UNESCO International Youth

Camp

“The Volunteer Spirit”

August 2005

Organizers: UNESCO Center for Women and Peace in the Balkan Countries

Local Coordinators:
Center for Promotion of Education, Ferizaj, Kosova
TWI for Children, Inc, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Place: Agios Nikolaos, in Halkidiki , Greece

Date: August 25 - September 1, 2005

Introduction:

The UNESCO Center for Women and Peace in the Balkan Countries, with the support of the Hellenic Parliament and of the Hellenic General Secretariat for Younger Generations, organized the Fourth International Youth Summer Camp for children of both sexes, aged 12-15 years, on the theme "The volunteer spirit". Participants from countries bordering the Mediterranean and the Black Sea participated.

The main goals of the project were the promotion of the dialogue among youth coming from various cultural environments, the stimulation of their interest in voluntary action, as well as the support to the harmonious development of their personality (especially, their sense of responsibility and solidarity, their commitment to the noble ideals of the United Nations).

The Camp:

The organizer, UNESCO Center for Women and Peace in the Balkan Countries, has a long and successful history of initiatives benefiting younger generations. Camps for children of various ages and from as many as 30 countries are always included in its yearly program of activities.

At the beginning of the nineties, over the period of political turmoil and economic hardships in the Balkans, the Center focused mainly on organizing camps for children from conflict regions, as well as from countries challenged with painful transitions towards market economy. The young participants, many of which were orphans or came from families disorganized by the murderous conflicts, were offered excellent holidays, restoring for their physical condition, and with positive educational effects. The programs were adapted to the specific age of the participants as well as to the cultural background of the groups. They ascertained the importance of good relationships and of team work, they demonstrated the advantages of an open dialogue even on the most delicate matters and encouraged the participants from various countries to collaborate with the other groups on common activities.

In 2001 and 2002, two Youth Creative Camps were organized successfully. In the first year, 185 children, aged 12 – 14 years, attended the program, while the next year, in 2002, 215 children, aged 12-15 years, from fourteen Mediterranean and the Black Sea countries applied for participation.  They came from Albania , Algeria , Azerbaijan , Bulgaria , Croatia , FYROM, Georgia , Greece , Libya , Romania , Russia , Turkey , Ukraine and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . Adult monitors, both from Greece and from the participating countries supervised the program.

The project promoted the creative natural gifts of the participants and  encouraged  intercultural dialogue, thus supporting the program of UNESCO for the decade of the culture of peace. Both events offered excellent conditions for an active dissemination of  noble principles and ideals of the United Nations aiming at preserving peace, at encouraging friendship, mutual respect and good understanding.

In 2004, the International Youth Camp with the theme "The Mental Map" was hosted at the "Happy Days" Camp, in Vatopedi Halkidikis, between August 27 - September 3. The coalition of partners included UNESCO Center for Women and Peace in the Balkan Countries, the Hellenic General Secretariat for Younger Generations (financing agency) and UNESCO Youth Section. The participants were 112 young people from eight countries:         ( Albania , Bosnia & Herzegovina , Bulgaria , the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia , Greece , Romania , Serbia & Montenegro , and Turkey ).

The project promoted and facilitated  inter-cultural dialogue, and  helped the participants to get a global view of their way towards personal success, together with the awareness for the way leading to personal fulfillment.

The agenda of daily activities included besides a variety of leisure and physical fitness programs, multi-cultural programs ("national evenings" and opening of  national stands), alongside with pedagogical workshops developed in collaboration with UNESCO, on the topics of mental qualities, excellence and moral values.

The project succeeded in providing the attendees with a valuable mental tool, helping them to get a clearer perspective of their work, motivating them better, conferring a deeper meaning to their efforts. At the same time, the project offered the opportunity for improved communication among Balkan young people, opening bridges among the countries of the region and initiating bonds of friendship and future collaboration.   

Aims and Objectives:

( a ) increasing the awareness of younger generations for  volunteer activities, through a deeper perception of the potential for volunteer initiatives within the civil society, as well as through a better understanding of the increasing role that volunteer action is expected to play in our contemporary world,

( b ) promoting and facilitating  inter-cultural dialogue among young people with various cultural backgrounds, based on the respect of the multi-cultural variety in the Mediterranean and Balkan regions, and supportive of the fight against ethnic prejudices, 

( c ) enabling  participants to become familiar with each other, encouraging team work, promoting an open and constructive dialogue on issues of general significance for young people like peace, faith, commitment in action, friendship and collaboration on common targets, the measure of actual success and failure, etc.,

( d ) establishing a continuous and hopefully lasting system of exchanges among participants from various countries, encouraging increased proneness to believe in and to rely on trans-border solidarity, in preparation of their future activity as leaders in volunteer work.

Participation of Kosovar and Bosnian children in the camp:

The non-governmental organization Centre for Promotion of Education (QPEA), based in Ferizaj, Kosova, is the responsible organization for selecting and sending 10 children from Kosovo, accompanied by two escorts, to the camp. 

TWI for the Children's partners in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina selected and accompanied children from BiH to the camp.  TWI for the Children, Inc. provided transportation and administrative funding for both groups.  

Typical Day at Camp:

The day started with the ringing of the bell at 8 am signaling that it was the time for everyone to wake up and get ready for breakfast. A second bell 15 minutes later was a communication to call on duty the “marikas” – i.e. the kids that were responsible for setting and cleaning the tables after eating. Before eating there was always a prayer from one of the kids or leaders of a different country and language. After the prayer, we had a 30 minute eating time before the announcements for the day’s activities. At 10 am, all of the kids, boys and girls, in 3 big groups went to either sports fields (soccer, basketball, volleyball etc.), the ropes course, or at the beach for some water activities like beach soccer, canoeing, banana riding, diving and swimming. This went on until noon, when everybody went to the beach for a free time of swimming until the bell rang for leaving the beach, taking showers and getting ready for lunch. A quarter before 2 pm marikas were called and 2 o’clock was the time for lunch. After lunch, the cantina was open for half an hour for kids to get some refreshments. And then until 5 pm, it was siesta time when all kids had to be in their cabins for this time. Of course, this was a time for most of them to go visit each other and play around each others cabins. At 5 there was a snack and then everybody went to the beach again for some more water activities like swimming, canoeing and banana riding. At 7:30 was dinner time, and the time left from dinner to the start of the daily evening program was a free time. Nine o’clock was a time when everybody was supposed to be at the small theater for the national nights. This was the presentation of three different countries each night. After the program, all were asked to go back to their cabins, sleep and get some rest for the next day’s activities. Well, some did sleep soon after but most didn’t. I guess that is the way some get some free time to talk, shout and sing, and run around…

  Messages from the Bosnian Team:

     "The mission impossible now seems to be possible. We have just got the collective visas for all involved, and kids are  coming  to Sarajevo from different cities. We start in the morning (23 August 2005) to get as far as possible in the daylight. 

    It was really almost hopeless when we first started, but things were developing quickly with many surprises. It was still  holiday time and schools were closed, so we depended on some of the mobile phones of the principals.

   
     Principals from our TWI summer camp schools helped us a lot, and also the test from last year. This time we have a balanced mixture of kids from different regions, entities, and of different backgrounds. Teens from different areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina traveled together from Sarajevo, like 2 girls from Trebinje and Mostar (Serb and Bosniaque), and two girls from Gradacac and Orasje (Bosniaque and Croat). So the building relationships has already begun. We should all be proud of bringing so many young people living together.

GREECE, SUMMER OF 2005

Reflections, by Pekmez Zijad

To begin with, Greece is a beautiful country and as I heard from the locals we were lucky enough to be situated in a camp which is made on one of the most beautiful seaside locations in Greece.  Hospitality and accommodations were on a high level. Welcoming was rather rigid and official comparing it with the one we are use to prepare for any foreign citizens in our country. Although we can say it's in part due to a great number of people arriving and to high temperature at noon.

Girls up, boys down!

The cabins for boys were located right above the sea, while the girls were sleeping "in the clouds" on the highest spot of the camp!, which was probably a reasonable thing to do considering the age of the participants (teenagers). On the other hand it was a pretty unusual experience for us since we are not use to that kind of order in our country.

The children were wonderful and it was a real pleasure from the beginning to watch and feel the communication between children of so many different cultural backgrounds walking and enjoying each other on Greece ground. There are thousands of  wonderful examples I can tell you about unconditional friendship among these silly youngsters.  I will point out one situation which I will never forget.

Cabin no 12

I was blessed with 12 wonderful boys from Greece, Serbia, Romania, Egypt, Turkey, Macedonia and Bosnia. I was a father, brother and a friend for a ten-day period. At the same time I was happy and sad. Happy because I felt like I was a child again and because I was able to help so many intelligent young men by sharing experiences and helping them with their typical teenage problems which are most often (unfortunately) not discussed with their parents.

Wonderful example:

The Egyptian boys were very traditional and religious. Considering that they were praying 5 times a day. They were usually doing that on a rather messy and sandy terrace, which didn't seem to disturb them. George, the boy from Greece was carefully watching them in silence almost every time they took a bow. One morning some strange sound from the terrace woke me up, and it was George: he was cleaning the terrace just before a morning prayer. He was doing that very quietly, making sure not to awake anyone. I didn't let him know that I saw him and I went back to sleep.

Although there were wonderful situations among children, I witnessed, I can  say I saw twice as many awful ones among the older people! It seemed that some of the people involved in the camp forgot that their purpose of participation in camp was primarily for children's sake, and they let their closed minded  thinking and ignorant behavior to create a rather unpleasant climate for some of the participants.

 List of Bosnian team members who took part in the UNESCO International 
 Youth Summer Camp 2005, Halkidiki Greece


1. Vjekoslav Saje: TWI for the Children, coordinator Sarajevo

2. Amina: escort Ilidza-Sarajevo

3. Zijad: escort Sarajevo

4. Hamdo:  driver Ilidza-Sarajevo 

5. Isidora:  student Trebinje

6. Edis:  student Sarajevo

7. Lejla:  student Mostar

8. Marija:  student Orasje GK Tuzla

9. Adnan:  student Ilidza-Sarajevo 

10. Petar:  student Banja Luka

11. Nina: student Sarajevo

12. Lejla:  student Gradacac

13. Sanja:  student Sarajevo

14. Gorana:  student Nova Bila-Travnik "

The camp gave the youth an opportunity to meet many teens of other cultures and nations of the region. This contributes to the development of democracy and to the inter-ethnic and social stability of the region. In addition, the camp helped teens to get a global view of the way to  excellence and personal success, empowering youth to become agents for activation of youth for the benefit of their communities and in caring activities for people.

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Updated: 10/24/2005