Community Work and Village Festival – Schwarzerden | IBG04 | 2026-07-08 - 2026-07-22 | RENO,FEST,ENVI | Age: 18 - 60

Schwarzerden is a small village with 450 inhabitants and already experienced in welcoming international volunteers. After seven successful international IBG workcamps they again invite a group of volunteers to support them to improve the local infrastructure and to enrich the village festival on July 11th to 13th. The previous camps have always been a big fun for the volunteers and the locals.

Work: Community Work and village festival! You will support the villagers of Schwarzerden in preparing and running their traditional village festival – a 3-day-event with live music, drinks, food and some funny competitions – the perfect way to immerse yourself in rural German culture. You will also renovate two wooden shelters for hikers – one of them was built with the help of international volunteers in 2019. This includes woodwork and painting as well as wood and roof maintenance. Other tasks to maintain local community infrastructure will be added as installing benches, maintaining a children’s playground and gardening and renovation work around the accommodation. The locals will greatly appreciate your help in maintaining these properties, and there will be a lively exchange.

Accomodation and food: You stay at the former center of the Schwarzerden sports club. It is now in public use for bigger events in this village. Facilities include a sports hall with camping beds, a kitchen, toilettes, and showers. If the weather is good, you can eat and chill outside. Attention: Please bring your own sleeping bag and pillow (if required). The entire group does grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning together. Food will be bought with the camp budget. To minimize our carbon footprint on the planet, we encourage volunteers to reduce meat and try more environmentally friendly meals.

Location: FreisenSchwarzerden

Location and Leisure: The workcamp will take place in the small village Schwarzerden. You can find many interesting places in Freisen: a historical railway, cultural and natural sights, a small zoo, a spa bath (but only few of them in Schwarzerden). The local villagers are already looking forward to getting to know you and to welcoming you at the local village festival. We will do our best to arrange excursions with the support of locals but due to the poot public transport they will for sure be limited. The project is perfect for volunteers who enjoy being outside and in nature.

Airport: FRA

Train/Bus station: St. Wendel train station

Requirements: Please be aware that ticks can be an issue after spending a lot of time outdoors. In our General Info Sheet you will find suggestions on how you can protect yourself against them. Consider to check whether a vaccination against the tick-borne disease TBE makes sense and is possible in your home country.

Please check www.bahn.com for a connection from anywhere in Germany to “Schwarzerden Bahnhof, Freisen”. This bus stop is only 300m from your accommodation. You will travel by train to St. Wendel and change to the bus No. 604. Please make sure to arrive in St. Wendel before 20.25 p.m. to reach the last bus of the day to Schwarzerden.

Language: eng

Extra Fee: 0

This camp supports the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development by the United Nations and highlights our contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals defined for Good Health and Well-Being (3) and Sustainable Cities and Communities (11).