summer camp for 130 kids between the ages of 6 and 13, which is run by international volunteer groups as well as locals. Following the motto “Wild Wild West”, the kids will dress as cowgirls, cowboys, trappers, and gold seekers as they follow the trail of some of America’s first settlers and turn the camp area into a giant Wild West camp site. Here, they can experience what life was like in the Wild West. You will help the children build huts and other small buildings, as they need your help to work with wood, hammers, and saws. You will also take trips with them, and they will even spend a night with you at camp! During the first week you will have time to prepare the activities you will use during the next two weeks.

Special requirements: A good knowledge of German and some pedagogical knowledge is required.

Leisure time: In Bad Oeynhausen there is more than enough to fill your free time: a colorful cultural scene, beautiful architecture, cafes, the Balitherme, pools, and you can also take trips to cities such as Bielefeld, Hanover, or Hamburg. In your accommodation, you can play billiards, table tennis, foosball, and use the Internet.

Language: English and German

Accommodation: You will be staying at the Jugendfreizeithaus, centrally located in the city.

Location: North Rhine-Westphalia; Bielefeld - 30 km, Hannover - 80 km.

Terminal: Bad Oeynhausen

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Arranging a garden at The house of generations in Stuttgart
Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg          July 24 - July 31, 2011

Volunteer project: In the southern part of the town of Stuttgart you can find a building called „Generationenhaus“, which can be described as a social and culture centre. It is a home for elderly people and disabled persons and gives spaces for many intercultural initiatives. On the third floor, there is an open space where young mothers and their children can meet and which they can organise according to their wishes and needs. This intergenerational house is situated in the heart of Heslach, a multicultural quarter of Stuttgart. Workcamps were organised two times in cooperation with the Generationenhaus: Their aim was work on the fallow gardens around the house in order to stop erosion and to make it accessible and usable again. A ramp for wheelchairs and a sun shed were constructed.

After the main works on the garden were done in the last years, the volunteers will work on its arrangement. A bare foot path for children as well as for elderly people will be built in one part of the garden where they can experience their senses. Your tasks will consist of deciding on how to arrange the path, digging it through the garden and then filling in different kind of materials, like stones or wood. So the work is physical and creative. As the garden is around the house, you will have plenty of occasions to meet the inhabitants of the house.
The group of volunteers will consist of 5 young Germans and 5-6 international volunteers coming from different countries.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will live in the house where mattresses, a kitchen and a shower are provided. The volunteers will have lunch together with the inhabitants.

Location: The “Generationenhaus” is situated in Heslach, a multicultural quarter of Stuttgart, close to the city centre. Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Wurttemberg with about 590.000 inhabitants. The city offers a lot of sights to see and events to participate in (TV-Tower, Zoo “Wilhelma”, Mercedes Benz Museum, festivals, etc.). Besides, you will have a lot to discover around the city as well. The surrounding area called “Swabian Alpes” – a mountain chain not hard to reach – invites to more rural outdoor activities like hiking, biking and enjoying the nature of southern Germany.

Train station: Stuttgart

Airport: Stuttgart

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Creating a park for all generations in Grosserlach
Großerlach, Baden-Wurttemberg          July 24 - August 6, 2011

Volunteer project: Großerlach is a town in Baden-Württemberg. It`s the first time the town council of Großerlach invites international volunteers.

The volunteers will construct a park for all generations. It will be a meeting point for Young and Old, for doing sports, playing games and for communicating. In the centre of the terrain an adventure playground is planned. Apart from this, different training equipment for older people along a circular walk (like for example a chess field) will be installed. You will support all these working processes and you will install benches and tables. Work will be supervised by professionals.

Language: English

Accommodation will be in a leisure complex, where a kitchen and sanitary facilities are provided.

Location: Großerlach is a town in the district of Rems-Murr in Baden-Württemberg in Germany and it is situated 50 kilometres far away from Stuttgart. Großerlach has about 2.500 inhabitants and it is a nice rural municipality. It is part of the Swabian-Franconian forest and there is a Teutonic tower of the limes in the near distance.

Train station: Sulzbach/ Murr

Airport: Stuttgart, Karlsruhe (Baden-Baden)

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Running a summer vacation camp for children in Bavaria
Deggendorf, Bavaria          July 24 - August 14, 2011

Volunteer project: This vacation camp will be run for kids between the ages of 7 and 14. The kids will be building wooden huts on a field located right on the Danube River, and are looking forward to the program your team will have set up for them. During the first week, you will get to know the Jugendcenter 4You and the area, organize international cooking nights, and prepare the program. Feel free to bring ideas from your home country! During the second and third weeks, one half of the group will be busy running the kids’ camp (9 hours per day), which includes games, sports, and a surprise excursion; the other will be running a social project in the city of Deggendorf (3 hours per day), which will consist of picking fruit, visiting nursing homes, cleaning up around the city, or watching kids. After a week the groups switch.

Special requirements: Good knowledge of German and some pedagogical knowledge is required.

Leisure time: The youth center offers countless free time activities, including an internet café, billiards, foosball, air hockey, etc. From here it is only a short walk to the city center, where you can also find a pool, museums, bars, and shops. Due to Deggendorf’s central location, taking excursions to the forest, to Regensburg, Passau, Munich, or the Czech Republic is also possible.

Language: English and German

Accommodation: You will be staying at the Jugendcenter 4You.

Location: Bavaria; 55 km from Passau, 75 km from Regensburg.

Terminal: Deggendorf

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Support the organisation of festival events and renovate a youth club in Augsburg
Augsburg, Bavaria          July 25 - August 9, 2011

Volunteer project: The city of Augsburg has a long history of hosting international volunteer projects to look back on. This year the international group will once again be involved in different tasks and events, directly linked to the everyday life of the city. You should not only bring an open heart, but also be keen on construction and gardening work.

The youth club “Lehmbau” has been extended by a new second building, built on the basis of energetic aspects. The volunteers will support the laying-out of the facilities in order to connect the old and new buildings. This includes for example laying electric cables for the lighting and gardening. A landscape gardener will work with the group. The group will also have the chance to be in contact with youngsters of the district “Hochzoll”. Apart from this the volunteers will participate in the organisation of a school festival. At the last weekend, the peace festival of Augsburg will take place. Therefore you should bring a peace sign or symbol from your country!

Language: English

Accommodation: The youth club “Lehmbau” is located in the outskirts of the city of Augsburg next to a big swimming lake. It is a meeting point for children and youth from the neighbourhood and offers lots of leisure activities such as beach volleyball, climbing, canoeing or taking care of and having fun with the animals (donkey, sheep, goats, rabbits,…). You will be accommodated in a big tent in the yard of the youth centre. If the weather is bad, you might sleep in the inside rooms of the youth centre. Camping beds are provided; sanitary facilities and kitchen are inside the youth centre. Warm sleeping bags are necessary, because nights might get cold (even in German summertime).

Location: Ever since its founding by Caesar Augustus - after whom it was named, the city of Augsburg has stood at the intersection of some of the most important trade and travel routes on the continent. Nowadays the population is about 280.000. The youth club can be reached from the inner city by bus in 20 minutes or by bike. In 200m distance to the youth club there is a nice lake in which one can swim.

Train station: Augsburg

Airport: Munich

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Summer camp for children in Weissach
Weissach, Baden-Wurttemberg          July 27 - August 13, 2011

Volunteer project: Weissach is a small community close to Stuttgart in the south of Germany. The municipality has invited volunteer projects in the last years and made the groups feel very welcome. This year they have planned something special: Every year during the school holidays the community organises a summer camp for children in the age 6-13. This year though, the 30 leaders of the summer camp are supposed to be 15 German professional educators and 15 international volunteers.

In the beginning the group will get an introduction in the project and also have the chance to experience some major group building activities so that all leaders can smoothly work together and make the stay worthwhile.

Specific working tasks are to attend and look after the kids and youngsters throughout different activities like excursions, games and bonfires… - a typical summer camp!
On the 28th of July all leaders will help build up the camp site and plan the activities together. Two leaders (one international, one German) will be in charge of a group of 15 kids. The centre of the camp will be a big circus tent which will host different activities. So, if you like spending time with an international group and children, if you like to be asked a lot of (German) questions and love to provide an outlet of the curiosity of children – you are the perfect participant in this camp! Welcome to Weissach! Working hours will be long but very rewarding and you will spend your free time mostly with the kids together (going on a trip with the kids on the weekend for example)! Some knowledge of the German language would be helpful but isn´t obligatory! Your days off will not be on weekends. The host will organise free time activities!

Special requirements: German skills are helpful but not necessary. We ask for a strong motivation and a written motivation letter with the application.

Language: English and German

Accommodation: All leaders and kids will stay in tents on the camp site. All facilities will be available.

Location: Weissach is a village with around 7000 inhabitants, very active and committed. It lies close to Stuttgart but also has a lot of nature to experience and enjoy after work or at the weekends. The international group will have the chance to meet local people and exchange cultural aspects.

Train station: Stuttgart, Leonberg

Airport: Stuttgart (30 km)

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Renovation works in a sports and cultural center in Berlin
Berlin, Brandenburg          July 29 - August 12, 2011

Volunteer project: NaunynRitze is a sport, educational, and cultural center in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. The center is a place where people from all sorts of cultures meet and organize or offer events.
Your team will be painting various rooms of the NaunynRitze. A park is located next door, and your team will also be cleaning and building a new fire pit. Your team will be living and working in one of the most well known and most cultured districts of Berlin!

Special requirements: Knowledge of German is of advantage.

Leisure time: Many events will be taking place at the NaunynRitze, in which you are also welcome to participate. Games such as table tennis, foosball, sports equipment, and a yard are on site, and there is a pool located around the corner. Since the NaunynRitze is also sports center, there will be many sport activities offered for you, such as canoeing and climbing. You will be living in a very active district, located in the middle of Berlin, which also means that you will never run out of activities for your free time. Ticket for public transportation in Berlin will be provided.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be accommodated in the NaunynRitze center.

Location: Berlin

Terminal: Berlin

Age range: 16 - 20 years old

 

 

Street games from all over the world
Berlin Schöneberg, Brandenburg          July 29 - August 13, 2011

Volunteer project: You will be working at the Strasenspiel Olympiade, the vacation camp offered by the Pallast and Stadtteilladen Halk Kösesi, run by the district of Schöneberg. For 6 days you will be working with local volunteers to run training activities for girls and boys between 6 and 15. You will discover and try out street games from all over the world, such as Chinese jump rope, skipping rope, diabolo, and marbles. There will be team and individual competitions, where team spirit, fairness, endurance, and talent will be tested and rated by referees. In order to provide as many different games as possible, you are asked to bring an old street game from your country.

Arrival day is Friday, July 29, and the camp will be kicked off during your preparation day on Sunday, July 31. The teams will then start training outside on Monday. The competitions will take place on August 10 and 11. The camp will end on Friday August 12th with a children’s festival.

Leisure time: Berlin offers many free time opportunities, both by day and by night. In order to better get to know the area, you will be provided with a ticket for the local public transportation, which you can use during the whole project.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be living in the Kinder-und Jugendhaus PalasT and sleep on mattresses. At the youth center, you will have a kitchen and a computer with internet access.

Location: Berlin Schöneberg

Terminal: Berlin

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

Nature adventure program for children
Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia          July 30 - August 20, 2011

Volunteer project: At the Jugendfarm in Essen, children and youth have the possibility to learn how to treat nature responsibly. About 120 animals live on this giant farm and love to be taken care of and fed by the kids. In summer there is a summer vacation program, which needs your help. The focus will be experiencing nature. On the farm grounds, you will help create an ecogarden with the kids, but first the area needs to be prepared before you can plant it. During ‘pony week’ the youth will learn how to properly deal with horses, all the while learning how to take responsibility and learning about nature. The group will also build wooden huts and teepees so the kids have a more ‘natural’ play area. Additional activities such as sports, theater, games, and a circus will make these three weeks fly by.

Special requirements: Knowledge of German is beneficial but not a prerequisite.

Leisure time: The Ruhrgebiet area offers countless free time activities, and Cologne and the Netherlands are easy to reach. On the farm grounds you can play soccer, volleyball, and table tennis. There is a climbing area which you will be taught to use and the group will also get to go on a boat tour.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will be housed in an apartment on the grounds of the Jugendfarm.

Location: North Rhine-Westphalia, 35 km from Dortmund, 70 km from Cologne.

Terminal: Essen

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Environmental and nature conservation program in the Harz Mountains
Goslar, Lower Saxony          July 30 - August 20, 2011

Volunteer project: The forest areas in the Oberharz are protected nature areas, but are also used for recreation. However, as large, connected forest areas, the area is also important for climate protection. You will be helping with protection and environmental work in order to help protect the habitats of rare plant and animal species. The tasks include caring for river beds and repairing and building hiking paths. Your creative side is needed to help make this a success. Through this project you will get a peek into the world of a forester.

Special requirements: This project is for those who enjoy being close to nature.

Leisure time: The Harz and its mountains, caves, mining museums, and forests is a beloved destination. The forestry office will be organizing a ‘survival hike’ for the volunteer group.

Language: English

Accommodation: Forest huts with sleeping areas made of hay. This project is only for those who enjoy being one with nature, as you will be accommodated in the forest without electricity.

Location: Lower Saxony; 100 km south of Hannover, 70 km northeast of Gottingen.

Terminal: Goslar

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

 

Open the stage curtains
Kreiensen, Lower Saxony          July 30 - August 20, 2011

Volunteer project: Heckenbeck, a small town of 450 residents, is a cultural center home to the Weltbuehne and a large theater, in a former guest house. Here one finds an interesting mixture between traditional and modern rural life, made from old mixed with the new. There is an organic shop, an organic vegetable garden, trade and repair businesses, a school, and many clubs. It is here that your team will be a guest for three weeks, and where you will spend two of them with a theater teacher preparing an international theater piece. The theater will be available for your use throughout the project. During the third week, you will present your piece to the participants of another volunteer workcamp in the area as well as to the residents of Heckenbeck. You will also have the opportunity to work in the vegetable garden in exchange for fresh vegetables. This is a project for those who enjoy rural life!

Special requirements: You must be able to ride a bike.

Leisure time: Heckenbeck is very rurally located. For excursions and for grocery shopping you will be provided with bikes. The city of Bad Gandersheim is 4 km away and therefore easily reached by bike. Cities such as Alfeld or the Harz region are easily reached by train.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in the Weltbuehne Heckenbeck center.

Location: Lower Saxony; 60 km south of Hannover, 45 km south of Hildesheim, 45 km north of Gottingen.

Terminal: Kreiensen

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Various environmental and renovation projects in the beautiful Bergisch Land region
Leverkusen, North Rhine Westphalia          July 30 - August 20, 2011

Volunteer project: Ideally embedded in the nature of the Bergisch Land region and dotted with “Fachwerkhaeuser”, the traditional German house, you will find Burscheid. Here there are two projects that require the volunteer group’s help.
First, you will help to renovate the outer grounds of the Evangelischen Altenzentrum, a nursing home. You will install a sense pathway and build a wooden pergola and two benches. Your group will also build and install a few bird houses.
During the second project, you will help to build hedges along the bike path. You will have to take the stakes, put them in rows, and with branches build this into a fence, which will help the diverse plant and animal species as well as keep the bushes off the path. You will also build insect hotels and bat houses.

Leisure time: In Burscheid you will find the Jugend- und Kulturzentrum Megaphon youth center with a large multimedia area and a rockbar. There is also a pool with an area to lay out in the sun. You can also take trips to nearby cities such as Cologne, Duesseldorf, or Bonn, or go for a hike through the area.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will be accommodated in a vacant apartment.

Location: North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne 25 km, Frankfurt 200 km.

Terminal: Leverkusen-Zentrum or Leverkusen-Opladen

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Restoring a creek to its natural state
Schenkenzell, Baden-Wurttemberg          July 30 - August 13, 2011

Volunteer project: In the middle of the Black Forest you can find a small and pretty community called Schenkenzell, which is about 750 years old and was mainly busy in mining and agriculture and known for its monastery and floating tree stems. Today Schenkenzell is more of a residential municipality and a destination for tourists – since the region is plastered with hiking trails and a well-known brewery is to be found in the next town. Even though agriculture and farming has almost died out completely, Schenkenzell is still surrounded by meadows and land. Around 10 km outside of the community you can find a biotope, formerly used as meadows for animals.

Since the meadows were not used frequently anymore the creek that runs through has totally overgrown. The consequence was that the water couldn't run properly anymore, instead transformed the meadows into marsh land. Eventually it could not be used at all anymore. You, as a volunteer group, will have the task to clear out the creek so that it can run smoothly again. That means you have to dig out soil, clear out plants, thereby protecting this cultured nature. It will be physical work and the land is quite moist.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will live in the centre of the village, in the gym hall which is a suitable place since it has beds, showers and kitchen to offer. The hall is also normally used for different kind of activities, parties and events. All necessary things can be found in Schenkenzell itself (bakery, pharmacy and the like). For proper shopping there are bigger supermarkets around 5 km away.

Location: Schenkenzell is a quite small community, has a lot to offer nonetheless. It is a perfect starting point for excursions and hiking trips into the surrounding Black Forest. You can visit the brewery or close bigger cities like Freiburg and Strasbourg. Anyway, it may be most entertaining and interesting to get to know the local population throughout the weeks. You will have the chance to experience a local and funny festival / party of the sports association on the first weekend where you will get to know many young (and probably older) people in Schenkenzell.

Train station: Schenkenzell

Airport: Karlsruhe (Baden-Baden), Stuttgart or Basel-Mulhouse

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Constructing a cycling rest stop and a bare foot path in Riveris
Riveris, Rhineland-Palatinate          July 31 - August 14, 2011

Volunteer project: For the first time, an international volunteer project will take place in Riveris, a tiny little village not far from Trier, the oldest city in Germany. The local partner is the municipality. The village is beautifully situated in a valley next to an artificial lake. The lake is an important reservoir of drinking water for the whole area, so swimming and all other sports is forbidden here. But you can enjoy the pure nature. This lake is the final destination of a regional cycling trail. The local inhabitants are already very excited to welcome the volunteers from all over the world.

The artificial lake next to Riveris is the final destination of a regional cycling trail. To make it even more attractive for cyclists to ride up the gradient of the valley the local partner wants to build some resting infrastructure. A wading pool for kneippism is planned and the international workcamp will construct a place to rest for the cyclists (benches, tables...) and a bare foot path where people can feel different materials while walking on it. There might be some renovation tasks at a barbecue place nearby.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will stay in the local community hall with several rooms, a kitchen, toilets and one shower. There is no public internet in Riveris, so you have to wait for excursions to go online.

Location: Riveris is a village with 400 inhabitants. The village is quite isolated and surrounded by nature and you will have the chance to enjoy it (just go for a walk...). Nevertheless there is a direct bus connection to Trier, the oldest German city with 100.000 inhabitants. Here you can find many historical sights (from the Roman period), many clubs and events (as it is a university town) and all other facilities. Also Luxembourg and the famous valley of the Moselle with its castles and vineyards are close and might be visited.

Train station: Trier

Airport: Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN), Luxembourg (LUX), Frankfurt (FRA), Cologne (CGN)

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Conservation of castle gardens in Bavaria
Giebelstadt, Bavaria          July 31 - August 21, 2011

Volunteer project: Giebelstadt is located close to Würzburg, which is a university city at the Main River and the capital of the region Lower Franconia. It´s the first time the community is going to invite a volunteer workcamp. They are very happy and excited to have international help for three weeks in August.

The municipality has a lot of different tasks for you. The main project is based on conservation work of the country side which belongs to a castle. The work will include cutting grass, brushwood and small trees and the maintenance work of the castle garden. Apart from this, you will install some benches for one part of the castle garden. The municipality is also very open to your creative ideas. Furthermore, you will support the preparation of a holiday programme for the children of Giebelstadt, which will take place in an adventure playground after your workcamp. If there is still time left, you will plant a garden for fruit trees. Work will be supervised by professionals.

Language: English

Accommodation: In a gym, all necessary installations like kitchen and bathrooms are available.

Location: Giebelstadt is surrounded by fields characterized by a rolling landscape. It has a population of about 5,000 people, and has the largest volunteer fire department in its area. In the twentieth century, Giebelstadt hosted a military airfield operated first by the German Luftwaffe in World War II. Giebelstadt supported 5,786 soldiers and their families during the U.S Army 62 year history until its closure along with the U.S Forces draw down of Würzburg area in 2006.

Train station: Würzburg

Airport: Frankfurt, Stuttgart

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Playground renovation project in Singen
Singen, Baden-Wurttemberg          August 6 - August 21, 2011

Volunteer project: After five successful volunteer projects in the last years, the municipal council of Singen invites international volunteers yet another time to help with the renovation of a local playground.

The work will include the renovation of a playground like for example the construction of different tools and the playground borders. There will also be the opportunity to be creative by painting one of the tools of the playground. Furthermore the volunteers might construct a swing for the disabled people, who come to the nearby centre for disabled people. The work will be supervised by professional workers who will explain the tasks and who are looking forward getting to know international helpers.

Language: English

Accommodation: The building of the fire brigade will be the accommodation. Volunteers will sleep in a big classroom where new fire fighters are educated. A kitchen and sanitary facilities are available in the same building. The building is located in the city centre and you will have plenty of shopping facilities and leisure time possibilities there.

Location: Singen has about 44.000 inhabitants and is a city in the very south of Baden-Wurttemberg in southern Germany. It lies close to the border to Switzerland and near the Lake Constance, which offers lots of nice excursions and hiking trips.

Train station: Singen

Airport: Zuerich (CH) and Stuttgart

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Join the nature conservation efforts and a charity-song-initiative in Weitingen
Weitingen, Baden-Wurttemberg          August 6 - August 21, 2011

Volunteer project: A workcamp for all nature, culture and adventure fans!
Eutingen-Weitingen is a small town located in a nice even landscape within sight of the Swabian Mountains. It´s the first time the community is going to invite an international group of volunteers. They are very happy and excited to have international help for 2 weeks in August. The local nature conservancy association is befriended with a musician, called Conny Conrad. Therefore there will be one project, which will concentrate on environmental work and apart from this there will be another project at the same time, which will give you the opportunity to work in music with Conny Conrad, a composer, musician and producer, who makes a special effort for reducing children poverty and fights for their rights by music.

As just mentioned, the volunteers will do some nature conservation work. The nature conservancy association is located in the “Death Valley” and pursues the goal to maintain and to protect the abundance of species. Your job will consist in restoring a spawning ground for fire salamanders, working in a cave for bats, constructing a aviary for birds of prey, combating weed as for example Indian balsam in cooperation with the nature conserver. The balsam can be used afterwards to produce jam. Please be aware that the work can be physically demanding and you will get dirty!

Furthermore Conny Conrad will offer the volunteers to join in a special project: Together you will work on a “Volunteer-Camp-Version 2011” of his charity-song-initiative, called “rock for your children”. You will record this song in a recording studio with him and you will give a live performance at the end of the workcamp.

Special requirements: To get a lot of fun out of making music, being motivated, reliable for practicing sometimes alone without instruction and a brief motivation letter.

Language: English

Accommodation: In a club house, all necessary installations like kitchen and bathrooms are available. If you are brave and a fan of nature, you might camp behind the house. The workcamp is close to a river (Neckar).If the weather is fine, you can swim or go canoeing.

Location: Eutingen is a town in the district of Freudenstadt in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is a small and beautiful town with about 5.500 inhabitants. Eutingen-Weitingen is located about 35 kilometres far from Stuttgart and 25 kilometres from Freudenstadt.

Train station: Horb am Neckar

Airport: Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/ Baden-Baden

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Renovation of a forest hut by the romantic lake Tiroler See
Forchtenberg, Baden-Wurttemberg          August 7 - August 27, 2011

Volunteer project: Forchtenberg is a city in Baden-Wurttemberg with about 5.000 inhabitants. It was the home town of Sophie and Hans Scholl, who were German students and who were active within the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. They were convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich. As a result, they were both executed. Since the 1970s, Sophie Scholl has been celebrated as one of the great German heroes who actively opposed the Third Reich during the Second World War. Forchtenberg is a very beautiful medieval city with a nice castle and a tunnel where gypsum is obtained. It´s the first time the community is going to invite a workcamp. They are very happy and excited to have international help for three weeks in August.

The work will include the renovation of a forest hut and painting a kiosk, which is situated by a romantic natural lake, called “Tiroler See”. The forest hut was built in the early sixties by forestry workers of the city and has been a popular meeting point for a lot of associations and other groups until now. The kiosk was built for the entertaining of the numerous swimmers, which visit the lake during the summer months. But also after the swimming season the kiosk is a popular meeting point for hikers, families and nature-loving people. The work will be supervised by professional workers who will explain the tasks and who are looking forward to getting to know international volunteers.

Language: English

Accommodation: In a gym, where a kitchen and sanitary facilities are provided. For sleeping you should bring a sleeping bag and a mat!

Location: Forchtenberg is a town in the district of Hohenlohekreis, northern Baden-Württemberg. It lies on the side of a partly fortified hill overlooking the Kocher valley where the Kupfer river flows into the Kocher. The name Forchtenberg is derived from "vor dem Berg" or "before the hill" in English. In your free time you can go swimming in the natural lake or visit Schwäbisch-Hall, Heilbronn, Stuttgart, etc.

Train station: Moeckmuehl, Oehringen, Schwaebisch-Hall-Hessental

Airport: Stuttgart, Karlsruhe (Baden-Baden), Frankfurt

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Nature conservation activities in the Bavarian countryside
Gerbrunn, Bavaria          August 7 - August 27, 2011

Volunteer project: Gerbrunn is located very close to Würzburg, which is a university city at the Main River and the capital of the region Lower Franconia. It´s the first time the community is going to invite a workcamp. They are very happy and excited to have international help for three weeks in August.

The main project is based on conservation work of the countryside. The volunteers will do some maintenance work on a foot path and a picnic site for barbecuing in the area. You will clear brushwood and cut grass and some small trees. Please be aware that you have to walk a lot and that the work is physically demanding.
Some volunteers might support the social worker in arranging a programme for the holidays and in renovating and rearranging the flat of the former caretaker of the school into a youth centre.

Language: English

Accommodation: In a school, all necessary installations like kitchen and bathrooms (in the gym) are available. Showers are also available at the swimming pool nearby.

Location: Gerbrunn is a municipality in the district of Würzburg in Bavaria in Germany. It is located about 3 km from Würzburg. Gerbrunn is a small and beautiful town with about 7.000 inhabitants. The town is proud of many associations and of their own sort of wine. From Gerbrunn there is a good bus service to Wuerzburg or other cities.

Train station: Wuerzburg

Airport: Frankfurt, Stuttgart

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

 

Renovation of a kindergarten playground and a forest recreation centre
Wuestenrot, Baden-Wurttemberg          August 13 - September 3, 2011

Volunteer project: For the first time, a volunteer workcamp will take place in Wuestenrot, a village in Swabia. The local partner is the municipality. It is important for the village to establish a connection between the local population and the international volunteers. Therefore a party on the central square of the village will be organised during the workcamp.

The village’s kindergarten has a playground which needs to be renovated and enlarged. Supported by a person working for the municipality, the international group will work with wood and will set up new playground equipments. A second project will be the renovation of a recreation centre in the woods of the village. A few volunteers may be involved in the preparation of the farewell party at the end of the project which will take place at the heart of the village. Local youngsters may join the work of the international group.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will have a room in the gymnasium of the village, right in the heart of the village and only a few metres away from the playground where the work takes place. Showers and a kitchen are in the gymnasium, camp beds will be provided by the local host. Only in a few minutes of walking you can reach the supermarkets, the pharmacy and the local doctors. There is an outdoor swimming pool outside the village, where you can go after the work.

Location: Wuestenrot is a municipality in Swabia, in the Northern part of Baden-Wurrtemberg. It lies in the beautiful Franconian-Swabian forest.

Train station: Oehringen, Bretzfeld, and then bus to Wuestenrot

Airport: Stuttgart, Wuerzburg

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Extending the adventure trail for children in Odenwald forest
Hassmersheim, Baden-Wurttemberg         August 14 - September 4, 2011

Volunteer project: For the third time the municipality invites international volunteers who helped before with the setting up of a hiking trail as well as with an adventure trail for children in the forest.

This time, the adventure trail for kids should be extended. Different tasks have to be done by the volunteers: The trail has to be equipped by an agility course, a jumping pool, a “bee hotel” and benches. In the whole area signs should be put up. So the group has to use tools- the volunteers should be prepared for this. The international volunteers will mainly work with the materials provided by the forest. Their work will be supervised by professionals.

Language: English

Accommodation: The accommodation will be in the community centre in the middle of the town. Sanitary facilities and a kitchen are available. There will be a mixed sleeping room with provided camping beds.

Location: Hassmersheim is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis in Baden-Wurttemberg. As the name suggests, the district is located in the Odenwald mountains, with the highest elevation of about 600m. Hassmersheim consists of three subdivisions called Hassmersheim, Hochhausen and Neckarmuehlbach and has in total around 5.000 inhabitants. The town lies on the banks of the Neckar River and the ferry needs to be taken to reach the town from the train station. Bigger cities nearby are Heidelberg and Heilbronn.

Train station: Hassmersheim

Airport: Stuttgart

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Medieval fortress restoration in the Oberpfalz
Kemnath-Neustadt, Bavaria          August 18 - September 3, 2011

Volunteer project: The Waldeck Fortress is one of the oldest fortresses in the Oberpfalz region. The Heimat- und Kulturverein e.V. in Waldeck and the city of Kemnath have decided to free the ruins of the fortress, which burned down in 1794, and restore them according to memorial protection rules.

You will have the chance to work with the 7th stage of construction, and a special part of this is finding the walls of the Aegidiuskirche. Your team will need to free wall ruins, find and measure graves and other finds as well as document your work. You will get a peek into this field of work and will help with cutting the wild plant growth away.

Special requirements: You should be interested in memorial protection.

Leisure time: Waldeck lies in the Oberpfalz region. Here, you will find places to discover, such as the Volkssternwarte in Tirschenreuth, the Naturpark Steinwald, a climbing wall, and you can hike through the geologically rich region. You can also visit the cities of Kemnath and Weiden, or take a trip to the Czech Republic. The group leaders as well as locals will help you organize trips.

Language: English

Accommodation: Your team will sleep in a gym with a kitchen and will sleep on cots.

Location: Bavaria; Bayreuth & Weiden in der Oberpfalz 33 km, Nuremberg & Bamberg 100 km

Terminal: Kemnath-Neustadt

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Creating a park for all ages in Gundelsheim
Gundelsheim, Bavaria          August 20 - September 10, 2011

Volunteer project: Gundelsheim lies in the Upper Franconia-West region and is found roughly seven kilometres north of Bamberg. The project of the “Gundelsheimer” is called “project for generations” because the aim is to create a park, which is attractive for young and older people.

The volunteers will maintain a hiking path, renovate a wooden pavilion and a skate park and construct a picnic site for barbecuing and a multi-functional field, which can be used as a soccer, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball and badminton field. The work will also include the planting of tree, grass etc. and clearing vegetation. Work will be supervised by professionals. Please be aware that you have to walk a lot and that the work is physically demanding.

Language: English

Accommodation will be in a school, where a kitchen and sanitary facilities are provided. It is just 50 metres away from your working project.

Location: Gundelsheim is a small town with 3.500 inhabitants close to Bamberg. The Gundelsheimer have a diverse and interesting community life with a lot of associations and cultural offers. Gundelsheim belonged to the High Monastery at Bamberg. Since 1803 the community has belonged to Bavaria. On September 3-5, there will be the “Kirchweihfest”- the church anniversary will be celebrated in the town. That will be a great occasion to get in touch with the younger and older people!

Train station: Bamberg

Airport: Nürnberg, Frankfurt

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Environmental activities in Wolfsburg’s Forest
Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony          August 20 - September 3, 2011

Volunteer project: The Wolfburger Stadtwald is a beloved destination for joggers, bikers, and those just out for a walk. It is also a habitat for many, sometimes rare, plants and animals, such as orchids. The forest is now your worksite, where your team will be supporting the foresters by building pathways, maintaining recreational areas, removing foreign plant species such as hackberries which are starting to overpower domestic plants. During this project, your team will get a once of a kind peek into the work of a forester and into the ecosystem present in this forest. Your accommodation is near the forest, so you will be able to walk to and from the work site.

Leisure time: Well known places to sightsee in Wolfsburg include the castle, the art museum, the Autostadt and the VW’s Automuseum, the VfL Wolfsburg soccer team, and the Phaeno science museum. The VW pool is one of the best in the region. There are also youth meetings in the St. Stephanusgemeinde, where you can meet some of the local youth. All activities in the Detmerode Freizeitheim are open for you to use.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in the Stephanusgemeinde in the Detmerode district of Wolfsburg. From the 26th to the 28th of August you will be staying in the Freizeitheim Detmerode.

Location: Lower Saxony; Braunschweig 30 km, Magdeburg 65 km, Hannover 75 km

Train station: Wolfsburg

Airport: Hannover or Berlin

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Improve the nature experience opportunities for children in Alt Jabel
Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania          August 20 - September 3, 2011

Volunteer project: The Waldschule Alt Jabel offers local children and youth opportunities to truly experience nature. Current possibilities are a nature trail and a barefoot path, which need your help! Your team will be enlarging and renovating these while testing out your handiwork talents. You will be accompanied by an expert environmental educator and can therefore learn about the local flora and fauna that live in this beautiful landscape. Work may be physically challenging at times.

Special requirements: For excursions, it is to your advantage if you can ride a bike.

Leisure time: The village of Alt Jabel is rurally located in a natural landscape on the edge of the Elbtalaue region. On the camp grounds there is a fire pit as well as a volleyball court and soccer field. There is also a swimming hole and you can enjoy the forests and the area with the bikes that will be provided. The nearest city is Doemitz (12 km), which has a historical city center and a well maintained fortress. On the weekends you can take trips to Hamburg, Schwerin, and to the Baltic Sea Coast.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be living in small but cozy bungalows.

Location: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; Hamburg 100 km; Ludwigslust 30 km.

Terminal: Ludwigslust

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Renovation of a youth camp in Bavaria
Erlangen, Bavaria          August 27 - September 15, 2011

Volunteer project: A diverse set of activities awaits you in this project! We would like to build a beach volleyball court in our Jugenduebernachtungshaus and tent camp. Here, the old sand must be removed and with the support of a company, a new field will then be laid down. Other renovation and maintenance tasks on the grounds of the center are possible, such as building a mosaic. The house will also receive a new coat of paint, and the group will help choose the colors before we paint the walls with environmentally friendly paint. You will also help a carpenter with renovating tables and laying hard wood floors. Work may be challenging at times.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will stay in the Uebernachtungshaus with 4 bedrooms.

Leisure time: The Kreisjugendring will be helping the group to arrange free time activities. You will have access to a minibus for excursions in the area. The cities of Erlangen, Nuremberg, Bamberg, and Wurzburg also offer many activities. We would also like to take you climbing in Switzerland and see the various historical buildings in the area. In the house there are games, foosball, table tennis, and internet. Pools in the area can also be reached with the bus. This camp is rurally located.

Location: Bavaria; Nuremberg 40 km, Munich 220 km

Terminal: Erlangen

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Support the organizing of a summer festival, a play scheme and a forest adventure for children and youth
Wangen, Baden-Wurttemberg          August 27 - September 10, 2011

Volunteer project: It is the third time that the municipality of Wangen invites international volunteers to help out at the local summer festivals and activities for children. In the course of two weeks a play scheme called “Mini-Wangen” (29.08.-02.09.) and a forest-adventure-week for local youngsters will run. Plus, the group is invited to help out at the municipal kindergarten.

Children at the age of 7-10 years are invited to participate in the play scheme. Around 120 children are expected to attend the activities, so there will be all kinds of action and adventure.
More adventure and new experience are offered in the second week of the program. The group will take care of a group of young people at the age of 8-12 years who will spend their time discovering the near forest of the city, setting up an adventure path and enjoying games in the nature. Furthermore, you will have a possibility to help out at the municipal kindergarten and be involved in taking care of kids.

The participants of the project will help to take care of the kids at several different activities at the play scheme in the first week. They are generally helping the children to enjoy their summer holidays. The activities of the festivals are running from 8 am until 3 pm each day so the group should be prepared to work long hours – which can be stressful but also fun and very rewarding.
As mentioned the group will spend their second week supporting the adventure-week hold in the forest. You will be there to attend the activities planned with and for the young people who are taking part in this vacation. There will be walks, games and other activities planned to discover more about forest life and keep everybody entertained. Own ideas and strong motivation are very welcome.
The other task will be to help out at a holiday program in the municipal kindergarten.

Special requirements: Project language is German. Motivation letter in German is required.

Language: German

Accommodation: You will stay in a well equipped self-catering house belonging to a monastery close to the city centre. All sanitary facilities and kitchen are available – and the monks (neighbours) are very welcoming.

Location: Wangen is a beautiful city situated in the southern German region called “Allgaeu”, close to the borders of Austria and Switzerland. The region lies close to the Alps and is therefore provided with a diverse nature of mountains, meadows, waterfalls and the like. There is a lot to discover in terms of history and nature. Old castles, mountain trails, the Lake Constance. But also Wangen itself has much to offer. The history of the city dates back to the year 815. The charm of Wangen lies within its historical buildings and southern German architectural style.
Definitely two exciting, adventurous and diverse weeks are waiting for you!

Train station: Wangen

Airport: Munich, Stuttgart

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Creating a nature experience trail in Mecklenburg’s forests
Malchow, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania          September 10 - September 24, 2011

Volunteer project: In this project, you and your team will be helping to set up a nature experience trail from the Schullandheim Zislow to the Tierschutzsstation Baerenwald Mueritz. You will need to construct various stations along the trail, build signs, and improve the paths. No matter which task you are working on, you will gain handiwork experience and do your part to show the residents more about the area and help protect the forest area. You will be accompanied by the foresters and can learn about the domestic plant and animal species from them.

Leisure time: Forests, Lakes, Paths - this is a project for everyone who would like to get a last look at fall before winter comes. If the weather cooperates, you can chill on the Schullandheim grounds, play sports, sit around the fire, or even go for a swim in the Plauer See. Activities in nearby cities are reachable by bus or by ship. On the weekends, you can take trips to the Baltic Sea Coast, to Rostock, or to Schwerin.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in a Schullandheim.

Location: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; Berlin 150 km, Rostock 85 km, Schwerin 70 km.

Terminal: Malchow

Age range: 18 - 26 years old

 

 

Rebuilding a nature trail and cleaning the banks of a recently restored river in Kehl
Kehl, Baden-Wurttemberg          September 10 - October 1, 2011

Volunteer project: For the past nine years the municipality of Kehl has asked international volunteer groups to help with environmental protection in their town. This time the workcamp attaches high value to organic, natural and regional food and gives you the possibility to think about “Eating Quality” and improve it within your workcamp (e.g., do you know how to prepare CO2 free breakfast?). So the volunteers will have the opportunity to buy fresh products from local farmers at the city market, to bake bread and to produce jam on their own for example. You are more than welcome to bring your ideas or habits and new trends from your country.

There are two tasks to fulfill, explained by professional supervisors. The first task will be the rebuilding and renovation of a nature trail in the wetlands of the river Rhine. Definitely volunteers will learn a lot about typical vegetation and its ecological richness.
Secondly, the banks of a small river need to get cleared from rubbish, grass and bushes to prevent flooding the town. In former times the river was redirected to run in concrete tunnels and it was biologically dead. The municipality has removed all the concrete, allowing the small river to flow through the town once again over a length of 3 km. There are now many plants and animals living in and by the river. Volunteers will clear the banks of the river and cut the grass and bushes. They will work with machines and it may be physically hard and muddy. This is a good project to learn about nature protection and conservation.

Language: English

Accommodation: The group will be accommodated in big tents in the garden of a youth centre. You can use all facilities in the youth center - a kitchen and different rooms to stay and spend time in. In case of very cold nights you can move into the house. You should be prepared for this and the best what you can do - bring a warm sleeping bag! Be open to get in contact with the local youth since they are your hosts and neighbours throughout the project!

Location: Kehl is a medium sized town on the bank of the river Rhine facing the French-German border. The Alsatian town of Strasbourg is situated on the other side of the river Rhine. It will be interesting to visit the beautiful town of Strasbourg, crossing the border to France. The youth centre is only a five minute walk from the inner city of Kehl. Other interesting outings can be the Black Forest, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Freiburg and the nature of the southern area in general.

Train station: Kehl

Airport: Strasbourg (10km), Frankfurt (Main) (150km), Badenairport (30km).

Age range: 18 - 30 years old (exceptions for volunteers over 30 can be made)

 

Help celebrate the International Year of Forests in Bonn
Bonn, North Rhine Westphalia          September 25 - October 10, 2011

Volunteer project: The United Nations Waldforum has declared 2011 as the “International Year of Forests”. Events will be taking place worldwide in order to increase the public’s knowledge of the forests. In Bonn, the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald e.V. needs your support with their projects. You will help with the Bonner Waldjugendspielen, a day where children visit 10-15 stations in the forest, each filled with activities and questions about the forest’s ecosystem. Bonn is also holding official festivals for Tag der Deutschen Einheit, the day the East and West became united. Under the “SOKO Forest” motto, you will be accompanying children during their rallies through the city as well as offer further workshops for them. Another highlight is the Bonner Waldtage, where you will be running activities about the forest for school classes and create a “memorial” to your time there out of wood.

Special requirements: Knowledge of German and an interest in teaching about the forest is desirable but not required. You will also work on weekends, but have time to travel during the week.

Leisure time: The former capitol city of Bonn offers countless free time activities, such as museums, concerts, pools, cafes, bars, and more! You can also travel to cities such as Cologne, Dusseldorf, or Koblenz and enjoy a nice day trip there. For nature lovers, the Siebengebirge is a good place to go for a hike. You can also picnic in the Rheinaue, a large park located in Bonn.

Language: English and German

Accommodation: The volunteer group will be housed in Bonn.

Location: North Rhine Westphalia; Bonn

Terminal: Bonn

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

Intercultural street festival in Hildesheim
Hildesheim, Lower Saxony          October 15 - October 31, 2011

Volunteer project: The urban areas of Hildesheim, Fahrenheit and Stadtfeld, are considered "socially disadvantaged". Poverty, a high number of immigrants, many children, poorer educational conditions and lack of infrastructure form the picture. Vacation or traveling is practically impossible for many of the families living here - and thus limiting the possibility of "close encounters" with other cultures and lifestyles. With this district wide project, children and teenagers who spend much of their leisure time in these residential areas will be able to achieve this.

The volunteer group will go with a tent on a tour through the urban areas of Hildesheim. Together you will be planning and carrying out small neighborhood-based projects: a graffiti project, a "street Olympics" with games from all over the world, an "international feast", joint concerts and short plays ... What matters is what happens "on site". The focus will always be on dialogue.

Special requirements: Pedagogic knowledge required; basic knowledge of German desirable.

Language: English

Accommodation: You will be staying in 2 vacant apartments.

Location: Hildesheim is an ancient, historical town. There is a Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a very large liberal arts and culture scene with lots of music, theater, exhibitions and parties.

Terminal: Hildesheim

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

 

Mural painting and social integration project with an immigrant community in Winsen
Winsen, Lower Saxony          October 17 - October 30, 2011

Volunteer project: The Albert-Schweitzer-Viertel in Winsen is a small settlement of about 500 people, of which about 90% come from another country. Many of these people suffer from poverty, a lack of education and a lack of integration.
As part of the Social City Program, your group will be working with the residents and a local artist to create a large mural on an 8-story building. Your tasks will involve collecting ideas for the project, designing a motif with the residents, and putting it on the wall. At the end you will celebrate the finishing of the mural with an international festival. There will be an event relating to the European Year of Volunteering which you will be participating in.

Special requirements: Volunteers in this project should have an interest in socio-political themes.

Leisure time: Winsen (Luhe) has a good connection to Hamburg, and is also not far from Luneburg, the Luneburg Heide Nature Park, and the Wendland with its anti-nuclear movement.

Language: English

Accommodation: A currently empty apartment will be furnished for you; you will be sleeping on air mattresses.

Location: Lower Saxony; 25 km from Luneburg, 35 km from Hamburg

Train station: Winsen (Luhe)

Airport: Hamburg

Age range: 16 - 26 years old

 

 archive of previous year, click here

click here for volunteer programs in other countries

  © 2012 Canadian Alliance for Development Initiatives and Projects