In our work camps and international youth encounters, the focus is on dealing with the experiences of war and violence of the 20th century.

The idea is that young people from all over Europe learn from the past for the future at historical sites such as war graves and other places of remembrance. The focus is on the fates of people during the war.

Our projects last between one and two weeks and can take place in Germany or in other European countries with bi-, tri- or multinational participants. The fact that young people from different countries get to know each other and can broaden their view of the world together is part of the peace work in the projects.

Working for peace also means working against forgetting. For this reason, the work camps and youth encounters lead to places of remembrance; working on war gravesites is just one example. In addition to varied workshops and educational formats, there is always enough time in the projects for leisure and exciting activities in the locations of the projects. You can read more about the idea of our youth encounters and work camps here:  Concept of workcamps | Volksbund.de

In our international youth encounters and work camps, we offer young people between the ages of 12 and 25 the opportunity to get into exchange with their peers and to deal with history. You can find out which age group a specific project is designed for and whether there are any special requirements in the individual descriptions.

Everything else can be found in the conditions of participation.

If you are not sure whether a project is right for you, please contact us:

workcamps@volksbund.de or via Instagram: @international_workcamps

Our projects have different structures. The bi- and trinational camps are usually aimed at participants from certain countries. You can find out which ones in the project description. We often only accept registrations from Germany, the other participants register through a partner organisation. It is not important which nationality you have, but only where you currently live.

For the multinational projects that often take place in Germany, there are no restrictions - no matter where you live, you are welcome to register. You can identify these projects by the fact that they also have an English-language description. But we try to make sure that the groups of participants are as balanced as possible. Therefore, we may have to turn down your application if we already have a lot of interested people from your country. If possible, we will try to offer you a place in another camp. In some countries, such as Turkey or Italy, we work with partner organisations that coordinate and process the applications for us. Please contact us if you have any questions about this.

Registration works online via a registration form. You can find it under the description of the respective project.

At the latest after the registration deadline for the projects, you will receive the registration confirmation and further documents, with the request that you complete and return them. Only then are you bindingly registered.

At the latest 4 weeks before the start of the project, you will receive a detailed information email with all the information you need for travelling and packing. You can also contact the person responsible for your camp at any time. In addition, we offer an online preparation seminar for most camps, where you can ask your questions and get to know the leading team and the other participants.

A good level of English is very helpful in the projects to be able to communicate with participants from other countries. However, it does not have to be perfect and the team members can always support you.

This varies from project to project and is specified in the description. In general, however, the projects usually cost between 150 and 400 euros. This includes full board, accommodation and programme costs. We can offer our services at these prices because we receive various subsidies for the projects. Participants from Central and Eastern European countries usually pay a reduced price.

If you become a member of Volksbund, you save 25 € on every camp. Click here for the membership form.

The project description contains details on arrival and departure. However, you usually have to organise and pay for your own travel to and from the project. For the projects that take place abroad, there are usually meeting points for the group to travel together in a coach to your destination.

The projects are planned and organised by the educational team of the international youth meetings of the Volksbund. You can find our contacts here. The projects themselves are led by a team of volunteers. They have completed a training for youth group leaders and come from very different backgrounds (e.g. students, teachers, educators, etc.). They bring this experience to their work as team leaders.

If you would like to join the youth meetings and work camps not only as a participant, but also to take on responsibility as a teamer, you will find all the important information here.