- To bring together young people from different countries and deepen their understanding of history, enabling them to gain insight into the period of National Socialism;- To show how two different camps as the result of two dictatorships could exist in the same place; - To go deeper into how the administration and extermination machine worked;- To consider oneself as part of history and of today's society, and taking responsibility for the future. Different guided tours are planned, e.g. to the "Topographie des Terrors" (http://www.topographie.de/en/), to the "Haus der Wannseekonferenz" (http://www.ghwk.de/), guided bicycle tours through Oranienburg and to other places connected to the German history.The participants of the workcamp will give their assistance to the memorial site especially in the form of manual work. Please be prepared for a huge study part and less physical work. The group will prepare a camp map of their project in the end. It is possible that workshops are run by volunteers from the memorial.
Study part:
Besides the manual work the study component will be an important part of our project. Volunteers will learn a lot about the time of National Socialism, the Holocaust and also something about the period after World War II especially the Soviet camp Sachsenhausen until 1950. Guided tours in and around the memorial site Sachsenhausen and excursions to different memorials and places of earlier German history are planned. Volunteers will have the opportunity to work in the exhibitions and in the library of the memorial site. Furthermore there will be several discussions with employees who perform guided tours and are involved in historical research. The international volunteers with their different backgrounds will inform the group about the memories and commemoration in their countries.All participants should have a very good knowledge of the English language and should be very interested in history and the present problems of neo-fascism and racism.
Work part:
The common learning at the historical site of Sachsenhausen shall be supplemented by manual work which constitutes the participant´s contribution to the maintenance of the memorial. This part will be rather small.
Accomodation & food:
You will be accommodated in a youth hostel, The building is on the grounds of historical Sachsenhausen concentration camp complex, and was built in 1938 as the official residence of the "Concentration Camp Inspector", 2 km away from the memorial centre.
Location & leisure:
Important! Volunteers have to be able to ride a bike, because various shorter and longer bicycle-tours are planned. In the free time it's possible to go to Berlin or Potsdam. Volunteers will find many forests and lakes to walk, cycle or just relax. However, the free time activities will mainly depend on participants' ideas. Volunteers should be prepared for the organisation of evenings about their country, including special topics.
Requirements:
Volunteers have to be able to ride a bike, because various shorter and longer bicycle-tours are planned.
Die Gruppe wird von einer ausgebildeten muttersprachlichen Lehrerin 3 Stunden am Vormittag Deutschunterricht erhalten. Es werden Grammatik und Kommunikation vertieft, je nach Wunsch und Bedarf der Teilnehmer. In der Freizeit sind Exkursionen durch Berlin und in die naehere Umgebung geplant. Es ist vorgesehen, dass die Teilnehmer auch in der Freizeit Deutsch miteinander kommunizieren werden, um den Unterrichtsstoff zu vertiefen. The Group will have German lessons by a native speaker German teacher 3 hours in the morning. You will get the opportunity to deepen your knowledge in communication and grammar, depending on your needs and wishes. In the free time excursions to Berlin and its surrounding area are planned. You are asked to communicate only in German in your leisure time to deepen your new learned skills.
Accomodation & food:
Die Teilnehmer werden in beheizbaren Bungalows auf dem Gelaende der Projekt- und Begegnungsstaette schlafen. In den Bungalows gibt es ein separates Bad mit Dusche und WC. Es werden maximal 6 maennliche oder weibliche Teilnehmer in einem Bungalow wohnen. Bettwaesche bekommst du im Objekt, du brauchst keinen Schlafsack mitzubringen.You will live in heated bungalows with up to 6 girls or boys on the ground of the place where you will have the language course. In the bungalows you will find your own bathroom with a shower and WC. You will get bed linen, there is no need to bring a sleeping bag with you.
Come and join the climate camp in the Rhenish lignite mining region, taking place this year for the 7th time. During your work and study camp, you ll firstly be helping to set-up the climate camp and the de-growth summer school i building the compost toilets, solar-powered showers and the camp infrastructure. Besides this, you ll be getting involved with the climate camp, the de-growth summer school and also the region itself with its causes and effects of climate change and with possible alternatives to an ever growing economy. The climate camp will probably take place in Lutzerath again this year, near to the Garzweiler II coal mine. You ll be meeting people, who have lost everything because of the mine, but will also be involved with exciting projects, in which people produce their own vegetables and electricity on a self-organised basis. At the climate camp itself, you ll be able to try out a more sustainable way of life, such as a vegan diet.
Accomodation & food:
You ll be staying in tents, on thermal mats and in sleeping bags. The camp will be catered by the VEGAN kitchen of the climate camp. You will take it in turns to help out in the kitchen.
Location & leisure:
The work and study camp offers you the possibility to participate in the diverse education programme of environmental topics and a better life , in protests and also in the cultural programme. You can also join the workshops, lectures and events in the climate camp and summer school. Besides this, you could also go on trips to the nearby towns of Cologne, Monchengladbach and Dusseldorf.
Requirements:
You should be interested in protecting the environment. Basic living standards (warm water not always available, for example) with many people, camping.
We are invited to help in the care and preservation of this ancient monument. We will work 5 hours daily, to do painting and cleaning inside or to maintain the garden around the castle. In the garden kind of work depends to the season, usually it is harvesting fruits, cutting trees, bushes and hedges.Every year Bedheim castle is part of the nationwide event called day of the open monument . The castle will be opened in the weekend for guests and we can support with doing some service and show an artistic performance. In the last years volunteers showed a dance and played piano music. There will be the possibility to take on day of during the week as compensation.
Accomodation & food:
Bedheim castle offers a simple group accommodation. Meals will be prepared by us (less meat but a lot of very good vegetables and fruits from the nursery). Warm water is provided from solar collector.
Location & leisure:
We may learn more about the following topics: natural beauty of the environment. We can make excursions to places of cultural and historical interest (e.g. Weimar, the city of Goethe and the concentration camp Buchenwald). We can have discussions and lectures about German history, society, culture and politics (the German East-West border was only 9 km away from Bedheim). There will be the possibility to encounter with young people of the region and getting to know more about the countries of the participants.
Requirements:
Some basic knowledge of German or English is recommended. Please bring rain and working clothes (rubber boots) as well as swim suits. Please bring a sleeping bag, slippers, towels and warm pullovers with you. You can also bring a map, pictures or special food items from your country.
The project will focus on the diversity of the cultural landscape Upper Middle Rhine Valley and illustrate - both during the hands-on part and the educational part - different aspects of the maintenance of the World Heritage site.The conservation of the area is partly in a bad state because of the fact that the vineyards are more or less out of use, that the maintenance both of the biotopes and the dry stone walls is physically demanding and that the knowledge about traditional techniques is disappearing. Under the guidance of experienced masons the volunteers will the restore parts of the historical dry stone wall system between the former vineyards.Furthermore, the participants will support the conservation of the former defensive system of Marksburg Castle, one of the most picturesque German castles. The stability of one of the walls could be in the future endangered because the raining water flows behind the wall. So it will be necessary to dig the slope and to reconstruct the original way of the water.Another important task will be the maintenance of biotopes as cutting several hectares of long-grass meadows and working with brush cutters. The volunteers will gain different practical skills and will learn about biodiversity and the endangered fauna and flora.The study part will give the theoretical background for the project. During the European Heritage Day on September, 11th, the public can usually visit heritage sites which are or otherwise not open to the public. The participants of the World Heritage Volunteers project will held guided tours and will explain to the public about special aspects of the World Heritage site, about the work they are carrying out and about the World Heritage Volunteers Initiative. In connection with this event the volunteers will present World Heritage sites of their home countries to the public.
Accomodation & food:
shared rooms with mattresses in the Cultural Centre of Kaub, warm showers and toilets
Location & leisure:
The 65km-stretch of the Middle Rhine Valley, with its castles, historic towns and vineyards, graphically illustrates the long history of human involvement with a dramatic and varied natural landscape. It is intimately associated with history and legends and for centuries has exercised a powerful influence on writers, artists and composers.As a transport route, the Rhine has served as a link between the southern and northern halves of the continent since prehistoric times, enabling trade and cultural exchange, which in turn led to the establishment of settlements. Condensed into a very small area, these subsequently joined up to form chains of villages and small towns. For over 1,000 years the steep valley sides have been terraced for vineyards.The landscape is punctuated by some 40 hill top castles and fortresses erected over a period of around 1,000 years. Abandonment and later the wars of the 17th century left most as picturesque ruins. The later 18th century saw the growth of sensibility towards the beauties of nature, and the often dramatic physical scenery of the Middle Rhine Valley, coupled with the many ruined castles on prominent hilltops, made it appeal strongly to the Romantic movement which in turn influenced the form of much 19th century restoration and reconstruction.
« I would recommend participating in a workcamp, especially with VAP, who ensured that I found a project to suit me and provided essential training for me in preparation for my trip. Being part of a workcamp really is a life-changing experience, oh, and it looks great on your CV! »
