The Danish NGO Association for Greenlandic Children has been making projects for children and youth in Greenland since 1924, and the newest project is Camp East. Association Greenland Children is co-operating with the local School principal in the town of Ittoqqortoormiit on the east coast of Greenland. They will also be one of the campleaders. In the summer of 2014 the Association for Greenlandic Children (www.fgb.dk) held the workCamp QinQaanaaq in the northernmost part of Greenland. This year we want to go to the most remote town in eastern Greenland and do the same kind of camp. Camp Q was a huge success, and we are convinced that Camp East will be just as amazing and lifechanging for the children, the municipaility and the volunteers.
Work:
Association for Greenlandic Children wants Camp East to give the children of Ittoqqortoormiit the best summer ever. The activities will take place five days a week 12h00 to 18h00 and will fall into these categories: • Music • Dance • Photography • Singing • Games • Sports
The precise activities will be decided within the group.
Every saturday the entire population will be invited to social events. This could be a night of music and dancing, teaching each other to play an instrument, cooking food from your home country, film nights, etc.
Accommodation and food:
You will stay at the school's dorm. Here you'll be staying two persons per room, there is a living and dining room and a kitchen, toilets and showers. Some might have to stay on mattresses on the floor. Telephone coverage might be scarce. It may not be possible for you to use your regular phone and prepaid is very expensive, since you have to buy a start package. There will be 1 hour each day when your family can call our Greenlandic phone to speak to you. You may also not be able to use the internet without payment, and internet doesn't always work in Ittoqqortoormiit and your access will be scarce. Food can be scarce in the shop in Ittoqqortoormiit. Everything will have to be transported by ship, which can only take place during the two months of summer. Some fresh food might get flown in from Iceland, but not very often. Therefore you should be able to adapt to these local conditions or bring a small stock of goods yourself. There is a well equipped hospital with a doctor and two nurses in town if an emergency happens. You should prepare yourself for the remoteness that may come as a shock if you are new to travelling.
Location and leisure:
Ittoqqortoormiit- In 1925 70 people moved from Tasiilaq in the south, to Ittoqqortoormiit. This was a good place to move to because of the lucrative hunting opportunities. Here the hunters could catch whales, seals, walruses, muskoxen and polar bears. Ittoqqortoormiit is very remote, maybe the most remote town of Greenland. The nearest neighbour to the north is the Hug national park on north eastern Greenland. The nearest Greenlandic town is Tasiilaq, situated 845km to the south. Reykjavik, Iceland, is 700km away. The town of Ittoqqortoormiit is now a mid size town in Greenland with 450 inhabitants. 71 of these are children at the age of 6 to 15 years. Ittoqqortoormiit is in many ways a well equipped town with store, post office, school, kindergarden, church, airport etc. But in many ways Ittoqqortoormiit is a very remote place. You can only reach Ittoqqortoormiit by helicopter or boat. It is extremely expensive for the locals to leave town by helicopters, and no other settlements are near. The price on air tickets has also resulting in very few tourists coming to Ittoqqortoormiit. Therefore the municipality of Ittoqqortoormiit get no worldly inspiration, and children are bored and understimulated. Especially the summers are long and boring for the kids, because they are off from school, do not have a lot to do, and the midnight sun is on for the entire summer.
Special remarks:
Be aware that you have to buy your flight ticket to Reykjavík, NOT to Greenland.
The WorkCamp group will meet up in Reykjavik, Iceland and go to Greenland together.
From Reykjavík to Greenland their will be a special flight, which costs EUR 1,100. This cost is mandatory and covers the flight ticket from Reykjavík all the way to the WorkCamp and back.
This workcamp furthermore has a EXTRA FEE of EUR 115 to cover costs in Reykjavík before and after the WorkCamp.
Special requirements:
A motivational letter is required to get selected for this WorkCamp.
You must submit a criminal record to be accepted for this WorkCamp, since you will be working with young and fragile children.
You will be working with kids 6 hours a day, so you should find joy in spending time with children. We value creative skills a lot on this camp, since the activities will be in form of dancing, singing, playing music, doing theatre, telling stories, etc.
Age:
20-35
Nearest Airport:
Reykjavík Airport.
Nearest Terminal:
Reykjavík.
NB:
For more information please see the Travel Document below.
PLEASE NOTE:
Do not buy plane tickets before acceptance from MS-ActionAid Denmark. Otherwise we can not be responsible for the tickets cancelled.
TRAVEL DOCUMENT:
MS06 Work Camp in Greenland
Buy your plane ticket to Reykjavík, Iceland
Meeting point:
Reykjavík City Hostel, 20 July 2015.
Location of the Work Camp:
Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland
Travel information:
The meeting point for this Work Camp is in Reykjavík (Iceland), NOT in Greenland.
The Work Camp volunteers will meet up in Reykjavik, Iceland the 20 July 2015. Here they will spend two days together, before going to Greenland together. This stay in Reykjavík is obligatory. You will be staying at Reykjavík City Hostel and have time to get to know each other.
You will have to get from Reykjavík Airport to the hostel by yourself, but you will go together from the hostel to the Airport and all the way to Greenland 22 July 2015.
We will go from Reykjavik to Constable Point. This takes around 45 min. From Constable Point we will either need to go on two helicopters to Ittoqqortoormiit, which takes 15 min each, or in a boat.
When coming back from Greenland to Reykjavík 19 August, it is likewise obligatory to stay together at Reykjavik City Hostel 19-21 August 2015.
PLEASE NOTE:
Do not buy plane tickets before acceptance by MS Denmark. Otherwise we cannot be responsible for the tickets if cancelled.
When you order your plane ticket from your home country to Reykjavik it is a good idea to buy a delayed arrival insurance since the weather in Greenland is not very reliable, which can cause flight delays.
EXTRA FEE:
From Reykjavík to Greenland there will be a special flight, which costs: EURO 1,100. This cost is mandatory and covers the flight ticket from Reykjavík all the way to the Work Camp and back.
This work camp furthermore has an EXTRA FEE of EURO 115 to cover accommodation in Reykjavík. The fee covers 4 nights in Reykjavík including breakfast; 2 nights before leaving to Greenland together, and 2 nights when coming back from the Work Camp in Greenland. This stay is mandatory to participate in the Work Camp.
« 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! »
