ICYE Switzerland National Profile 2019/2020
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ICYE Switzerland National Profile 2019/2020 Willkommen in der Schweiz Bienvenue en Suisse Benvenuti in Svizzera Beinvegni en Svizra Contents 1. About Switzerland….............................................................................................................. 4 Geography ...................................................................................................................................... 4 State & Politics ............................................................................................................................... 4 The political system of Switzerland, or by its Latin name Confoederatio helvetica (hence the abbreviation CH for Switzerland), knows two main characteristics: .............................................. 4 Languages ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Swiss history in brief ...................................................................................................................... 7 Beginnings .................................................................................................................................. 7 Conversion to Christianity ........................................................................................................... 7 The Founding of the Swiss Confederation ................................................................................... 7 Napoleonic period ...................................................................................................................... 8 The Swiss Constitution and founding of Modern Switzerland ..................................................... 8 Humanitarian tradition .................................................................................................................. 9 Government .................................................................................................................................... 9 Politics ........................................................................................................................................... 9 Current issues ................................................................................................................................. 9 Economy ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Religion ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Sex Roles ...................................................................................................................................... 10 Good to know for ICYE volunteers in Switzerland: .................................................................... 11 Swiss girls & women: ................................................................................................................ 11 Swiss boys & men: .................................................................................................................... 11 Recommended literature ............................................................................................................. 11 ÚO3Switzerland!Û:3Travelers'3accounts, 57 BCE to the present ................................................... 12 2. ICYE Switzerland ................................................................................................................. 14 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 14 General Assembly ......................................................................................................................... 14 The National Board ...................................................................................................................... 14 Swiss voluntary co-workers .......................................................................................................... 15 The Office ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 16 Age Limits ................................................................................................................................. 16 Project placement ..................................................................................................................... 16 The meaning of voluntary work .................................................................................................... 16 Expectations towards volunteers and employers ......................................................................... 17 Priority list.................................................................................................................................... 19 Application procedure .................................................................................................................. 19 4. Camps and other activities during the year ....................................................................... 20 Arrival / Introduction camp.......................................................................................................... 20 German language course ............................................................................................................. 20 Other programme parts ............................................................................................................... 20 Public transport ........................................................................................................................... 21 5. Hosting situations .............................................................................................................. 22 Host families ................................................................................................................................ 22 2 Living in your project ................................................................................................................... 23 6. Application, visa and registration procedure ..................................................................... 24 General remarks ........................................................................................................................... 24 Application and placement procedure ......................................................................................... 24 Residence permit .......................................................................................................................... 25 7. Costs for visa and permits, other costs .............................................................................. 26 8. Health insurance ................................................................................................................ 27 9. What to bring… .................................................................................................................. 28 Priority project list ............................................................................................................. 31 Pocket money pool ............................................................................................................. 31 Conditions and exclusion criteria for ICYE volunteers to Switzerland 2019/2020 ............... 31 Additional insurance coverage ........................................................................................... 31 Priority project list for ICYE volunteers to Switzerland ..................................................................... 32 3 1. About Switzerland… Geography Located almost in the heart of Europe, landlocked between Austria, Germany, France, Italy and Lichtenstein, Switzerland covers an area of 41'288 km2. The country is divided in three main landscape regions: - Pre-Alps & Alps (south): 60% of Switzerland’s3territorĵ - Midlands Ànorth3&3northwestÁ:330%3of3Switzerland’s3territorĵ - Jura mountains ÀnorthwestÁ:310%3of3Switzerland’s3territorĵ Many mountains of the Alps have3altitudes3higher3than32’0003meter3above3sealevel;3the3highest3is3the3 Dufourspitze3with34’6343meter3above3sealevel. Although the Alps are a major attraction for many of tourists both from within and outside of Switzerland, they are scarcely populated and little industrialised. The Midlands are situated north of the Pre-Alps and Alps; they are characterised by hills, lakes and pastureland. The majority of the Swiss population and industries are concentrated in this area. The Jura mountains run in a semicircle around the midlands and have altitudes up to 1'600 meter above sealevel. State & Politics The political system of Switzerland, or by its Latin name Confoederatio helvetica (hence the abbreviation CH for Switzerland), has two main characteristics: Federalism Switzerland is a federal state with a strong autonomy for its individual member states3ÀÚcantonsÛÁ.3Switzerland3counts3263cantons3À173German3speaking,343French3 speaking, 1 Italian speaking, 3 German/French speaking and 1 German/Italian/Rhaeto-Romanic speaking). Those 26 cantons consist of municipalities that in their turn have a strong autonomy within the canton. Direct democracy Swiss citizens have a direct influence by vote on the workings of municipal authorities, cantonal parliaments