These were the ewoca³ workcamps in the year 2015:

Camp 1: Leverkusen/Germany, 19th July to 1st August 2015
Young Art & Culture
Project partners: Falken Leverkusen (Leverkusen/Germany), Oulun Nuoret Kotkat Piirijärjestö ry (Oulu/Finland), META Cooperativa Sociale ONLUS (Rome/Italy)

At this workcamp everything revolves around the topics of theatre and music. On the one hand, the participants support two youth centres in creating or renovating performance and rehearsal spaces for bands and theatre projects. On the other hand, the youths have the opportunities to try their own abilities in theatre workshops, and to finally publicly present their abilities on the freshly renovated stages. The youths live together in a group home close to the city. The house gives them opportunities for creative and sports activities, but is also the jumping-off point for exciting excursions to the neighbouring towns of Cologne and Dusseldorf, where among other activities, they will explore the music and cultural scenes.

 

 

Camp 2: Tecklenburg/Germany, 20th July to 5th August 2015
Healthy Lifestyle
Project partners: Media cooperative Steinfurt („Media cooperative Steinfurt e.V.“) (Steinfurt/Germany), Youth Centre Telsiai (Telsiai/Lithuania), Asociación Opendoors (Quart de Poblet/Spain)

The workcamp participants build a path for barefoot experiences for children and create a herbal garden. The practical work will be linked with activities regarding the topics of origin, preparation and effects of food. Our current and future health is significantly influenced by how we deal with natural resources and our attitude towards our own body. The own body in the context of experiencing nature is thus at the centre of the workcamp.

 

 

Camp 3: Hagen/Germany, 15th July to 2nd August 2015
Environment and Lifeworld
Project partners: Falken Hagen (Hagen/Germany), Mugla Genclik Merkesi (Mugla/Turkey), Fundacja Borussia (Olsztyn/Poland)

The youths will renovate rooms at the youth centre “Vorhalle„ in Hagen and fashion the outdoor spaces of the institution. Keeping ecological aspects in mind, they will create a garden, modify a garage, use recycled materials to build a seating speace in the garden and develop environmentally sound concepts for the work at the centre. In workshops, the participants deal with their own role in interdependency with their environment. During excursions and leisure activities they get an insight into the lifeworld of the youths living here and learn about the scenic and cultural diversity of the region. In their practical work, the confrontation with the topics, and during leisure activities like rafting and canoe trips, the participants experience direct relations between environment and lifeworld.

 

 

Camp 4: Cologne/Germany, 05th July to 19th July 2015
Aufbruch – Yola cikmak – Depart
Project partners: Youth department of the City of Cologne & SKM Cologne (Cologne/Germany), Pistes-Solidaires Méditerranée (Marseille/France), Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality (Gaziantep/Turkey)

4000 refugees are accommodated in the city of Cologne at the moment. What kind of people are these, what did they experience, what are their hopes? The participants of the workcamp will deal with these questions, and, in consultation with the responsible organisations in refugee work, will work towards improving the infrastructure. The youths will also participate in the “Beats vom Hof„ Event, with numerous workshops on Rap, Breakdance and Graffiti. Here as well, experiences of flight and migration, and the social and political situation will be a central topic.

 

 

Camp 5: Dortmund/Germany, 21st of September to 4th of October 2015
The Water and the Farm
Project Partners: GrünBau (Dortmund/Germany), Nash Sled (Minsk/Belarus), Esplora (Itri/Italy)

The first camp of the three-year partnership takes place at the​  educational farm Schulte-Tigges in Dortmund/Germany and is dedicatet to the topic “water”. The participants from the three countries will work together on sustainable lifestyles and learn about the immediate effects of the hydrological cycle on nature and humans. Under expert guidance, DIY and garden projects are carried out on the farm. By this the topics of the content-specific workshops will be deepened in a sustainable way.

 

Camp 5: Itri/Italy, 04th to 18th of July 2015
Garden of art and recreation
Project partners: Grünbau (Dortmund/Germany), Nash Sled (Minsk/Belarus), Esplora (Itri/Italy)

Together, the youths create an ecological school garden, which will also be used as a place of encounter. The participants work with professional guidance and deal with the topic of sustainable lifestyles in workshops. To build a European athmosphere, group-strengthening activities, such as sport events and jointly prepared evenings, and excursions to regional points of interest will take place.

 

 

Camp 6: Gömörszölös/Hungary, 27th July to 9th August 2015
We live on the same Earth
Project partners: Youth Academy Walberberg (Bornheim/Germany), Udruzenje gradana “Putevi mira” (Kozarska Dubica/Bosnia and Herzegovina), Szubjektiv (Budapest/Hungary)

The participants deal with the topic of sustainability in a practical fashion. They will live for two weeks in the ecological town of Gömörszölös near the Slovakian border. In this rural region, they will live close to nature and explore practical solutions in the field of environmental protection. They will deal with recycling and build tools, instruments and artworks from things, that would have gone to waste otherwise. The items created at the workcamp will be donated to the collection of the eco-town Gömörszölös. Thus the practical part of the camp conveys experiences in craftsmanship and knowledge on ecological topics at the same time.

 

 

Camp 7: Heek-Nienborg & Cologne/Germany, 05th October to 21th of October 2015
I-CARE Camp 2015
Project partners: Roots & Routes Cologne e.V. (Cologne/Germany), Centro di Creazione e Cultura (Florence/Italy). Viesoji istaiga Kauno ivairiu tautu kulturu centras (Kaunas/Lithuania)

The youths collaboratively work on the topic of discrimination and racism at the State Music Academy of North Rhine-Westphalia in Heek-Nienborg. An awareness for diversity, reflecting on their own experiences as being discriminated against, and discriminating themselves, and comparing the situations in the participating partner countries play important roles. With this basis in regards to content, and with the support of professional coaches for theatre, dance, music and media, the youths develop a transdisciplinary stage performance, which finally will be performed in Cologne on the 19th and 20th of October at the Arkadas Theatre — Stage of Cultures. The performance will also be filmed in a high quality HD multi-camera live recording and put online. Afterwards, the participants will keep in touch via social networks and develop possible local follow-up projects.

 

 

Camp 8: Oberhausen/Germany, 27th June to 12th July 2015
„Green up“ — Reforestation following storm damage
Project partners: Children and Youth centre ParkHaus (Oberhausen/Germany ), MTÜ Noored Toredate Mötetega (Tartu/Estonia), Outward Bound Romania (Tigru Mures/Romania)

The storm of Whitsun 2014 lead to severe damage in the tree stock of Oberhausen. Especially the so-called “Schlackeberg„ — a landmark near the youth centre ParkHaus — was affected. But also the park directly adjacent to the facility was damaged considerably. At the workcamp, we contribute to the reforestation of the affected areas. At the same time, some smaller activities are undertaken in the outdoor spaces of the youth centre. Additionally, the participants will explore the region together.

 

 

Camp 9: Cologne, 28th June to 12th July 2015
The four elements — Building blocks of life and survival, local and global
Project partners: Gustav-Stresemann-Institute e.V. (Bonn/Germany), Centre d’Education et de Formation Interculturel Rencontre (Cefir) (Dunkerque/France), Instytut Regionalny w Katowicach (Katowice/Poland)

At the workcamp, the youths will deal with global relations of development and local activism on the one hand, and on the other hand discover their own craftsmanship and social skills in practical work close to nature. At authentic places like the outdoor museum Lindlar and an urban gardening project, they will learn more about the meaning of the four elements (air, water, fire and earth). They will work on the topic of renewable energy from wind and water, and visit one-world initiatives.

 

 

Camp 10: Wissen an der Sieg/Germany, 3rd August to 20th August 2015
Creative — sustainable – ecological
Project partners: Nature moves (“Natur bewegt e.V.„) (Cologne/Germany), INTERRA (Krasnoyarsk/Russia), Green Cross Society (Lviv/Ukraine)

Youths from Cologne, Russia and Ukraine together travel to Wissen an der Sieg. The concept of the workcamp: Youths from three countries will, distant to possible conflicts at home, create an environment where they want to experience exciting holidays — and will also overcome boundaries in their minds. They will do practical work at a youth education centre and a high ropes course. A highlight of the common activities will be a boating tour on river Sieg — in a boat from birch bark, which the youths themselves have built.

 

 

Camp 11: Civril and Denizli/Turkey, 26th July to 9th August 2015
Inter-City: Urban Street Art between Diversity and Sustainability
Project partners: Youth department of the City of Bochum (Bochum/Germany), DVOC Youth Organization (Donji Vakuf/Bosnia and Herzegovina), Green Civil Youth Group (Civril/Turkey)

The workcamp travels and asks questions of diversity and sustainability at the location. In Civril, the participants will develop a kind of Street Art Show together, and design the ewoca³ truck, which will work as a mobile stage. Afterwards, the will drive to the rural region in between Denizli and Izmir. Following an activity plan developed before, they will realise small sustainable projects at the villages and larger municipalities and perform the Street Art Show they developed on the ewoca³ truck. In this context, they will get into contact with the population. Finally, the complete project will be presented in Civril.

 

 

Camp 12: Cisterna di Latina/Italy, 30th June to 13th July 2015
Gro-Up — grow up
Project partners: Bochumer Bildungschancen e.V. (Bochum/Germany), Risorsa Europa (Latina/Italy), Fundacja Krzyżowa (Grodziszcze/Poland)

The workcamp will take place on a big farm-ground, which the Italian government confiscated from the Mafia and turned into a non-profit place of encounter. The youths will build a common room, work with recycled materials and set up flower beds on the grounds. In their shared life as a group, they will learn to make pasta by themselves, and create natural cleaning and beauty products. A camp and trekking tour to the Semprevisa mountain is also part of the programme. In total, the participants will deal with group-dynamic processes within the international group. Their own experiences will hereby form the basis, to then reflect on the social, economic and ecological dimensions of Education for sustainable development.