The main objective of workcamps in Palestine is to build a society of justice, peace and human solidarity. They fight against different forms of violence, exploitation and injustice; against all systems of oppression, whether ideological, political, cultural or economic. They support those women and men who want to take their history into their own hands to organise together a responsible and liberal society.

 

Workcamps consist of a group of volunteers working together on a project for a period of 1 to 3 weeks, building a children's playground, painting a youth club, building a village school. This collective living and working experience brings people of various backgrounds in contact with the local population, a feeling of solidarity. Workcamps educate not only the participants but also the local population, with whom the project is organized and who will continue the work started by the volunteers.

Workcamp projects provide services to local communities to carry out tasks that might not otherwise be possible. The work covers a wide variety of domains: social and solidarity activities like working with children, the disabled and regufees, environmental projects, construction of socially useful buildings, such as schools and community centers, cultural projects, such as multi-cultural festivals, and renovation and preservation of local heritage sites. The idea is not only to help during the period of the camp but also to encourage and stimulate local projects to continue and develop further after the camp.

This also provides a way to get involved with social change and improvements in their societies, at home and abroad. By raising questions, creating contacts, dismounting prejudices, it permits people to be active together, in order to promote justice and mutual understanding and to show solidarity.

Meeting and living together breaks down barriers between volunteers, thus contributing to international and intercultural understanding. Volunteers can discover not only much about others, but also a lot about themselves. A democratic way of functioning within the goup is chosen, in order to enable young volunteers to take responsibilities and initiatives and is essential in order to encourage real teamwork. Contact with the local community is very important and allows local inhabitants to meet other cultures and become aware of international issues. Workcamps are an unique way to meet local people and to really discover an area not readily accessible to mere tourists.

Volunteers inscribe themselves individually, offering their services to work on the project of their choice. In most cases they do not receive pocket money or a salary. Travel expenses to and from a workcamp are covered by the volunteers themselves, who also have to pay a registration fee.

International workcamps are open to people of 18 years and over. In general, they do not require any particular skill. The emphasis is on participation in a project in the spirit of international cooperation, in which each person works to his or her own capacity. Workcamps provide an unique opportunity for people of different nationalities, age, social, cultural and religious backgrounds to live, work and cooperate.

There is a network of exchanges mainly during the summer months when thousands of volunteers cross borders, do useful work and make new friends. Volunteers are normally recruited through a volunteers association in their own country which then arranges the placement to a partner organization in the receiving country.

Nashama
PO Box 987
Nablus
Palestine

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