Summer break is here, and 250 youths from 14 countries travel to twelve ewoca³ workcamps, in order to realise social and sustainable projects. Also taking part are youth groups from nine cities in North Rhine-Westphalia. Two youth encounters even take place in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The last day of school, the first day of a great adventure: Youths from Oberhausen set out for Estonia, to work on an ecological project there: Together with young people from Romania and Estonia they help a local organisation for environmental protection to restructure a riverbank, construct a new jetty and build nesting boxes for birds. At the same time, but 1500 kilometres south-west: In Schwerte near Dortmund young people from Italy and Belarus arrive to work together with youths from Dortmund at the site of Naturfreunde Schwerte.
These are only two of the twelve ewoca³ workcamps, which this summer take place in nine European countries. In addition to ecological work, social projects are planned: The youths build solar ovens and solar water heaters in Spain, work on reconciliation in Russia, renovate a youth centre in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and construct a meeting space at a social farm near Dortmund. The project focuses on sustainability: The participating youth groups work together not just for one summer, but for three years in total. Each summer they realise one project in one of the partner countries. ewoca³ is a project of IBB e.V., funded by the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Stiftung Mercator.
Live and present with ewoca³ Live!
This summer, those who want to know what happens at each workcamp specifically have the possibility to do so. At the inter-camp blog ewoca³ Live! the youths themselves report on their experiences and impressions — in German and in English for the content to be read internationally. The blog can be reached at http://live.ewoca.de.