Cycling, hiking, wrestling, climbing, chatting, having a party: the pictures speak for themselves. Such snapshots are made possible by the courses and camps for Swiss Abroad aged 8 to 25, which are organised every year by the Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA) and the Youth Service of the OSA. The goals of the projects for children and young people are:
- The participants become better acquainted with their second home, Switzerland.
- Young Swiss Abroad from all over the world are brought together.
- An understanding of the mentality and way of life of their second home country, as well as its culture, history and society, is acquired.
- Every young Swiss Abroad is allowed at least one stay in Switzerland. In order to make this stay possible for everyone, we collect donations to support financially disadvantaged families by contributing to camp and/or travel expenses.
The participation of many volunteers is necessary in order to carry out these projects. Every year, almost 160 camp leaders and 30 host families contribute to ensure that the young Swiss Abroad have a great stay in Switzerland. In addition to the objectives mentioned above, the quality of the implementation of the projects is also very important. The summer and winter camps are planned and implemented according to the “Youth+Sports” guidelines (Y+S). In order to prepare our camp leaders well, an annual camp leader training course is offered. The language courses are held in cooperation with renowned language schools.
The Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA) organised nine children’s holiday camps this summer. A total of 339 children between the ages of 8 and 14 from over 70 countries participated. In the summer, the Youth Service organised five youth camps, three language courses and several stays with a host family. A total of 200 young people from over 60 countries participated in the youth programmes. It is a pleasure to note that all the camps and courses of both the FYSA and the OSA Youth Service were fully booked.
Two organizations, two age groups
The Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA) is an independent organisation recognised by the Zewo foundation, which offers ten camps per year for children aged 8 to 14. The Youth Service is a department of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), which organises leisure, educational and political activities for young people aged 15 and over. Both partner organisations work independently of each other, have their own websites and registration procedures, but cooperate closely.
Summer camps for children aged 8 to 14
From the end of June to the end of August 2019, Swiss children living abroad can have a fantastic time with around 40 other children from all over the world while also discovering Switzerland and its culture at summer camps lasting two weeks. Registration for the summer camps will begin on 7 January 2019. The summer camps 2019 will take place on the following dates:
Sat. 29.06. – Fri. 12.07.2019
Sat. 13.07. – Fri. 26.07.2019
Sat. 27.07. – Fri. 09.08.2019
Sat. 10.08. – Fri. 23.08.2019
The exact details of the various offers (locations, age groups, etc.) will be available from the middle of December 2018 at: www.sjas.ch/en. We would also be pleased to send you our information brochure with an overview of the offers available by post on request. The registration deadline is 15 March 2019.
The Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad wishes to give all Swiss children abroad the opportunity to discover Switzerland in this way on at least one occasion. We can therefore offer reduced rates in justified cases. The required form can be requested on the registration form. For further information, please contact the FYSA office:
Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA)
Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. +41 (0)31 356 61 16, Fax +41 (0)31 356 61 01
Email: info@sjas.ch / www.sjas.ch/en/
The Youth Service’s summer offers of 2019
Next summer, the Youth Service of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) will be offering language and holiday camps for young Swiss Abroad aged 15 and over. You can find more information about the camps and, starting on 7 January 2019, will be able to register at www.swisscommunity.org/en/youth/youth-offers. It is possible to apply for financial support for all camps. Our offers at a glance:
13.07. – 26.07.2019 Sports camp 1 and Swiss Challenge
13.07. – 26.07.2019 German and French language camps
27.07. – 09.08.2019 Sports camp 2 and outdoor camp
03.08. – 18.08.2019 Politics and culture camp
We would also be pleased to send you our information brochure with an overview of the offers available by post on request. The registration deadline is 15 March 2019. For more information, feel free to contact the Youth Service:
Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), Youth Service
Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. +41 (0)356 61 24, Fax +41 (0)356 61 01
Email: youth@aso.ch
www.swisscommunity.org/en/youth/youth-offers
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