This is how one summer camp participant responded when asked about the highlight. Many others gave similar answers.
Every summer, Swiss children and young people from around the world meet to explore their second home country and make friends from around the world while taking part in hikes and excursions, and playing sports and games.
The camps of the Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA) and the Youth Service of the OSA connect young Swiss people with one another and with Switzerland. In the company of motivated camp leaders they have an opportunity to broaden their horizons, learn about Swiss traditions and history, participate in sports and make friends. As a result, Switzerland starts to mean more to the participants than family ties and citizenship. It becomes a real part of their identity, their personal story and their circle of friends.
Our camps are diverse and intensive: overnight stays in self-constructed tent camps, hikes, sport competitions, games days, outdoor games, swimming and orienteering are a major part of the sporting programme. The learning-based programme consists of museum visits, excursions to nature reserves and installations from the Second World War, as well as camp debates. The overall focus is on having fun and being together. This ensures a wealth of unforgettable moments for everyone.
The FYSA and the OSA aim to enable all Swiss children living abroad to take part in at least one camp. This is made possible through donations to both organisations by readers of the “Review”. Your donations help financially disadvantaged families to pay the camp and travel costs. If you would like to make a donation, please contact youth@aso.ch (for the OSA youth camp) or info@sjas.ch (for the FYSA children’s camp).
Our camps simply could not happen without the help of our many volunteers. Around 160 camp leaders and 30 guest families take part every year. Our camp leaders are well prepared for the camps thanks to our annual training courses, and they organise the camps according to the Youth + Sport guidelines of the Federal Office of Sport.
From the end of June to the end of August 2020, Swiss children living abroad can have a fantastic time with around 40 other children from all over the world while also discovering Switzerland and its culture at summer camps lasting two weeks. Registration for the summer camps will begin on 6 January 2020. The summer camps 2020 will take place on the following dates:
Sat. 27.6.–Fri. 10.7.2020 Sat. 11.7.–Fri. 24.7.2020
Sat. 25.7.–Fri. 07.8.2020 Sat. 08.8.–Fri. 21.8.2020
The exact details of the various offers (locations, age groups, etc.) will be available from the middle of December 2019 at: www.sjas.ch/en. We would also be pleased to send you our information brochure with an overview of the offers available by post on request. The registration deadline is 15 March 2020.
Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA), Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. +41 31 356 61 16, Fax +41 31 356 61 01, Email: info@sjas.ch / www.sjas.ch
Next summer, the Youth Service of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad is running language and holiday camps for young Swiss Abroad aged 15 or over. More information about the camps will be available from 6 January 2020 at www.swisscommunity.org/en/youth/youth-offers.
Our schedule at a glance:
11.7.–24.7.2020 Sports camp 1 and Swiss Challenge
25.7.–07.8.2020 Sports camp 2
08.8.–23.8.2020 Language, sports and holiday camp
We will also be happy to post you our information brochure including the schedule of events on request. The registration deadline is 15 March 2020.
Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), Youth Service, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne, Switzerland; tel.: +41 31 356 61 24; fax: +41 31 356 61 01; email: youth@aso.ch / www.swisscommunity.org/en/youth/youth-offers
The Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA) is an independent organisation recognised by the ZEWO foundation. The FYSA’s target group are children aged eight to 14. The Youth Service is a department of the OSA which organises leisure, educational and political activities for young people aged 15 and over. Both organisations work independently of one another, have their own websites and registration procedures, but they cooperate closely.
This summer, the FYSA organised nine children’s holiday camps for a total of 340 children from more than 70 countries. The Youth Service organised four youth camps, three language courses and several host family stays. In all, 200 young people from more than 60 countries took advantage of these offers.
Comments