volontariato internazionale, antirazzismo, pace, diritti
NETHERLANDS
Kids, Work with refugees, Social problems
Discover smiles & stories - Create social activities for children of refugees.
Code:SIW 2025-02
Where:Emmen
Number of volunteers:8
Language:English
Extra-Fee:0
Age:18+
26/07/2025 - 09/08/2025
Work
The project takes place in the refugee centre in Emmen which is a location for families with children. The children you will be working with are between 4 and 12 years. These children participate in a school program, but during the months of July and August, there is the summer holiday break. The volunteers organise activities for and with the children. This type of work calls for creative people who can make up all sorts of games from scratch to play with the children: music, sports, arts, language sessions, creativity, etc. Therefore the content of this project is up to you and the other participants. The games are scheduled throughout the week.
Partner
The location of the project is the Refugee Centre Emmen. Emmen is a city of about 60.000 inhabitants in the province of Drenthe in the northern part of the Netherlands. This refugee centre (in Dutch: ‘AZC Emmen’) has a capacity for about 400 refugees. This particular place is a location for families with under age children whose application for asylum has been denied by the Dutch government. These families will in time return to their homeland. Our partner is the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (in Dutch: COA). The COA provides accommodation during the asylum procedure and prepares asylum seekers for staying in the Netherlands, returning to their country of origin or transmigration. At the moment COA manages about 100 centres in the Netherlands. COA is an independent administrative body funded by the Dutch Ministry of Justice. The COA works together with a partner named ‘De Vrolijkheid’: the National Foundation for the Promotion of Happiness. The Happiness is a multicultural, not-for-profit network of artists, play writers, actors, musicians and volunteers who invest in children and teenagers in asylum-seeking centres. The Happiness organises creative activities on a regular basis in 30 asylum-seeking centres in the Netherlands. Please note that it is not allowed to take pictures and/or make videos in the refugee centre.
Location
There will be sufficient free time. Together with your camp leaders you will discuss the recreational program. Emmen is an attractive city with lots of activities in the summertime. You can visit places nearby and explore the surroundings. The area is declared a UNESCO-Geopark by the United Nations. Emmen is very well accessible by train and bus. Biggest attraction is the theme park Wildlands Adventure Zoo. Near the campingsite is also a earthwork from the Amercan artist Robert Smitson, Broken Circle and Spiral Hill(1971)
Accomodation
Volunteers will stay at a small campsite, almost a 30min bike ride. Minicamping De Emmerdennen. (Adress camping place:Oude Roswinkelerweg 118, 7814 RT Emmen, near to the centre of Emmen.) The accommodation will be in a tent. You can either bring your own tent or use one of ours. In that case you will share a tent with one other volunteer. It's necessary to bring your own sleeping bag and sleeping math There are cooking facilities and the group will cook for themselves. There is a big tent for cooking, eating, group activities or to hang out.
Requirements
Due to the nature of the work a Criminal Record, Certificate of Conduct and a motivation letter are required. Note: There is no student discount for this project. What to bring: Must bring (obligated) 1)Sleeping mattress / sleeping mat, sleeping bag 2)Old working clothes and shoes 3)Rain is spread out over the year, so bring warm clothes, a raincoat and a swimming suit 4)Soap, toiletries and a towel(s) Wise to bring 1)Recipes from your own country 2)Driver’s license that is valid in Holland, in case you have one 3)Sunglasses and something on your head against the sun! Nice to bring 1)Musical instruments, ideas for games/activities 2)Energy, enthusiasm and an open mind! 3)A sense of humor Relevant training or professional experience in order to work with vulnerable children is desirable. It could be helpful to speak an intermediate level of English.
Meeting point
From Airport Schiphol you can easily catch a train to ‘Emmen Zuid’ (in English: Emmen South). This trains leaves every half hour. The total journey from Schiphol to Emmen takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. You have to change trains at station ‘Zwolle’ to catch the train towards ‘Emmen Zuid’. The project is 100m from trainstation Emmen Zuid. You do not need to book train tickets in advance, you can buy them at Schiphol Airport.
Notes:
Due to the system limitations, the option to select 'other' gender is unavailable. However, our projects are inclusive and open to everyone, regardless of gender, religion, or cultural background. If you are gender-neutral, feel free to share this information, and we will make sure to be mindful of it.
NETHERLANDS
Environment
Erasmus+ Discover Nature's Restoration - Help restore our natural landscapes.
Code:SIW 2025-04
Where:Rolde
Number of volunteers:20
Language:English
Extra-Fee:0
Age:18+
31/07/2025 - 16/08/2025
Work
The participants will do different activities of nature protection like cutting, dredging, pilling up the paths and haymaking. The cooperation with the local partner has been taking place since several years and they are always very supportive and looking forward to host you in their beautiful area.
Partner
The partner in this project is the Dutch State Forestry, commissioned by the Dutch government to manage a large part of the nature reserves in the Netherlands.
Location
The ‘Drentsche Aa’ area is a varied old cultural landscape, shaped by age old interplay of agriculture and nature. The ‘Drentsche Aa’ is also the name of the stream that meanders through this area and creates a typical landscape that is declared National Park. It includes 16 authentic villages. Volunteers will discuss the recreational program together with the camp leaders. For example they can explore the area by bike, go swimming, visit the city of Groningen, Westerbork transit camp (where Anne Frank was prisoned) and other places in the Netherlands.
Accomodation
During the training and forest and nature project Drentsche Aa the accommodation will be in tents. The tents will be provided by us. It's necessary to bring your own Sleeping mattress / sleeping mat, sleeping bag*.There is also a shared community space where the training will take place, along with other activities such as cooking and games.
Requirements
This project especially invites volunteers that are actively involved in international volunteering opportunities in your home country, as it is a unique combination of a 3-day training and 2 weeks of volunteering. The training activities will help the team building of the group. The participants will also work on intercultural communication and collaboration. Finally, you will reflect on your own learning goals for the project as well as the meaning of sustainability and the environment as the volunteering will focus on personal development through working in an international group on nature preservation. Participants will be encouraged to implement the lessons learnt back home. The project is supported by Erasmus+ and as a result the project is only open for participants who live and travel from/to an EU country, Iceland, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Türkiye or Republic of Serbia. Actual travel costs will be reimbursed up to certain caps. Travel by rail, bus or car sharing is promoted. Visa costs will also be reimbursed. July 31 is arrival date, the training is on 1-2 Aug, while the nature conversation project in the National Parc Drentsche Aa for two weeks starts right after. This work camp contains a unique training opportunity at the start of the camp. No preparation training is required in the home country. What to bring: Must bring (obligated): 1)Sleeping mattress / sleeping mat, sleeping bag 2)Old working clothes, solid work shoes and rubber boots 3)Rain is spread out over the year, so bring warm clothes, a raincoat and a swimming suit 4)Soap, toiletries and a towel(s) Wise to bring: 1)Recipes from your own country 2)Driver’s license that is valid in the Netherlands, in case you have one 3)Sunglasses and something on your head against the sun! Nice to bring 1)Musical instruments, ideas for games/activities 2)Energy, enthusiasm and an open mind! 3)A sense of humor
Meeting point
From Airport Schiphol you can easily catch a train at Schiphol train station to train station ‘Assen’. These trains leave twice an hour at .29 and .59 and have final destination ‘Groningen’. It goes either directly or with a stopover in ‘Zwolle’. It takes these trains 1 hour and 55 minutes to get there. More specific information will be given in the welcome letter.
Notes:
Due to the system limitations, the option to select 'other' gender is unavailable. However, our projects are inclusive and open to everyone, regardless of gender, religion, or cultural background. If you are gender-neutral, feel free to share this information, and we will make sure to be mindful of it.
Lunaria - Associazione di Promozione Sociale
Via Buonarroti 51, 00185 - ROMA
+39 06 88 41 880
+39 06 84 24 2 487
+39 06 88 41 859
CF 96192500583
P.Iva 06139821000
Lunaria ha ottenuto nel 2021 i label di organizzazione accreditata nell'ambito dei programmi Erasmus+ e Corpo Europeo di Solidarietà. E' stata premiata come Best Practice europea nel 2015 e nel 2017 per i progetti di Capacity Building con paesi partner. Né la Commissione Europea né le le sue Agenzie sono responsabili del contenuto del sito dell'associazione.