There is no official definition of what an "international voluntary workcamp" is, but in general we can affirm some important points:

·           Whoever applies for a workcamp is a volunteer, which means that he/she freely chooses to engage him/herself in a project because he/she wants to.

·           A volunteer doesn't receive anything in exchange of his/her engagement. Food and accommodation are not given as compensation. Instead, they are provided to people who cannot afford to be volunteers for a short period of time in a foreign and unknown land.

·           The motivation to be a volunteer is as personal as the shape of the nose: some do it for political convictions, some because it is a different way to spend their holidays, some for other reasons. All want to have fun and to go back home with good memories.

·           Volunteers endeavour to respect laws and customs of the host country.

·           Volunteers engage themselves with the development of a local project. At the same time, they are not to be considered as cheap workers by the local project leaders.  They have to be encouraged, instructed and respected ...as volunteers!

·           Workcamps originated after WWI to work for a peaceful world, allowing people from different nations to learn how to respect each other and work together for common goals through the share of manual work and daily tasks, and through the confrontation of different opinions and ways of life. The work for the construction of peace is (and has to remain) the real goal of a workcamp.

·           The aims of a workcamp are personal exchange, inter-cultural learning, support of a local development project, and spread of trust and solidarity among people.

·           The main tools of a workcamp are the collective life experience and the realisation of concrete work.   Both must develop together along with other tools.

·           Visiting the host country is not an obligatory experience, but an option among many, which is  determined according to the budget of the camp and the wishes of the group.

·           A workcamp is not a cheap way to spend holidays abroad and it's not a product to be sold on the international holidays market!

·           The "campleader" is a volunteer and a simple member of the group. He/she is a coordinator and not a leader. He/she takes the responsibility to keep the camp within the frame of the former points and is the link between the group and the territory.

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