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"The work camp was the best summer I've had!"  
Trevor Ostbye, Duke University freshman"

Of Interest:

'Voluntourism' on the rise

 

Join the 2008 Cevenol International Work Camp!
The dates are July 7 - July 30.
Fly to Geneva on July 7 and take a charter bus with a camp director to the College Cevenol on July 8. Fly home from Geneva on July 30.

SCHOLARSHIIP NEEDS!
Four 2008 Work Campers need scholarships. We would like to waive the $2,000 fee, but we need donations from YOU to do so. Each camper is a hard-working high school scholar and cannot wait to work with East European refugees, the school construction projects, and the residents of Le Chambon. A tax-deductible donation of $2,000 will defray the fee campers must pay for room, board, and transportation in Europe. Send your contribution to Mrs. Anne Burnham, AFCC Secretary, 44 River St., Rehoboth, MA 02769

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by Elizabeth Schrott,2006 and 2007 Work Camps

This program dates back to World War II, when the local pastors, Eduoard Theis and André Trocmé, inspired the Huguenots in 12 villages to save approximately five thousand refugees, including over 3,000 Jews, during the Holocaust. To remember the courageous actions of the Huguenots, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem planted over 70 trees in the memory of the “righteous Gentiles” of the plateau.

 

Cevenol's INTERNATIONAL WORK CAMP
The place to help, learn, play and deepen your life.

The College Cevenol is located in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a small town west of Lyon, in the Massif Central region of France. A multicultural, internationalist boarding school, the College Cevenol also serves as a center for refugee families from around the globe.

Each summer, the AFCC runs a work-study program at Le College Cevenol. For half the day (Monday-Friday ), students work on service-learning projects — i.e., repairing roads, painting walls, fixing up sports facilities, beautifying the campus, etc. The second half of the day is devoted to educational activities — i.e., learning French, studying cuisine, interacting with local villagers, and developing friendships with asylum-seeking families (from Ghana, Kosovo, Armenia, Albania, and Chechnya) who live in the village. Each day  work campers experience a special aspect of the French culture.  Weekends are devoted to field trips; in 2005 students visited St. Etienne to watch the Tour de France. In both 2006 and 2007 students hiked to the apex of an ancient volcano and visited the historic city of Le Puy. The work, refugee friendships and field trips make for the summer of a lifetime.

Living conditions are simple; participants live in dorms and eat at the school cafeteria with other campers, French children participating in various sports camps at the school. The food is freshly prepared (plenty of baquettes, of course!) and meals can be tailored to suit vegetarian and vegan diets.

Le Chambon is a ten-minute walk from the campus. Students have ample time to explore the village, its twice-weekly rural market, and enjoy small-town life. There are plenty of places to grab a delicious pastry or enjoy a homemade crepe. The center of town is a charming square with a beautiful fountain, a giant chess set, and a court to play the intricate game of boules. 

 


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