Volunteers for Peace (USA)

Netherlands: Discover smiles & stories - Create social activities for children of refugees. (SIW 2025-02)

Dates

26/07/2025 - 09/08/2025

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Fee

USD 495

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Age: 18 - 99

Max number of volunteers: 8

Still room for: 2

Languages: English

Vegetarian food: Yes

Access with disability: Yes

Nearest airport: Amsterdam (AMS)

Nearest bus/train station: Emmen Zuid train station

Map

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.

Accomodation and food

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.

Location and leisure

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)

Project hosted by

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.

Directions to 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.

Additional comments

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.

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.

Germany: Spend Quality Time with Asylum Seekers – Giessen (ICJA2507)

Dates

02/08/2025 - 16/08/2025

Feedback from 134 volunteers

Already accepted volunteers from

Fee

USD 495

Details

Add to backpack

Details on the project

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Age: 18 - 26

Max number of volunteers: 12

Still room for: 1

Languages: English

Vegetarian food: Yes

Nearest airport: Frankfurt (FRA)

Nearest bus/train station: Giessen

Work

Together with the refugees we want to organize common activities, where the women and children are taken into consideration: playing games, doing sports, playing music together, being creative, in short, to have some fun together… Besides organizing games for the kids and special activities for women and men, there is an option to create some scenes in a puppet theatre.
We want also to focus on several groups with special needs like people with disabilities and people from the queer community. In order to cover the needs of each group, a special collaboration is planned. For this purpose, a safe space should be created where the queer community can take part in a cooking evening and cook one dish or several small ones together in the kitchen. Game evenings are planned in the camp for people with disabilities. These ideas can be easily implemented and offer the greatest scope for getting to know each other better.
In addition, our goal is to get in contact with the young people in Giessen to raise greater awareness for the refugees and to break the isolation of the refugees. We will establish contact with institutions and voluntary and professional supporters (students, social workers, therapists) of the asylum seekers, which will help you to understand their background. In order to work with people, it is also important to know some information about how to deal with them. We therefore plan to prepare a preventative protection measure as an introduction and to attend a workshop on the topic of anti-discrimination.
We especially invite volunteers to participate who can speak Kurdish, Turkish, Arabic or Farsi, as well as volunteers who like to make music like drumming or guitar. We want to create this amazing experience where music offers a universal language for everyone.

Accomodation and food

The workcamp will be hosted by a local protestant church that is already involved in working with the refugees for many years. The premises of the church are plentiful, and volunteers will have a lot of space for sleeping, cooking, dining, relaxing, and for indoor and outdoor activities.

Location and leisure

There are plenty of possibilities for leisure time activities: playing football or canoeing as well as possibilities to visit some other cities. (e.g. Marburg, Frankfurt or Heidelberg).

Project hosted by

Since many years now we offer this successful workcamp together with the protestant community center "Petrusgemeinde". The international volunteers are invited to the Asylum Centre for two weeks to take part in the daily life of the refugees. In the study part of the camp, we want to inform about the situation of refugees in Germany and Europe, as well as the current developments in the area of Asylum-policies. We want you to get in contact with the residents of the Asylum Centre so that we can learn about their stories, issues, difficulties and perspectives.
The Asylum Centres for asylum seekers in Hessen are located at the edge of the city Giessen. There are currently around 2 000 asylum-seekers hosted in former army barracks. The refugees are in Germany because of various reasons, e.g. political, ethnic and religious persecution or poverty. Usually, they stay at the facility for few months until a decision has been made about their application. Sometimes they are sent to other centers or to other “safe countries” where they entered the European Union, or to their countries of origin. Most of the people living in the Asylum Centres in Giessen are from Turkey, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Eritrea, Ukraine and Balkan countries: young men, women, children and older people. The asylum seekers live in simple conditions and are not allowed to work or leave the district in which they live. Their permission to stay in Germany often is limited and so is their contact with the locals living in the city.

Additional comments

As this workcamp can only be offered under very special conditions, we unfortunately need a whole list of additional things. We will ask for additional motivation letter in placement process and a self-declaration concerning the children and youth protection. You will need to provide a police record about good conduct as well. We will also need a proof that you are vaccinated against measles. Please bring sleeping bag, a pillow if needed, towels, camping mat, work clothes, bathing suit, music, your talents and something specific from your country.

Projects in backpack

Language spoken

Length of stay

Dates

Feedback from 63 volunteers

Tags

Already accepted volunteers from

Fee

Details on the project

Work

Accomodation and food

Location and leisure

Project hosted by

Directions to meeting point

Additional comments

Requirements

Dates

Feedback from 134 volunteers

Tags

Already accepted volunteers from

Fee

Details on the project

Work

Accomodation and food

Location and leisure

Project hosted by

Additional comments

Sustainable Development Goals