General Information
What is work camp?
Work camp is a place, where people from different nationalities, different ideology and religious live and work together as volunteers for period from two to four weeks.
It is a community-building projects in which a group of both Moroccan and international volunteers come together to organize youth camp activities, help replenish the local rainforest, or work on similar such projects.
The work camp offers you the unique experience of living in as a group. It is the common wish of all camp members to be useful and helpful in one or the other way.
Volunteers live and learn together in simple conditions. They work voluntarily, mainly by manual labour, for the benefit of the community.
During the work camp you communicate and work with local people, you can get acquainted with their culture and habits. You are the volunteers who popularise tolerance and understanding trough the work. This is the work camp and it works well!
Most workcamps consist of 10 – 20 participants from a variety of countries and they generally occur during the summer months. The participants live by local standards and with as much contact with the local people as possible. The camps are facilitated by either one or two camp leaders but are run by the principles of communal living, group decision making, equal participation and collective problem solving.
The people Who are Interested in The Fields Of:
-Sociology, physiology and pedagogic –have the priority to participate in the social work camps.
- Ecology, biology and geographic – environmental work camps.
-Archaeology and architecture - renovation and reconstruction of cultural and historical monuments.
Short camp work
Short Work camps can be a good introduction to the voluntary experience for some people. The group atmosphere offers a lot of protection; the young person is almost never left on their own. Group life can be quite dynamic, and the young person will certainly be exposed to a variety of different cultures and languages. Another advantage to the work camps is their short duration. Young people do not have to make long-term commitments to be able to take part.
Types of Workcamps:
The camps can vary from physical labour to more educational tasks and many also involve a study component . The camps are aimed to address the following issues:
-Environmental project: planting trees, -forestations - renewed energy solar and wind energy biological agriculture cleaning create green spaces, etc
- Monument project : restoration of historical monuments - cleaning walls.
- Constructional project: schools, toilets, renovating castles, converting farms into youth centres, etc.
-Social project :work with disabled people, integration and orientation of perverted and corrupted young people. Reinforcing of some social works devoting to the elimination of ignorance and illiteracy and also to the integration of physical disabled people in society.
-Arts Planning arts projects: renovating open-air museum etc. offering courses of consolidation and reinforcement for students who are bad at different matters.
-Educational and cultural project: Teaching foreign languages such as English, Spanish, German, Arabic -Cultural games and competitions. Organizing festivals, celebrations, events etc
What are the aims of voluntary workcamps:
To organize and run voluntary work camps in Morocco, either independently or in collaboration with other voluntary organizations or government ministries.
To gather together all those interested in voluntary work camps either as active campers or as sympathizers. Campers work.
To help poor communities to do work which they would otherwise be unable to do themselves.
To further intercultural and interracial understanding by inviting people from abroad to work camps in Morocco and by sponsoring Moroccan to go to work camps abroad.
Who can apply in YACD Work camps ?
In general everyone from a minimum age of 18 can apply to be a volunteer in Youth Work camps . Nobody will be excluded because of sex, age, race, religion or ideology. But in order to have a successful exchange we try to check carefully the expectations and motivations of the applicant.
Do I need any experience or skills to participate?
Most camps do not require any specific skills or experience. Sometimes special motivation letter is needed, but this is mentioned in the camp description.
We are looking for really motivated volunteers who will be open-minded and ready to get involved in a variety of activities aiming to support intercultural learning.
What volunteers gain?
Volunteers gain more than just job satisfaction from working for YACD. Though the experience of seeing young people growing and developing as they experience a different culture can be very fulfilling. Volunteering for YACD gives professionals a chance to use their work skills in the voluntary sector to promote intercultural learning. But volunteering also offers people a chance to do something new and to gain new skills and experience which may prove to be invaluable later in their own work.
Finally, volunteering for YACD offers volunteers a chance to meet like minded people and to make new friends not only in Morocco but around the World.
Are work camps organized the whole year?
Well, nearly There are 3 seasons or cycles of work camps ,summer, winter and spring.
The summer period starts in June and ends at the end of October,
The winter start in the first week of December to the end of January.
The spring period starts in march and ends in may.
How long does the workcamp last?
The camps vary in length from around 2 to 4 weeks. Volunteers are encouraged to stay for duration of the work camp, and most usually do. However, the minimum requirement for volunteers is 10 days. There are also a few weekend camps, in which only 1 or 2 days are spent working.
Housing/Accommodations
As a general rule, simple accommodation is sufficient, it is dry and clean. It can be youth canters, public halls, farms, schools and sometimes tents or temples!. One of the prime motivations for many volunteers is the chance to interact with their fellow volunteers from different cultures as well as our community.
For that reason, the housing allow for the volunteers to live together rather than to be spread out in the community. A physical space where the volunteers can gather for group meetings is essential to the development of the work camp’s unity. Toilets, washing facilities, and a sleeping area are available. Sometimes tents can be used for sleeping especially in summer.
Costs Policy:
Our policy is to keep the costs of a workcamp to a minimum in order to make it as easy as possible for a young person to join in.
Transportation,& Food:
The volunteers in our work camp will be arranging their own transportation to the work camp. So you pay your own transport .In many cases, Volunteers cook in turns. Enjoy the tastes from over the world!
Language & Free time:
The common language is English and French in many work camps though you had better to try local languages. If ability in a certain language is required, it will be mentioned in the camp description.
In some work camps, the hosts or the volunteers organize discussions, excursions, exchange parties with local people, school visit and sports programs etc. It is very important to note that work camps should be made by all volunteers with local people.Volunteers are not guests!
cultural activities :
Also our volunteers will have the opportunity to take part in different festivals and in new types of projects .
In most of the work camps some informal language classes will be students or pupils, in order to facilitate the interaction with the organized with locals and also to give more chance to the international volunteers to learn a bit of Arabic. Also the international volunteers will give some basic knowledge of their language to the locals.
Social and Leisure Time Conditions:
A volunteer abroad usually has a minimum of 4-6 hours of free time per day. This may appear attractive at first glance, but what is seen as free time by a working person is actually empty time for a volunteer. Experience has shown that the volunteer can quickly become bored and suffer from having so much time on their hands. With so much time to fill 7 days a week, we offer you many activities and things to do.
Tourist activities:
These are the first things that come to mind when speaking about free time. Volunteers will probably be interested to visit some local art galleries or museums, see the sights, get to know the local countryside/seaside, etc. But bear in mind that these activities are not always free (entrance tickets, bus tickets, etc.). Even the most serious museum freak will reach their saturation point after a certain number of visits.
After work:
The work is usually done before 13 o'clock PM. so that afternoons are free for various trips, dancing, sports, or other leisure activities. In the evenings, each camp arranges its own program of leisure activities, including discussions, Moroccan dances, games, and Moroccan singing. Some evenings each week are also left free. On some weekends, excursions are also planned to various local attractions.
Getting involved :
If you are interested in assisting and would like to participate with the volunteer team full the application form for volunteers. We are interested in involving you as a volunteer with YACD.
People outside the organisation can offer a valuable perspective and help the organisation to grow in a positive way.
Insurance :
YACD strongly recommends that volunteers obtain their own comprehensive insurance coverage before leaving their own country .
The YACD insurance scheme provides cover only for volunteers in cases of illness, accidents or death for the duration of the camp for all our workcamps.
Volunteer cancels:
- If the volunteer cancels after their application has been submitted to the host organisation but before being accepted, the Application Fee, minus an administration fee of 25% will be refunded.
If the volunteer cancels after being accepted into a work camp:
- Giving notice more than 4 weeks before the workcamp start date - 50% of the Application Fee will be refunded
- Giving notice less than 4 weeks before the workcamp start date - no refund of Application Fee
Situations will be reviewed on a case by case basis, if extraordinary circumstances can be established.
We are looking for sponsors!
Since our non-profit work costs a lot of money, we are looking for sponsors who support our work! With your funding or contribution you do not simply support our organization, but mainly our projects. You also contribute to the education of the youth, to the understanding among the youth and to the reputation of our country abroad!
You will, of course, get a receipt for your donation or contribution which is tax deductible!