About the summer camp
You might ask ...
The mission
Emmaüs summer camps are an opportunity for young people of all backgrounds to voluntarily participate during a week or more in the activities of the emmaüs structure and to live a human and enriching experience for a good cause. Fed and accomodated during the lenght of your workcamp, you will share your daily life with the compagnons, volunteers and employees of Emmaüs. You will discover the actions through which Emmaüs helps others to which you will contribute in the context of your volunteering. On the weekends, you can participate in excursions and activities organised by Emmaüs.
Once here
At Emmaüs Scherwiller you will participate at the collection, sorting, recycling and sale of donations at the side of Emmaüss compagnons, other volunteers and employees. Outside of your activities having to do with the Emmaüss missions of reemployment and reintegration, you might participate in collective activities like the meals and joint outings in order to build bonds with the other members of the Emmaüs structure and other young people. On site, you will be fed and accomodated at no cost: You will be accomodated in a tent. During your stay, you will have acces to shared showers and sanitary installations. You will only have to pay for your travel expenses to get to the Emmaüs community. The summer camp are organised to respect the sanitary measures.
Our history !
L’insurrection de la bonté.
In 1949, Henry Groues called "Abbé Pierre", restores a house in which he lived. This house, a place of encounters, becomes an international youth hostel, which he names "Emmaüs".
The Emmaus movement was born out of this initiative with the goal to act in a way that every person, every society and every nation can live, assert themselves and fulfil themselves in exchange and sharing, as well as in equal dignity.
The association Emmaüs is created in 1953 to organise and develop this movement. After the destruction of the second World War, the hardships of the winter of 1954 becomes deadly. In the context of an important housing shortage, the abbé Pierre famously calls out to the french population.
My friends, help !
This triggers the so called insurrection of kindness (insurrection de la Bonté) and strongly influences the public authorities. A huge movement of solidarity is born: the appeal brings in 500 million francs in donations. The following days saw the creation of numerous structures within Emmaus and the gradual emergence of many Emmaüs communities (117 in France). In 1985 the assosiation Emmaüs France is created, which regroups all of the french Emmaüs groups.
In April 1983, the Strasbourg Emmaüs community sends 1 employee and 3 compagnons to Scherwiller in order to host a workcamp during the summer season. The group moves to the Alumnat Ste-Odile, a former public school owned by the Assumptionist Fathers. The location becomes an annex of the Strasbourg community.
Discover the association Emmaüs France
Staunch defender of a society in which everyone has his place, Emmaüs develops innovative solutions with victims of exclusions, which help them get back in control of their life... Faithfull to the will of the Abbé Pierre, Emmaüs has become a factory of social innovation and solidarity to help the public in precarious situations and a commited movement fighting for a more humane and just society.
Read MoreDiscover the association Emmaüs Scherwiller
Emmaüs Scherwiller is above all a place of welcoming, life, activity and solidarity, which works without any subsidies and only with the recovery of objects.
Read MoreOtherwise, we can make a quick resume :
Each year, youth from the entire world participates in a collective experience of solidarity at the sides of Emmaüs
You have talent, skills, ideas, a network, free time... and you want to use these for concrete actions and a good cause with a commited team?
Come experience the summer camps, everywhere in France we await you at Emmaüs !
A meaningful, intense experience !
In fact, we should have started with that...
Friendship is what comes to the heart when doing beatiful and difficult things together.
FAQ
You might ask...
You have a question ?
We might already have answered in our FAQ: How to sign up? How to get there ? How much does it cost? Are travel expenses included? etc...
Did you know ?
There is no such thing as a stupid question, so if you can't find your answer in the FAQ feel free to contact us directly !
Registration
Get ready
Remember to pass on the coordinates of your workcamp to your relatives and loved ones and to notify them when arriving and during your stay. Also, bring along something from your home to share with the others (a song, a snack...) to contribute to a welcoming atmosphere at the workcamp.
Your registration is free and we take charge of your housing and meal costs. You will only have to take charge of your travel expenses.
Find out about the formalities to be completed before leaving for your work site and obtain the necessary documents: identity card, passport, residence permit, visa depending on the country.
