Summer Camps
Every summer, international encounter projects take place in which people get involved in practical activities and at the same time engage in historical and cultural exchange. Two weeks of working, learning and experiencing history: ASF summer camps support Jewish communities in Europe, help at memorial sites or get involved in social and political projects. People aged 18-99 live and work together at the international summer camps. They exchange information about the history of the project location and the current situation in the country.
We will publish our programme for 2025 end of January.
What is an ASF summer camp?
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Two weeks of practical work, learning and experiencing history: Participants in the ASF summer camps support Jewish communities, help out at memorial sites and get involved in social, creative and political projects throughout Europe. People aged 18 to 99 live and work together at the international summer camps. They discuss the history of the project location and the current situation in the country.
Practical activities
Painting, gardening, building, archiving, researching, creative work and many other activities are carried out at the summer camps. Whether with or without previous experience – we believe that everyone can get involved. By working together, the participants show that international understanding across borders is possible and important. They take responsibility for current social developments and set an example for tolerance and democracy.
On the trail of history
Education and travelling belong together. Summer camps not only offer the opportunity to volunteer, but also to get to know other countries and cultures. Therefore, learning about the place and country in which the project takes place is part of every ASF summer camp. Each summer camp is centred around a particular theme that the participants engage with beyond the practical activities. This thematic exploration is the second pillar of the summer camps and offers a great deal of variety: excursions, exhibition visits, discussions with contemporary witnesses, workshops and much more.
Target groups
Regardless of the specific project and practical activity, we want to facilitate encounters between people of different cultural, ideological and social backgrounds. By talking to each other, we can experience the diversity that international participants bring to the table. The participation of people of different age groups and the exchange between generations at our summer camps is very important to ASF. However, some summer camps are restricted to people aged 18 to 30 or 35 due to funding conditions. With the summer camps for over 40s and intergenerational projects, we would particularly like to appeal to those volunteers who would like to get involved in a non-(only) youth group and experience history on site.
For questions and suggestions about the summer camps:
Philipp Ziems
Administrator for International Summer Camps
E-Mail: sommer[at]asf-ev.de
E-Mail: ziems[at]asf-ev.de
Phone: +49 30 28395-220
Fax: +49 30 28395-135
What do I do at summer camp?
Initiatives for democratic action, art and cultural projects, renovation work, research and archive work: the summer camp programme is as colourful as its participants are diverse.
Many of the former concentration camps and work camps where people were imprisoned, tortured and murdered for ethnic, religious or political reasons during the Nazi era have been established as memorial sites today.
Part of our summer camp programme involves engaging in projects to help preserve and develop these historical sites, in particular the smaller, lesser known ones. Maintenance tasks include technical work and renovating, painting doors, weeding and creating memorial paths.
Another important area of work is the archival and historical research that is conducted to document individual experiences in the camps and develop prisoner biographies. This provides volunteers with an opportunity to work with original sources and historical artefacts and helps them to learn about the history of the memorial site. Summer camp participants can also become involved in translating brochures and catalogues into an easy-to-understand language for people with learning disabilities.
The work is accompanied by workshops and excursions related to the areas that participants focus on in their work. This allows the participants to not only look into the history of their own country, but to also have the chance to discuss issues such as right-wing extremism, exclusion, racism and coming to terms with history in an international context with other participants. These discussions are supported by excursions to other memorial sites, concentration camps and religious places. Most volunteers highly value the experience of meeting a survivor. The personal recollections about life in the camp make the site and its history more comprehensible to the participants.
Past and present-day Europe could not be imaginable without the cultural legacy of the Jewish community and the mutual exchange between Jews and non-Jews. The Nazi obsession with race and extermination succeeded in almost completely eradicating Jewish life in Europe. In the summer camps we commemorate the people who were torn from the middle of Europe and we search for traces of European Judaism’s cultural diversity.
Literature, music, art, religion, politics and research: In all areas of life we encounter traces of Jewish culture and creativity in Europe. Almost eighty percent of the Jewish population worldwide has its roots in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
With our work in the summer projects we want to support the present, often small, Jewish communities that have been able to preserve their cultural legacy. For this reason the participants often work at Jewish cemeteries, clearing old paths, cleaning gravestones, removing weeds and helping to make the cemetery into a venerable place of remembrance. Jewish cemeteries continue to be vandalized still today. Our efforts against vandalism are an attempt to honour the people who have found a resting place in these graveyards. We also want to help those who are no longer able to care for the grave of their parents or grandparents, either because they were forced to leave the country or were murdered by the Nazis. Both young and older participants take a stance against anti-Semitism and racism.
Our work is not limited to commemoration. We also try to establish a lively exchange between Jewish and non-Jewish participants and project partners. Often groups are able to observe a Sabbath service and engage in intense talks about religion, current Judaism, everyday life, art and music and much more.
Each summer camp is unique. No single programme heading could possible characterize or unify all the areas of work covered by the many diverse programmes offered by ARSP. Many are based on creative ideas for peace and reconciliation work and bring together different fields of work. Hence we invite you to read about the individual programs and summer camps under the general heading “other projects.”
What does Summer Camp for people over 40 mean?
With the summer camps for people over 40 we would like to address especially those volunteers who like to work in a non-youth group and experience history(s) on site. In general, however, we understand the work in the ASF peace services as an open offer for people of every generation. Members of this generation can register for all other projects as well as younger interested people can support the summer camps for people over 40. For the participation in a summer camp for people over 40, however, the registrations of older participants will be considered preferentially.
With the summer camps for people over 40 we would like to address especially those volunteers who like to work in a non-youth group and experience history(s) on site. In general, however, we understand the work in the ASF peace services as an open offer for people of every generation. Members of this generation can register for all other projects as well as younger interested people can support the summer camps for people over 40. For the participation in a summer camp for people over 40, however, the registrations of older participants will be considered preferentially.
Who can participate?
Everyone can participate who is able to do the physical work in the one to two week projects and enjoys dealing with the culture, history and current situation in the respective summer camp country. The amount of work varies from summer camp to summer camp and is usually 5-6 hours.
How does the registration work?
Registration for the summer camps for people over 40 began in April 2023. Initially, all registrations are collected. Upon acceptance for a summer camp, the International Summer Camps Office sends out an email asking for payment of the participation fee. The team leaders of the summer camps will then contact the participants and inform them about the current status of the planning.
What does the participation cost?
For the participation, including meals, program and accommodation we ask for a contribution according to the information in the section costs. We will be happy to advise participants on booking their travel to and from the event, but we cannot assume the costs for this.
Impressions
Program
The programme for 2025 is now set! You can find an initial overview here. Detailed information on the summer camps will follow at the end of February, and online registration will go live in March.
Summer camp in Berlin, Germany
27.07. – 09.08.2025
The ASF summer camp takes place in cooperation with the International Youth Meeting Centre of the Documentation Centre for Nazi Forced Labour in Berlin Schöneweide. The project focuses on the preparation of a photo exhibition on the topic of Nazi forced labour and a search for traces at former camp and production sites in Berlin-Schöneweide and the surrounding area.
Summer camp in Weimar-Buchenwald, Germany
20.07-02.08.2025
Buchenwald is a place with a complex and ambiguous history. The participants of the summer camp will be guided through this history in depth and help to shape memory through practical work on the maintenance and preservation of the Buchenwald Railway Commemorative Path.
Summer camp in Osnabrück, Germany
17.08.-24.08.2025
At the site of the ‘Work education camp Ohrbeck’, a Gestapo concentration camp, participants will learn about the fate of the prisoners and the history of the site through excavations on the former camp grounds under the expert guidance of staff from the Augustaschacht Memorial.
Summer camp in Joniškis, Lithuania
3.08.-11.08.2025
The aim of the summer camp is to preserve the town’s Jewish heritage and prepare information and material for the inventory of the local Jewish cemetery. Excursions on the topic of Jewish history in Lithuania are also planned.
Summer camp in Višķi, Latvia
4.08.-13.08.2025
Višķi, a village near Daugavpils in south-east Latvia, was once a typical Jewish shtetl. Today, the ruins of the synagogue and the cemetery bear witness to this heritage. Participants work at the old cemetery. The project sensitises young people to Latvia’s Jewish history and promotes intercultural exchange.
Summer camp in Rostock, Germany
14.09. – 21.09.2025
The summer camp is organised in cooperation with the “Lichtenhagen in Memory” documentation centre. The focus will be on dealing with the racist pogrom in Rostock-Lichtenhagen in 1992 in the form of archive work and thematic workshops. The Rostock-Lichtenhagen summer camp will take place for the first time in 2024.
Summer camp in Oświęcim, Poland
10.08-16.08.2025
At the summer camp, the participants will be intensively involved with the history of the Auschwitz camp complex. Other aspects of the camp’s history are also examined, such as the connection between the German ‘Musterstadt’ of Auschwitz and the camp, as well as the role of German industry, in particular IG Farben, with its own Auschwitz-Monowitz camp.
Summer Camp in Wrocław, Poland
Date to be clarified
The Jewish cemetery in Wrocław needs many helpers to restore it. After regular summer camps have taken place in recent years, the work will continue this year in an intergenerational group.
The summer camp is primarily aimed at people aged 40 and over, but is open to all interested adults.
Summer Camp in Mikulov, Czech Republic
Date to be clarified
The summer camp will take place in Mikulov, near the Austrian border, in cooperation with the Jewish community in Brno. Participants will actively help to clear ivy and cut back the vegetation in the extensive Jewish cemetery. The summer camp is primarily aimed at people aged 40 and over, but is open to all interested adults.
Summer camp in Hodonin u Kunštátu und Brno, Czech Republic
21.07. – 29.07.2025
The summer camp aims to give participants a deeper understanding of places of remembrance and gaps in the culture of remembrance with a focus on the history of the Sinti* and Roma*. At the Museum of Roma Culture and through workshops and guided tours in Brno, participants will gain insights into the history of the Roma and the challenges facing the community today. At the Hodonín u Kunštátu memorial site, participants will gain further insights into the topic and have the opportunity to carry out practical work on the site.
Registration and Costs
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Thank you for your interest in the ASF summer camps. We are currently working on the program for summer 2025. Registration for the summer camps will open in March 2025.
Your financial contribution to the summer camp
Participation fees staggered according to country of origin:
- Germany, Western, Northern and Southern Europe, North America, Israel: 160 euros reduced/ 190 euros without reduction.
- Baltic States, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary, Central and South America: 100 euros reduced/ 130 euros without reduction.
- Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, other Eastern and South-Eastern European countries: 80 euros reduced/ 110 euros without reduction.
Reductions apply for low earners and people without a fixed income. For some projects, the contributions may vary depending on the project type and project location. We will draw attention to this in the announcement for the summer camp.
If you cannot afford the participation fee – or not in full – please contact ASF. We will check your enquiry and try to make it possible for you to take part in a summer camp.
What other costs will you incur?
Individual arrival and departure
The summer camps begin and end on the specified dates. Travelling costs to the project location and expenses for obtaining visas are borne by the participants themselves. Where possible, we endeavour to include travel information and tips on how to travel to the summer camp location at a reasonable price with the project announcements. In any case, your own research is important!
Insurance policies
We take out accident and liability insurance for all participants.
For non-German participants, we also take out health insurance if they are attending a summer camp outside their home country. As proof of health insurance must be presented when applying for a visa, we recommend that you also take out personal private travel health insurance to avoid problems when entering the country.
All German participants must take out their own travel health insurance. Information is provided by the health insurance companies.
Private expenses/pocket money
ASF bears the costs for practical and content-related work and leisure activities. Please remember to bring enough pocket money for private expenses.
Cancellation policy
If you have to cancel your participation for unforeseen reasons, please inform us as soon as possible. If we receive your cancellation up to 5 weeks before the start of the camp, ASF will refund 80% of the participation fee. In the event of a later cancellation, no refund will be made, as places can usually not be filled within such a short time and ASF will incur costs due to already booked accommodation etc.
FAQ
Whether it’s registration, visas, accommodation or catering: Here you will find answers to FAQs – frequently asked questions – about the summer camps.
Registration
Who can take part?
All people aged 18 and over from Germany and abroad. There are two summer camps per year for volunteers of the over-40 generation(s).
Can I also register for two summer camps?
Yes, also for others. But unfortunately we cannot grant a discount.
Can I also register other people for the summer camp?
We would be delighted if you told your friends, family and acquaintances about the summer camps. However, enrolment is a personal decision. We therefore only accept individual registrations and not group registrations.
What happens if there are no more free places in my favourite projects?
In this case, you have the option of being placed on the waiting list. If there are still places available, we will inform you immediately. Alternatively, you can also choose other summer camps.
Is there a deadline for registering for the summer camp?
Registration begins with the publication of the full programme. Registrations are also possible at short notice, provided there are still enough places available. This only does not apply if a visa is required for the country of travel, as it usually takes a few days for ASF to issue the invitation and for participants to apply for a visa.
What happens if I have to cancel my participation?
If you have to cancel your participation for unforeseen reasons, please inform us as soon as possible. If we receive your cancellation up to 5 weeks before the start of the camp, ASF will refund 80% of the participation fee. In the event of a later cancellation, no refund will be made, as places can usually not be filled within such a short time and ASF will incur costs due to already booked accommodation etc.
Your participation in the summer camp is of great importance. Please bear in mind that your cancellation may have an impact on the planning and implementation of the project, as well as on those who are counting on your support on site.
Things to know for the preparation
How good do my foreign language skills need to be?
English is the main language at most summer camps. Some work camps require a good knowledge of German. Summer camps are work and encounter projects! We ask you to pay attention to the camp languages stated in the programme and to complete your application in one of the camp languages.
How do I organise the journey to the summer camp location?
Participants are responsible for their own travel costs, including visas. You organise the arrival and departure individually: The teamers do not coordinate group trips, but provide information on when and where the group will meet for the first and last time. The team leaders can give tips on travelling to and from the event if necessary.
What should I bring to summer camp?
ASF covers most of the expenses on site. Nevertheless, participants must provide their own work clothes, work gloves, sturdy shoes, weatherproof clothing, regular medication, personal hygiene items, adequate sun protection and personal expenses on site. In addition to dictionaries, cooking recipes, musical instruments, songs, books, games and materials, you will need to discuss with the team leaders what you can and should bring with you for your leisure activities.
How does ASF support me in obtaining a visa?
If you need a Schengen visa for a summer camp in Germany, Poland or the Czech Republic, we ask you to send us information from your passport with your application. We need this information to create an invitation. ASF will send the invitation to the home address stated on the registration form. The invitation is accompanied by proof of travel health insurance (only applies to non-German participants).
The invitation takes 1-4 weeks depending on the destination. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist with visa applications for participation in the summer camps in Latvia.
Due to the current situation, we are unfortunately unable to assist participants from Russia with visa applications. Interested parties from Russia require a valid Schengen visa.
Please contact the embassy of the country where the summer camp is taking place with the invitation. We recommend that you make an appointment to apply for a visa at the embassy as soon as possible. The appointment should be about four weeks before the start of the summer camp.
ASF requests in the invitations that a visa be issued free of charge. If the embassy of the respective country does not comply with this request, ASF will unfortunately not be able to cover any costs incurred for issuing the visa. The same applies to expenses for travelling to the embassy or consulate, which must be borne by the participants themselves.
When will I receive more information?
At the latest 4 weeks before the start of the summer camp, you will receive a detailed info mail from the teamers with all the information you need for travelling and packing.
On site at the summer camp
What does the summer camp programme look like?
The summer camps involve four to six hours of practical work per day. The remaining time is used for workshops on historical and political topics and excursions in the surrounding area. There is also enough time for informal group dialogue and reflection. All local programme costs are covered by ASF.
What about insurance?
We take out accident and liability insurance for all participants. For non-German participants, we also take out health insurance if they are attending a summer camp outside their home country. As proof of health insurance must be presented when applying for a visa, we recommend that you also take out personal private travel health insurance to avoid problems when entering the country. All German participants must take out their own travel health insurance. Information is provided by the health insurance companies.
Where will I be accommodated?
Summer camp participants live in simple accommodation, which varies depending on the project country and location. Summer camp participants have already lived in hostels, student residences, monasteries and, rarely, small hotels. Fans of camping holidays also get their money’s worth in some places. You may need your own sleeping bag and sleeping mat. You can find more information about accommodation in the programme description.
What is on the menu?
First and foremost: home-cooked food, as most summer camps are self-catering. The participants plan the course of the programme as a group and jointly distribute necessary tasks such as shopping, washing up, tidying up and cooking.
Team
Who are my local contacts?
Summer camps are supervised by dedicated volunteers. The management teams, also known as teamers, take care of arrangements with the local project partners, maintain contact with the registered summer camp participants and the ASF office in Berlin and develop the programme for your respective project.
How can I contact the summer camp team leaders?
ASF will provide you with the contact details of the team leaders once your participation fee has been received.
How many people are still taking part in the summer camp?
Most summer camps involve 12-15 people. Information on the expected number of participants can be found in the respective project advert.
For questions and suggestions about the summer camps:
Philipp Ziems
Administrator for International Summer Camps
E-Mail: sommer[at]asf-ev.de
E-Mail: ziems[at]asf-ev.de
Phone: +49 30 28395-220
Fax: +49 30 28395-135
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