Our holiday camps for children and young people are a source of exciting experiences and enduring memories. Well-trained camp leaders are vital to ensuring that all participants remember their time fondly. Here is a brief look back at this year’s training course.
The Y+S training course, run jointly by the Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA) and the Youth Service of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), took place again over Easter. Y+S stands for Youth and Sport, the federal government scheme to promote sport. Camp leaders for our summer holiday camps are trained at these courses over nine days.
Well-trained camp leadership teams are immensely important to the success of OSA and FYSA summer holiday camps. Specific Y+S criteria apply to anyone offering and running summer holiday camps in Switzerland. One of these criteria is that, for every 12 participants, there must be a competent camp leader who has done the Y+S Camp Sports/Trekking training course. This is because our summer holiday camps fall into the Camp Sports/Trekking sports category.
The primary themes of this year’s training course were: planning and carrying out the programme of camp activities, getting to know the needs of children and young people, and taking responsibility as a camp leader. The course also provided information on specific activities, such as how to plan hikes, read maps, or put up a tent correctly and safely.
There was a lot to take in over a relatively short space of time, so each course day was long – starting at 9 a.m. and rarely ending any time before 10 p.m. This is an intense but unique course, because camp leaders not only get to know the theory but are also able to immediately put what they have learned into practice. For example, all the participants were put in groups. They then planned and performed their own sports activities and prepared and did their own hikes, learning first-hand about relevant opportunities and challenges while having to consider and take necessary precautions.
In addition, prospective camp leaders were invited to think about and discuss other themes such as styles of communication, styles of leadership, and social interaction. We also took an interesting practical look at intercultural awareness and communication, as well as providing tips on how to handle challenging behaviour.
Despite its instructive nature, the course had plenty of that inimitable camping atmosphere. We cooked over a fire every evening, learned lots of new games and spent a night camping outdoors. Sleeping in our tents was the highlight of the trip for many.
Everything that our young camp leaders learned and experienced will stand them in good stead for drawing up camp activities themselves and making sound decisions. Thanks to this year’s course, we now have a new generation of camp leaders who can put their knowledge into practice at our summer holiday camps and provide good support to our team.
Incidentally, it is gratifying to see that our people want to carry on learning. Camp leaders do a refresher course every two years to ensure they retain their Y+S accreditation, and often attend other important training courses.
We at the Youth Service of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) want to respond to the needs and wishes of young Swiss Abroad more effectively, which is why we are now conducting a questionnaire about our activities and offers. In doing so, we want to help young expatriates to think about and strengthen their connection to Switzerland. We would be delighted if you could take 15 minutes of your time to fill in the questionnaire. This survey is dedicated primarily to young people aged 15 to 25, as well as adults that know young Swiss Abroad who are interested in what we offer.
FABIENNE STOCKER, OSA YOUTH SERVICE
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