"Racism, Exclusion and Extermination" - Buchenwald Memorial near Weimar
Description: Together with young people from different backgrounds, learn more about the history of National Socialism and World War II and their consequences for the present. Based on your own interests, deepen your knowledge about exclusion, persecution and extermination of people due to (social) racist and anti-semitic attributions.
Share and reflect on family experiences and national narratives with other volunteers and memorial educators.
Discuss the significance of the events of that time for you, for the society around you, and for a future Europe.
Make an important contribution to the preservation of the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial and the development of long-term remembrance projects.
Type of Work: In the mornings, the work is mostly practical. On the former Weimar-Buchenwald railroad line, which was built in 1943, water channels are cleaned and memorial stones are worked on. The (physically not difficult) stonemasonry work serves to remember young people who were deported from Buchenwald to Auschwitz-Birkenau and mostly murdered there. Research on these youths in digital archives will be part of the project.
In addition, working on historical objects of the concentration camp in the conservation workshop of the memorial will be an important part of the camp. Its pedagogical management cordially invites you to bring in your own interests and topics, which can be presented and discussed during the project.
Study Theme: The following questions can be explored:
Which aspects of the history of Buchenwald concentration camp are of a particular interest to you?
How could such a camp exist and function near the classical city of Weimar?
How could a crime of this dimension happen in Germany and Europe and with German responsibility?
How is the history of National Socialism remembered in the past and present in Europe and beyond?
Are there comparisons to other dictatorships and crimes?
What happened in the Soviet Special Camp No. 2 in Buchenwald (1945-1950)?
Accommodation: The International Young People's Center (JBS) Buchenwald uses two former barracks, which were used as a directorate building and as a youth hostel in the times of the GDR. There are shared rooms with private showers (3/4 persons), a sofa room, seminar room, barbecue facilities and table tennis. Info: https://t1p.de/JBS_en.
You will take turns cooking for the whole group in the well-equipped kitchen of the JBS. Feel free to bring spices or ingredients from home, because cooking is a great opportunity to get closer to other volunteers.
Language: The common language at the Work- and Studycamp is English.
Requirements: Volunteers should not be older than 26 years.
A good command of English is a prerequisite, as is an open, tolerant and (self-)reflective attitude towards each other.
You should have a strong interest in historical and contemporary issues.
Another requirement is your willingness to follow the Covid19 regulations of the memorial.
Notes: You will spend a lot of time outdoors - take this into account for your travel clothes.
Free time: Excursions e.g. to Weimar (new Bauhaus Museum, Goethe National Museum, Schiller's residence, swimming pool and much more) or to Erfurt or Leipzig independently on weekends.
Covid-19: The Memorial continues to place a high priority on protecting all guests and employees from Corona infection. Please perform a rapid test prior to your departure and only travel with a negative test result. On-site testing is done several times, and all tests are provided free of charge by the memorial. Therefore, the camp is also well suited for people who belong to risk groups.
INCOMING FEE for volunteers applying through SCI partner organizations and contacts: https://sci-d.de/incomingfee.
Camp Photographs
