Short-term programs with long-term goals!
The International Voluntary Workcamp is a never-ending experience that depends very much on the contribution of the participants so that it is difficult to make a specific definition. So, instead of trying to give a definition we thought it best to give some information on what a workcamp is.
Joining a workcamp means
Contributing to gaining team experience
Workcamps are an opportunity to explore the potential of an international team to work together, engage in dialogue, have fun, get in touch with the local community. It is not a way to achieve your personal goals such as learning a foreign language, getting a job or having a cheap vacation.
Of course, during a workcamp some of your personal goals can be achieved. Part of the experience the volunteer gains from participating in the workcamp is the fact that they get to know other cultures and get accustomed to living and working with people from various backgrounds and lifestyles. An important element for the success of a workcamp is to encourage the active participation of all. Mutual support and support of the participants so that everyone can use the official language of the workcamp. This practically means that volunteers from the same country should be careful not to exclude others from their conversations by using the language of their own country that others cannot understand or use.
Contributing to the decision-making and problem-solving process together
Orders do not come from above (i.e. from the workcamp coordinator). The team decision-making process is important although sometimes it takes time and energy. It is the most appropriate way to ensure consensus and unanimity, to be happy and to give everyone space and time to express their views. For example, if a volunteer wants to achieve goals outside the framework set by the workcamp partner, the team must discuss the matter thoroughly and propose changes even if they are not accepted by the organizer of the workcamp. Through this process, SCI marks its work for peaceful coexistence and development on a personal level, as well as on a practical level through its workcamp work.
Participating throughout the workcamp
It is recommended that the volunteer adhere to the arrival and departure dates of the workcamp. Someone who arrives later than the start date loses the important first part of getting to know the program, the space and the other participants as well as the process of creating and empowering the team. The volunteer leaving the workcamp before the end loses the feeling of solidarity and leaves the rest with the feeling that they have left because something more important has happened to them. It doesn’t matter if the program is successful or not, an early departure gives the impression that the one leaving is waiting from the first moment the time this will end.