Work

After arrival the group will be split. One half will host the first week some 30-40 children of 9 and 10 years that come for one week. The other half will host some 20 children from 10 to 12 years with special needs. The second week the two groups of volunteers will join and host some 30-40 children from 6 to 8 years. Together with other international volunteers and local volunteers you will organise activities for the kids to have an unforgettable week full with fun and leisure. This type of volunteering calls for creative people who can make up all sorts of games from scratch to play with the children: music, sports, cooking, arts, language sessions, creativity, etc. Therefore the content of this project is up to you and the other participants.

Partner

The location of the project is an accommodation in the rural area of Friesland that during the summer is the home for some 30-40 children from the north of the Netherlands for a great summer vacation. These kids come from families who for one reason or another can’t afford to offer their child a summer vacation. This could for example be for medical, financial or social reasons. A group of volunteers offers them an unforgettable week with all type of activities. Our partner is Humanitas, an organisation well known in the Netherlands and one of the main social services and community building organisations of the Netherlands. Humanitas is a non-profit association which aims to support people who, for a range of different reasons, temporarily can not manage on their own. The organisation was founded on May 31, 1945 directly after the Second World War to provide support to the impoverished population of the Netherlands. It has since grown to an organisation of over 80 local chapters, divided over 5 districts all over the Netherlands.

Location

Of course there will be sufficient free time. Together with your camp leaders you will discuss the recreational program. Friesland is well known for its sailing opportunities. Leisure time will also be spent on the general theme Discover your impact, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Accomodation

You will be staying in a campfarm called Groen (Green) in Oudemirdum with a dormitory and camping which is part of a cow farm. The first week one part of the group will stay at a campsite in Appelscha where there is also a dormitory. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag. If you prefer you can also stay in a tent. There are cooking facilities and you will join the youngsters during the meal.

Work

You will be hosting the first week young caretakers between 9 and 10 years of age that come for one week. Together with other international volunteers and local volunteers you will organise activities for them so they have some time off from their normal day to day caretaking. The second week you will host 20 young kids aged 6 and 9 years old who need some special care. They look forward to have an unforgettable week full with fun and leisure. This type of volunteering calls for creative people who can make up all sorts of games from scratch to play with the children: music, sports, cooking, arts, language sessions, creativity, etc. Therefore the content of this project is up to you and the other participants.

Partner

Our partner is Humanitas, an organisation well known in the Netherlands and one of the main social services and community building organisations of the Netherlands. Humanitas is a non-profit association which aims to support people who, for a range of different reasons, temporarily can not manage on their own. The organisation was founded on May 31, 1945 directly after the Second World War to provide support to the impoverished population of the Netherlands. It has since grown to an organisation of over 80 local chapters, divided over 5 districts all over the Netherlands.

Location

The location of the project is an accommodation in the rural area of Friesland that during the summer is the home for some 30-40 children from the north of the Netherlands for a great summer vacation. These kids come from families who for one reason or another can’t afford to offer their child a summer vacation. This could for example be for medical, financial or social reasons. A group of volunteers offers them an unforgettable week with all type of activities. Of course there will be sufficient free time. Together with your camp leaders you will discuss the recreational program. Friesland is well known for its sailing opportunities. Leisure time will also be spent on the general theme Discover your impact, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Accomodation

You will be staying in a campfarm called Groen (Green) with a dormitory and camping which is part of a cow farm. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag. If you prefer you can also stay in a tent. There are cooking facilities and you will join the youngsters during the meal.

Requirements

Due to the nature of the work a Certificate of Conduct and a motivation letter are required • Relevant training or professional experience is desirable; • At least an intermediate level in English. Sleeping bag (and tent and matrass if you prefer to stay in a tent); • Rain is spread out over the year, so bring warm clothes, a raincoat and a swimming suit; • You may be required to attend an online meeting ahead of the project to get to know the campleaders and fellow volunteers.

Work

You will be hosting the first week young caretakers between 9 and 10 years of age that come for one week. Together with other international volunteers and local volunteers you will organise activities for them so they have some time off from their normal day to day caretaking. The second week you will host 20 young kids aged 6 and 9 years old who need some special care. They look forward to have an unforgettable week full with fun and leisure. This type of volunteering calls for creative people who can make up all sorts of games from scratch to play with the children: music, sports, cooking, arts, language sessions, creativity, etc. Therefore the content of this project is up to you and the other participants.

Partner

The location of the project is an accommodation in the rural area of Friesland that during the summer is the home for some 30-40 children from the north of the Netherlands for a great summer vacation. These kids come from families who for one reason or another can’t afford to offer their child a summer vacation. This could for example be for medical, financial or social reasons. A group of volunteers offers them an unforgettable week with all type of activities. Our partner is Humanitas, an organisation well known in the Netherlands and one of the main social services and community building organisations of the Netherlands. Humanitas is a non-profit association which aims to support people who, for a range of different reasons, temporarily can not manage on their own. The organisation was founded on May 31, 1945 directly after the Second World War to provide support to the impoverished population of the Netherlands. It has since grown to an organisation of over 80 local chapters, divided over 5 districts all over the Netherlands.

Location

Of course there will be sufficient free time. Together with your camp leaders you will discuss the recreational program. Friesland is well known for its sailing opportunities. Leisure time will also be spent on the general theme Discover your impact, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Accomodation

You will be staying in a campfarm called Groen (Green) with a dormitory and camping which is part of a cow farm. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag. If you prefer you can also stay in a tent. There are cooking facilities and you will join the youngsters during the meal.

Work

The project focuses on the park. Many parts of the gardens have been neglected over the past decades and will be cleaned up and restored to the original garden designs. Activities range from ground work like digging and levelling, to gardening such as weeding and pruning to wood shredding and splitting.

Partner

The old manor house and its one hectare park Oosterhouw is being restored to its former glory. Once restored, Oosterhouw will be a publicly accessible park to enjoy for locals and tourists from all over the world. It will be a location for art, literature, gardening, environmental and social events. The non-profit organization Stichting Behoud Oosterhouw manages the location. Oosterhouw is located in the town of Leens, a small village with approximately 1600 inhabitants in the most northern part of the Netherlands. It’s close to the UNESCO Waddensea and the city of Groningen. The old manor and the surrounding park will take you back in time with a classical Italian garden, an English landscape garden, an art deco garden and impressive 150 year old trees.

Location

Of course there will be sufficient free time. Together with your camp leaders you will discuss the recreational program. The nearby city of Groningen is accessible by public transportation in around 35 minutes. Groningen is a lively city of around 235,000 people. One in four inhabitants are students, which results in a lot of activities in the summer! For nature lovers there is an UNESCO site closeby, as well as the Dutch beach islands such as Schiermonnikoog.

Accomodation

Volunteers will stay at a group accommodation located in the neighbouring village of Hornhuizen. There is a dedicated kitchen and bicycles will be provided for transportation. The bike ride from and to the accommodation is approximately 10 minutes. Leens has two supermarkets, a bakery, restaurants and also a local food market on Wednesdays. There are several other shops in town, as well as a pharmacy and a doctor’s office.

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

Of course 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 new theme park Wildlands Adventure Zoo (opened in 2016). Leisure time will also be spent on the general theme Connecting with the Sustainable Development Goals and means to foster peace.

Accomodation

Volunteers will stay at a campsite. You will need to bring your own tent, sleeping bag and matrass. There are cooking facilities in a cooking tent and the group will cook for themselves. The centre will provide bikes for every volunteer to ride between the campsite and the Refugee Centre (including bike ride lessons). Volunteers will bring a packed lunch to the worksite.

Work

The participants will do different activities of nature protection like cutting, dredging, pilling up the paths, haymaking and light construction work. You will also work together with other local people who do voluntary nature work. The local rangers are very supportive and looking forward to host you in their beautiful area.‘The Drentsche Aa’ has been nominated most beautiful landscape of the Netherlands.

Partner

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. 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. In 2022 it will be the 14th anniversary of this project in Oudemolen, so project Oudemolen is almost part of the region’s collective memory. This certainly counts for the local residents who have shown a lot of interest in the volunteers and, in some or another way, will always beinvolved in the project. Volunteers can count on a warm welcome.

Location

Of course, the camp leaders and partner organization will encourage the volunteers to put forward their own ideas for a recreational program, but in this project it is a tradition that activities are being suggested and/or organised by State Forestry, e.g. a 'mudwalking' tour on the ‘bottom’ of the Wadden area; a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the world’s largest area of intertidal sand and mudflats. A unique experience! Other activities during the week can be swimming, bicycling, visiting the flourishing city of Groningen or the Westerbork transit 16 camp (where Anne Frank was prisoned). Requirements: • Tent, an airbed/mat and sleeping bag • Old/working clothes • High top sneakers (needed for mudwalking) • Rubber boots (working fields can be very muddy!) • Rain is spread out over the year, so bring warm clothes, a raincoat and a swimming suit!

Accomodation

Volunteers are expected to bring their own tent, airbed or matrass and sleeping bag. You will stay at the beautiful situated private campsite of the State Forestry location Oudemolen. The group will cook for themselves in a barn that is equipped with all cooking facilities. There is one shower and one toilet. Bicycles will we provided, this will be your transportation to the various worksites.