Workcamps in Germany

When:
95% of workcamps take place between June and September. A small number take place in spring and autumn.

How long:
Most workcamps in Germany last for two or three weeks. There are a few workcamps that last for four weeks.

Age:
Most workcamps are open to volunteers between the ages of 16 and 26. Some camps require a minimum age of 18 (usually KIDS projects). Teenage workcamps are for teenagers aged 14 - 17. The age requirement is indicated in the workcamp description. Your age on the first day of the camp is what matters.

Language:
English is used at all workcamps. Even basic English is usually more than enough! Some workcamps require knowledge of German. The language requirements are indicated in the workcamp descriptions.

Cost:
Workcamps in Germany:

• 100 euros for participants aged 18+
• 190 euros for participants under 18
• 190 euros for participants who do not live in Germany
• you receive a 20 euro discount for any additional workcamps you join in the same year

Members receive a 20 euro discount.

Some workcamps come with extra costs. The workcamp description will tell you if any extra costs are required. Accommodation, catering and a small programme of leisure activities during the workcamp are included. Travel to the workcamp must be organised and paid for yourself.

Short on cash?
We want as many young people as possible to be able to join in with our workcamps. If you cannot afford all the costs yourself, then we can help you out with some money from our solidarity fund. Please ask about this when registering for a workcamp.

Work:
You will work as a group for 25 - 30 hours per week. You will usually have the entire weekend free. You can work on a wide range of tasks: Renovating historic buildings, youth centre activities and children’s playgrounds, social work with children, the disabled and the elderly, environmental projects in parks and nature, cultural and art projects, etc. All projects are for the public good. You don’t need any special training or skills. The projects are selected so that you can make a difference with just a pair of boots, a raincoat and plenty of commitment. You will also receive an induction from our project partners.

Leisure:
Go swimming, explore the local night life, volleyball, workshops, cycling, sightseeing and much more. Depending on your budget and the options available where you are, you decide together how to spend your free time.

Accommodation and catering:
Accommodation and catering at the location are free of charge. Accommodation is simple: It will usually be in a school, youth centre, forest lodge, various boarding houses or tents. It’s a good idea to have a sleeping bag with you. More information can be found in the “Infosheet” that we will send you before the camp starts. You will usually organise catering together as a group and prepare the food yourselves. You are given a food budget so that you can prepare yourselves an internationally inspired feast. Some workcamps provide some or all of the meals, or even a full catering package. Workcamp descriptions indicate what is provided.

Insurance:
Accident, health and liability insurance is provided up to a certain amount. If you have your own insurance, then you will be expected to claim on this first. More information can be found in the terms and conditions of participation

Workcamp group:
Workcamp groups are made up of ten to 20 volunteers. There will be a maximum of three volunteers from any one country (exception: binational and trinational camps). Volunteers come from around the world. Many are school or university students. Volunteers will not usually have met each other before and are keen to meet other volunteers. Openness towards the other volunteers is essential.

Group leaders
The group will be accompanied by one or two trained group leaders. These are not to be considered as your hosts, but rather as part of the group. They are responsible for certain tasks such as making contact with the project, helping the group organise itself and dealing with any formalities.

Workcamps with friends:
Most workcamps are international. We therefore try to have no more than two, at most three, volunteers from any one country in each camp. If you want to join a workcamp with a friend, then this is possible. Simply write on your application “I would like to join the same workcamp as my friend.”

Volunteers with physical disabilities:
Due to the various different conditions in workcamps (e.g. quality of the accommodation, type of project, or how they are reached), some workcamps will be easy for you to get involved, others perhaps a little more difficult. Use the information provided about the workcamps to see which would be of interest to you and then get in touch with us. It is important that you tell us about your disability or any special needs at the time of application!

Advance information:
No later than three weeks before the start of your workcamp, usually sooner, we will send you an email containing detailed information about the workcamp. (This is why we need your email address when applying!) This “Infosheet” provides information for getting to the workcamp and what you need to bring with you. The group leaders will usually also send you a welcome letter before the start of the workcamp to introduce themselves and provide any other last bits of information. If several ijgd volunteers are registered for a camp abroad or in Germany, then we will let you know. This will allow you to get in touch with each other before the camp starts. Due to data privacy regulations, we are unable to provide information about international volunteers in German workcamps.

Arrival:
You will need to organise and finance travel yourself. As soon as you receive official email confirmation from us that you are registered, then you can start planning your journey. The first and last day of the workcamp are the arrival and departure dates respectively. (Please note, this is not the case for Iceland.) You will not work on these days. Some workcamp descriptions include a specific meeting point and time (e.g. 17:00 at station XY). You can use this information to plan your travel.

Preparation:
You do not need to do any additional preparation for workcamps in Germany, Europe, North America, Japan or Korea. However, for anyone who does want to find out more about their workcamp adventure in advance, we offer digital preparation seminars. Here you can meet other volunteers and ask any questions you might have.

Some projects receive support from the European Commission. The programme is called the European Solidarity Corps (ESC for short). These projects are indicated as such. The support from the ESC programme means that there is no participation fee for joining the project and your travel costs will be reimbursed upon completion (according to ESC guidelines). All ESC projects are open to people aged 18 to 30. Everything else is the same as for other workcamps. Please also read through all important information and the terms and conditions of participation.

History
The first workcamps in Germany were organised in 1948 as part of an initiative led by school students from Hanover. Their aim was to “promote and maintain peace through small international groups of volunteers who live together, work together and learn together.” This initiative led to the creation of the "Internationale Jugendgemeinschaftsdienste (ijgd)" one year later. Today, we offer a range of different workcamps throughout Germany.

Goals
The purpose of workcamps is to encourage young people to volunteer to do something good for society as well as to support charitable projects. Living and working together as an international group is just as important to us. Like all other ijgd projects, workcamps are based on our eight working principles: Ecological learning, acting voluntarily, self-organisation, social learning, intercultural learning, gender equality, anti-racism/anti-discrimination and political education.

International partners
Organisations with the same goals have been founded in other countries both inside and outside of Europe. These joined forces in 1982 as the “Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations”. This network aims to make collaboration easier as well as ensure quality standards for workcamps. 51 organisations from 33 countries in Europe, Asia and North America are currently members of the network. We also collaborate with more than 30 additional partners all over the world.