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Organising activities with people with disabilities at Château Vert

Camp code:

BE-SCI 9.1

Country:

Belgium

Start Date:

11 Aug 2025

End Date:

24 Aug 2025

Topic:

9: People with disabilities

Options:

Wheelchair Accessible

Work Types:

Work with people with disabilities

Number of volunteers:

7

Number of places still available:

3

Free places last update:

03 Apr 2025

International age:

18 - 99

National age:

18 - 99

Required Language:

English

Spoken Language:

French

Description: The ‘Château vert’ Centre is an institution financed by A.V.I.Q (Agence pour une vie de qualité) that hosts about 75 people with motor disabilities/disorders (sometimes associated with a mild mental deficiency). It has 3 sections: a residential service for youth, one for adults and a day care service for adults. It is composed of small structures allowing a 'family life' very appreciated by the residents and the educators. For each living space, a specific operating plan has been developed.

Type of Work: Volunteers will be asked to set up workshops in collaboration with the educational staff and the centre's seasonal working students: dance, board games, music, etc. They will be invited to help the residents during their meals and in everyday situations, always with the support of the educational staff. Volunteers can accompany the residents during outdoor activities organized by the center and propose different activities based on their skills or cultural background (e.g., artistic, manual). A special event will be organized during the stay. An intercultural meal is scheduled to introduce the residents to traditional foods from the volunteers' home countries (volunteers will have access to the adapted kitchen, which must remain clean an operational for the next day’s meals).

Study Theme: People with disabilities – Community life. The volunteers will participate in a training given by the staff members at the beginning of the project to learn more about the different kinds of disabilities and get familiar with the communication tools in order to be in relation with the residents.

Accommodation: Accommodation in collective rooms for 2 to 3 people located on 1st floor of the center, next to the care rooms but separate from the residents. Volunteers may be present during meals to help and share time with the residents, but they will eat with the center's educational staff. Accessible to people in wheelchairs but housing in basic conditions.

Language: The language of the Workcamp is English but knowledge in French (even basic) is welcome to communicate better with the residents (many residents speak little, or not). Non-verbal communication is very important for this project. Some volunteers will only be francophone.

Requirements: Be respectful and be yourself. Interpersonal skills and the ability to empathize and connect with people. Some residents may have limited access to verbal communication, but the volunteers will quickly bond with them and have a very rewarding human experience.

Approximate Location: Solières is a village located on the heights on the right bank of the Meuse river, in the Liège region, near the small town of Huy. The center is in a calm and natural area. The Château Vert center is not accessible by public transportation. Please notify the SCI Belgium coordinator well in advance of your arrival time at the nearest station (Huy station). A collective bus, reserved in advance, will pick up the group to take them to the project site and will be useful during outdoor activities.

Notes: Many SCI camps will have an additional fee of €50.00. This will cover: local hosting costs; the volunteer’s International insurance costs; a small travel fund to enable disadvantaged volunteers to join projects; SCI Online Placement System costs. If you apply through an SCI branch the fee will be included in the fee you pay to your sending branch. If you apply through a partner organisation you will pay the fee on arrival at the project; direct to the hosting branch or through the different payment platforms. When accepted on the project the host branch will give you more details of the various payment options.