Holiday camp for asylum-seeking children (Haute-Nendaz VS)
Description: The "asylum" sector of the Office for Social Services of the Canton of Valais hosts a summer camp for children of asylum seeking families together with disadvantaged local kids. There are three groups coming over three weeks, while it is possible for volunteers to join ideally the first two weeks (9.-23.July), the second two weeks (16.-30.July) or all three weeks which is very intense (9.-30.July). The first kids group is aged 6 to 8 years old, the second group 9 to 10 years old and the third group is 11 to 12 years old. The purpose of the summer camp is to give relaxation, games and discovery for children of asylum seekers. These have often been faced with difficult situations in their countries of origin and live in an unstable situation since their arrival in Switzerland.
Type of Work: You will manage every day a group of children, together with other local caretakers and an assistant. You'll participate in the animation, the creation of activities for the children and the practical life of the camp. Most of the programme is prepared. The children will stay with us the whole week, they don’t go back home at night; so you will also spend the evenings with them. Be aware that the working hours exceed the standard in SCI workcamps – you will mainly be working from morning till evening. You will also be asked to sleep 1 night in the hallway in front of the kids bedrooms to support or to handle possible problems at nights. During two weeks all volunteers, the project partner and children live together as a community, so you will not spend much time alone.
Study Theme: This workcamp is part of the international campaign "Building Bridges" which aims to raise awareness and stimulate the reflection about the current refugee crisis and forced migration in general. Through non-formal learning methods, participants will be able to share knowledge and experiences about the situation of refugees and asylum seekers in different countries as well as volunteering projects that locally support refugees and asylum seekers. Volunteers will be encouraged to think about how they can make a contribution to peaceful living of people from all origins in their home town.
Accommodation: You will be accommodated in a group accomodation in a mountain village. You will have mattresses, blankets and bed sheets provided - be prepared to share a room with other volunteers. Toilets and shower will also be shared. There is wifi. Food will be prepared by cooks.
Language: You have to be fluent in French for the communication with the kids, the other local volunteers and the project partner. If you additionally have German skills, that’s ideal. The children come from different countries, but the local language is French. If French isn't your mother tongue, the local project partner will call you to check your language skills within two weeks after you're accepted.
Requirements: You should be flexible and responsible, and motivated to take care of the children during the day, evening and some over-night watch. You'll also need to be creative with ideas for activities and games for the children. As part of your application, please send us a motivation letter in French.
NEW INCOMING FEE for volunteers applying via Partners and Contacts of SCI: https://bit.ly/3iiJWI5
Notes: Please keep in mind that the work with the kids can be very exhausting and intense but at the same time it is also a very rewarding experience.
It is possible to join the workcamp for just one week (from July 9 to July 16) - if you want to do that, please make a respective remark in your application form!
Camp Photographs
