After the First World War…

International workcamps originated after the end of World War I. The first international workcamp was organized in 1920 in Verdun, France, next to the German border. Teenage volunteers from France and Germany, who were former enemies during the war, cooperated to reconstruct the destroyed farms.

The volunteers in the workcamp impelled others to work for peace. Thus, more and more volunteers participated in the move and their works were supported by the people and the governments.

Early development of workcamps mainly focused on construction work organized in newly independent countries and peace promotion in Eastern and Western Europe. Later on, the education and the international exchange became more important. Workcamps were regarded as a tool for creating intercultural understanding and solidarity among people.

The number of environmental projects was rapidly increasing for the needs of the world since 1980s. From 1990s, the international workcamp movement came to Asia. The development of workcamp projects in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other South East Asian countries is getting mature, with the number of volunteers keep rising. The first international workcamp organization in Hong Kong was established in 2009 to promote the values of international volunteering.

Values

Although each workcamp organization and international workcamp have their own aims, the common aim is to achieve a peaceful, healthy, just and sustainable world by:

1.Creating and supporting voluntary movements for ecology, human rights, self-sufficiency, etc.
2.Activating and involving new people in local communities and NGO/NPO.
3.Promoting global understanding, friendship and solidarity.

What is workcamp?

An international workcamp is an international voluntary project in which participants from different countries can meet, live, work, learn and exchange with local people.

Gains