SCI Germany has a long tradition of “Travelling Workcamps”. Peace Messengers travel the international workcamps and run peace education workshops. Here you can find out how such 'travelling' functions...
With joining Travelling workcamps volunteers from all over Europe get the opportunity to enjoy an intensive “crash course” for becoming Peace Messengers. The volunteers learn the theory and immediately put it into practice by visiting international workcamps and running unique, individually-prepared one-day peace education workshops for other international volunteers.
Logistics...
It might sound simple, but in practice it is not. The participants have to join one international workcamp; work one day with the team of volunteers at the camp; run a workshop the next day; and travel to the next camp where everything is repeated. The problem is that different projects run at different times; project sponsors have time restrictions; and we need to take care of the distances that the teams must cover as well as the limit to their travel costs. Last year it took one person two months of negotiations before the routes could be finalised!
Trainers...
Another important issue that needs to be solved is that of trainers. It is very important to find experienced trainers with understanding of SCI, voluntary work, intercultural learning processes and with the ability to empower volunteers by using rewarding and innovative methods of peace education.
Innovative peace workshops
The real challenge, however, starts when the Peace Messengers arrive at the training in Berlin. First they need to identify, discuss and define the “peace message” they wish to put across during their workshops. Then they have to agree on the composition of the teams, and last but not least they need to design a workshop using different and innovative methods that will capture the interest of even the least interested and motivated volunteer in the workcamps.
Unforeseen situations
The Peace Messengers also need to be able to improvise, as in the case of the first team that missed the train from Berlin to their first workcamp. It can also happen that the project sponsor decides that it does not want to receive the group after all. Finally, after having travelled several hundred kilometres, making friends with hundreds of volunteers, and having run their workshops, the Peace Messengers still need to have some remaining energy in order to evaluate, share their experiences and make recommendations for improvements at a follow-up meeting back in Berlin.
Results!
So is all the effort, money and trouble worth it? Sometimes we do wonder, because not all workshops meet with the enthusiastic response that the Peace Messengers hope and wish for. At the same time though, we feel that we achieve some important results that justify the large investments made:
1. 20 young people are trained as Peace Messengers. They will use their knowledge and skills for the rest of their lives, within their family, school, university, workplace or elsewhere.
2. More than 200 international volunteers are - sometimes for the first time – encouraged to think about existing causes of war, violence, social injustice & discrimination and are forced to confront and question their own prejudices and stereotypes about others.
3. SCI’s image as an organisation that is “working for peace” is reinforced and made evident to large numbers of young people as well as to project sponsors
Interested?
This year’s Travelling Work Camp Germany will take place from 8 – 29th August and is included in the workcamp search engine (OPS). If Germany is not appealing (enough) to you, then you can also join a second, similar Travelling Work Camp that will take place in the Balkans? We can certainly promise a tiring, but enormously enriching, exciting and rewarding experience for those who have the right motivation!
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