Workcamp Details

Description: Terzo Millennio - Laboratorio di Umana Solidarietà works locally and internationally to promote Human Rights through integration and emancipation paths for refugees, asylum seekers and foreigner people in the area; training for young people and adults; international mobility and cooperation. The aim is to contribute to the well-being of the children through play and recreational activities during part of the summer holidays. The parents do not have a family network to care for them when the schools are closed and they are at work, so the project meets a concrete need and supports them in their daily lives.

Type of Work: Volunteers will be engaged in recreational activities with a group of 25 Italian children and refugees. The activities will mainly take place in the mornings and include intercultural workshops, sports and recreational activities such as creative recycling or sensory workshops. Volunteers will be asked to share and propose activities to do with children, preferably games from their own culture or that they played as children, but all initiatives and ideas are welcome. In order to limit the waste of resources, low environmental impact practices will be preferred in all camp activities (e.g. soft mobility, recycled material, 0 km products...). Visits and excursions will be organised, with the involvement of local organisations and moments of sharing with the local community.

Study Theme: A meeting is planned with the operators of the SAI project 'Il Salento Accoglie', that is an example of a project active in the area of integration of refugees. The meeting will focus mainly on reflection of working in Intercultural contexts and which could be the instruments used in those contexts. The methodology of Non-Formal Education and Intercultural will be explored. We will reflect together on what it means to work with children from different cultures and backgrounds and which ideas and activities might work best in these contextexts.

Accommodation: The volunteers will stay in a large building in which sleeping bags and mats will be placed. The space, equipped with separate toilets and showers for men and women, reserved for volunteers only. It is necessary to bring sleeping bags and towels. Breakfast, lunches and dinners will be self-managed by the volunteers themselves and organised in a fully equipped kitchen, located in the same building in a room adjacent to the sleeping place. There are community dinners and the involvement of local volunteers. There is no Wi-Fi, but there is good phone coverage in the area.

Requirements: No special skills are required, but - as the camp involves daily interaction with children - a lot of patience, creativity, flexibility and a desire to have fun. It would be preferable to have already some experience working with children and it is why artistic, sport and animation skills are really appreciated. A minimum knowledge of the Italian language will be admired.

Approximate Location: The camp will take place in Castri di Lecce, in the province of Lecce, Apulia, in southern Italy. The largest city in the vicinity is Lecce, capital of the province of the same name and one of the most important cities in Apulia. Due to the wealth of Baroque architectural monuments in the city, Lecce is commonly nicknamed 'The Florence of the South'.

Notes: The camp is open for families with children from 5 years old onwards. Maximum two children in the Workcamp. Volunteer’s children can sleep in the same room as all the SCI volunteers. Volunteer’s children will be included in the activities for kids foreseen by the camp. During free time parents will be responsible for their children.

Please kindly note that there is an additional incoming fee of 50 Euros for all volunteers applying through Partner organisations or Contacts of the SCI network. Check the status here: https://bit.ly/3vhBD5J. This fee covers hosting costs, insurance, a small travel fund to enable disadvantaged volunteers to join projects and administration costs.

Camp Photographs