Abenteuerzentrum im Grunewald (FFA)
Sending Receiving EVS accreditation type Coordinating
European awareness Organisation topics Education through sport and outdoor activities
Inclusion topics -
EVS accreditation number 2013-DE-65
Duration 12 Months: 1st September 2014 – 31st August 2015 No. of Volunteers from Indicot 1
About the organization
The Adventure Centre Grunewald is run by Fahrten-Ferne-Abenteuer, a non-profit organization organising adventure trips for children and youngsters as well as international youth exchanges. Part of these activities takes place in the Adventure Centre Grunewald. Fahrten-Ferne-Abenteuer is associated with the scout organisation Pfadfinderbund Weltenbummler e. V. The programs and youth exchanges offered in the Adventure Centre are based on the scouting method as well as adventure-based and experimental learning. Our main theme is outdoor activities. We are a meeting place and educational institution for informal and formal youth groups from Berlin, Germany and Europe. In addition to accomodation FFA offers a non-formal educational program like e. g. trainings in our high ropes course, canoeing and City Bound Berlin, which means an interactive way of sightseeing in Berlin. There are currently 10 employees working in the Adventure Centre including the director, a pedagogical chief and the chief of the high ropes course. The international exchanges and seminars are planned in the program office. We offer various events which are available to children and youth groups from Berlin and all over Germany. There are three fields of activities: 1. Organisation of adventure-based learning camps for children and youth: „Kinder an Licht, Luft und Sonne“ (during holidays and on weekends) 2. Scout activities 3. International exchanges
The camps are available to young people nationwide. Several scout groups are domiciled on the area to hold meetings and practice scout activities - like reading maps, using compasses and ropes and pitching tents. For the biggest part, scouts are involved in the work to be undertaken. Furthermore, courses of instruction are offered to the camp leaders (for example training workshops for youth- team-leaders, therapeutic adventure, ADHS-tutorials and special cookery courses for canteen kitchens).
Tasks
The volunteers are offered many possibilities for learning and personal development during the EVS. They gain an overview and introduction to the wide range of activities of the Adventure Centre including preparation and organization of the adventure and experience based programs. This includes the holiday camps and international youth exchanges that take place in the Adventure Centre, training in the high ropes course and the City Bound programs as well as support for guest groups from Berlin, Germany and Europe. The volunteers have the possibility to assist in further projects like e. g. the international network project "CityBound Europe" which is carried out in cooperation with the Youth in Action program 4.6. According to the organization’s experience, the volunteers are always an important personal and cultural enrichment for the team as well as for the participants of the holiday camps and youth exchanges. They provide the idea of EVS and information about EVS to young people joining our programs. Tasks and activities of the volunteers: - EVS volunteers help prepare, carry out and follow up holiday camps, international exchanges and school trips for career planning, - EVS volunteers assist in planning and carrying out seminars for leaders of youth groups and join these seminars themselves, - EVS-volunteers can assist in the work in the high ropes course, - EVS volunteers can assist in the nature-education based kindergarten located on the grounds of the Adventure Centre. According to personal skills and interests, the volunteers may onduct their own projects with the assistance of our team (e. g. preparing a youth exchange with a partner group of their home country, offers for children from the local community, like cooking, music…)
Environment
Fahrten-Ferne-Abenteuer has adopted the sponsorship of the Adventure Centre Grunewald in 2005. Our large area that scales 30.000 square meters is situated in the municipal forest Grunewald, nearby the lake Grunewaldsee in the district Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf of Berlin. There are very good transport connections by bus and tram to the city of Berlin are available. Because of its various offers and cultural attractions, Berlin is a favoured place by many volunteers from abroad. Grunewald (German for Greenwood) is a German forest located on the western side of Berlin on the east side of the Havel, mainly in the Grunewalddistrict. At 3,000 hectares it is the largest green area in the city of Berlin. It is not too far from the borders with Wannsee and its lake and is divided by the Havel river into the localities of Kladow, Gatow and Wilhelmstadt. In the area, there are two islets and a little peninsula; the tallest point is the hill of Teufelsberg, with 117 amsl. In the north it borders on the Funkturm Berlin (radio tower) and the Messe Berlin (the trade show).