Holidays for Children - Workcamp

To keep the children busy during holiday season, Service Civil International - Germnay and their local partners in Moers organize every year Workcamps called ''Holidays for Children''. For two weeks children and volunteers from all over the country and abroad spend days together exchanging experiences and learning from each other. During the workcamp children and volunteers are engaged in different sports and games, exploring the nature, playing and learning in classes. In this way, the children can improve their skills even during the holidays and make up for any deficits in education with free extra tuition, but also have fun with their friends!

The workcamp is organized during summer break, for up to two weeks. Holidays for Children are organized by each school for every child who wants to participate, that can not go on summer holidays for different reasons. The activities are organized for up to three weeks, and children are invited in schools every day from 9h00 in the morning to 16h00 in the afternoon. The workcamp offers volunteers the chance to paricipate in the activities that are prepared for children during two weeks of their participation in the workcamp. Volunteers can apply through SCI as a Hosting Organization and participate in the workcamp for a small fee, depending if you are a resident of Germany or not. Food and Accommodation are for free. All the volunteers who want to participate can bring and share their own tools of teaching games or different acctivities, or lessons in a creative way. They also can share songs, food or teach anything that they find valuable or that might be interesting to children from their cultures and traditions.

Each school has their own theme of the holidays. Through them they teach children what they have prepared. While I was a camp leader, the school where I was assigned Gemeinschaftsgrundschule Uhrschule Meerbeck prepared a theme on ''Five Senses''. Children of age 7 and 8 years olds who participated in the activities were able to learn each morning through drawings and writings about the five senses of human bodies. One of the days is organized to go on a short walking trip with children so they can experience the hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting and smelling by visiting the market, playground and the street where they are supposed to walk. Volunteers are offered to join the groups of children and to engage in the activity. They can also help children learn through games, and activities about the five senses. The theme is one of the activities that is organized by the local partner SCI - Moers and Schools. The day is filled with many games, outdoor activities and enjoying the delicious food from the cantine. It will make you miss the old days at school.

When you participate in this workcamp you should follow some rules: you are not allowed to take photos of children or other people without getting their consent if they are grown-ups and for children by their parents. You need to have good behaviours, do not use offensive or swearing language. The hours of the service should be respected, but if you have any urgency you can ask to leave earlier or go later. Take care of children when they are playing, what are they using, where are they going and what are they doing. These are just a few rules and tips that you need to follow in order to have an amazing experience in the workcamp. Children and the staff of school were I served were amazing. They tought me a bit of German and many games. I'm very thankful to them.

Souces used:

https://www.uhrschule.de/

https://www.sci-moers.de/

https://www.sci-moers.de/kinder/schulsozialarbeit/

https://sci-d.de/workcamps-deutschland

https://workcamps.sci.ngo/icamps/camp-details/camp-14745.html