Organising activities with people with disabilities at the "Château Vert"
Description: The ‘Château vert’ Centre is an institution that hosts about 75 people with motor disabilities/disorders (sometimes associated with a mild mental deficiency). It has 3 sections: a residential service for youth, one for adults and a day care service for adults. It is composed of small structures allowing a 'family life' that is very appreciated by the residents and the educators. For each living space, a specific operating plan has been developed.
Type of Work: Volunteers will be asked to set up various workshops in collaboration with the educational staff and the center's seasonal working students: dance workshop, board games, music, cooking workshop. They will also accompany the residents during the outdoor activities organized by the center and propose different activities according to their skills or cultural background (artistic, manual). It is also planned to organize an intercultural meal to introduce the residents to the traditional foods from where the volunteers come from (volunteers will have access to the adapted kitchen that has to remain clean and operational for the next day’s meals). The volunteers will have free time in the evenings and during the weekend.
Study Theme: People with disabilities – Community life. The volunteers will participate to a training given by the staff members at the beginning of the project to learn more about the different kinds of disabilities and get familiar with the communication tools in order to be in relation with the residents.
Accommodation: Accommodation in collective rooms for 2 to 3 people located on 1st floor of the center, next to the care rooms but separate from the residents. Volunteers may be present during meals to help and share time with the residents, but they will eat with the centre's educational staff. Accessible to people in wheelchairs but housing in basic conditions.
Language: The language of the Workcamp is English but knowledge in French (even basic) is welcome in order to communicate better with the residents (many residents speak little, or not). The non-verbal communication is very important for this project. Some volunteers will only be francophone.
Requirements: Be respectful and be yourself. Have interpersonal skills and the ability to empathize and connect with people. Some residents may have limited access to verbal communication, but the volunteers will quickly bond with them and have a very rewarding human experience.
Approximate Location: Solières is a village located on the heights on the right bank of the Meuse river, in the Liège region, near the small town of Huy. The centre is located in a calm and natural area. The Château Vert centre is not accessible by public transportation. Please notify the SCI Belgium coordinator well in advance of your arrival time at the nearest station (Huy station). A collective bus, reserved in advance, will pick up the group to take them to the project site and will be useful during outdoor activities.
Notes: Wheelchair accessible. Additional fee: Many SCI workcamps will have an additional fee of €50.00. This will cover - local hosting costs; International insurance costs of the volunteer; a small travel fund to enable disadvantaged volunteers to join projects; administration costs of SCI International. If you apply through an SCI branch, the fee will be included in the fee you pay to your sending branch. If you apply through a partner organisation you will pay the fee on arrival at the project; direct to the hosting branch or through a PayPal transfer system. When accepted on the project the host branch will give you more details of the various payment options.
Camp Photographs
