Volunteering in GERMANY

To search for projects currently available in Germany please visit the VFP Open Projects Directory.

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	“During the day, we worked at a local day camp. Half of the counselors were international, and half were local German kids. I was astonished at how much German I learned, how well everyone got along despite cultural and language barriers, and the close relationships formed with the children. It was truly an international experience, and a celebration of peace.” Jake Goldwasser ~ 2009
	Volunteers help with maintence of the gardens at the Prussia Palace in Postdam. Joan Moses / Germany ~ 2008
	"I initially wanted this experience to meet international people, to explore a region of the world, to practice my German, to have fun and to volunteer. I came away with a better understanding of myself and of others, of current situations in the world, of the different realities facing many people at home, and of the goodness that exists so freely in young people across the world. It hurts very much to be exposed to people that have changed my outlook and perception of the world and then to have left them after only three weeks. Tanya Bindra / Germany ~ 2006
	Volunteers at a workcamp in Juist, Germany. "The island is part of the East Frisian Island located in the North Sea. At this camp we worked with the coast guard to dig holes and plant foliage to protect the sand dunes from erosion." Ashleigh Moyer / Germany ~ 2005
	"I think back on my trip with a smile in my heart and a feeling of pride and joy and gratitude. What I gained is immeasurable, from the friendships to the experiences to the lessons learned. I am so grateful to have gotten this chance." Susan Steinman / Germany ~ 2005
	Volunteers at the Buchenwald workcamp "…it was the absolute BEST TIME EVER!!! Our group of 18 (combined camp) got along perfectly from the beginning to the end. I really doubt that this is typical and don't expect to have such a perfect group again, but I can always hope." Colby McCormick / Germany ~ 2004
	A renovation project. Katrina Richter / Germany ~ 2003
	"The leaders were fun, and yet managed to get everything done in a very professional way." Barrett Mitchell / Germany ~ 2002
	Cory and Sophie from Australia dug through thick concrete while digging trenches for utility lines. "At 59, the other volunteers treated me like one of them and more—they respected and thanked me for giving them a better outlook on getting old! I was with 11 other 'youngsters' with ages ranging from 18 to 24 with one 29 year old. They were amazed that a 59-year-old woman was doing the same things they were doing. Digging". Socorro Gozar / Germany ~ 2001
	Watching a solar eclipse. "I wholeheartedly thank VFP and look forward to jumping out into the world next summer, not as an aimless wanderer, but as a constructive traveller." Andrew Rea / Germany ~ 1999

“On a more personal note, after two weeks with the other volunteers sharing space, food, and culture, leaving was a lot more difficult than I had imagined. I loved what I saw of Marburg and its people and I just wanted to thank Volunteers for Peace for allowing me to have this opportunity.” Catherine Fitzpatrick ~ 2009

“Having returned from my workcamp in Germany almost two weeks ago and having some time to process the experience, I can confidently recommend it to anyone looking for a meaningful, authentic, and inexpensive way to spend time abroad. I absolutely loved Germany! I will admit it was a bit nerve-wracking at first, going to a different country where I didn’t speak the language, having little idea how to get where I was going, and having no idea how the other participants would react to me... I chose to go abroad with Volunteers for Peace specifically because they partnered with local service groups. It seemed to be much less hierarchical, bureaucratic, and regimented than other national volunteer programs and less expensive that voluntourism. I was not disappointed. “ Jeremy T. Ebersole ~ 2009

“It was awesome, and I would definitely do a program like this again. “ Melissa Gawel ~ 2009

“Overall, I feel that the quality and material provided for the program was exceptional given the relatively small participation fee and that this was an excellent opportunity for me to meet people from around the world, develop leadership and teamwork qualities, and gain a breadth of understanding of WWII.” Corey Wideman ~ 2009

"All in all, I feel as though this experience in Berlin working with manCheck has taught me a great deal about how to open up to subjects that many of us in the United States would consider taboo to talk about explicitly. I learned the importance of knowing your target population when designing prevention work and appreciated greatly the creativity that came out of our group during planning. I especially respected the open and honest communication within our group and with Jannis, because without that I don’t think we could have achieved planning and carrying out the prevention work that we did." Angela Carvallo ~ 2009

“Despite our different nationalities, the same human hearts beat in all of us. This emotional connection quickly brought down any barriers, cultural or linguistic, between us. The intimidating “foreignness” of the camp, and of Berlin itself, disappeared from my consciousness, and a new understanding rose up to take its place. I realized, quite simply, that people are people are people.  Because of my newfound international perspective, I intend to dedicate my career, and indeed my life, towards the betterment of the lives of all peoples.” Joan Moses / Germany ~ 2008 (REESE SCHOLARSHIP WINNER)

"My stay in Passentin was from 19 June to 13 August 06. The leader of the Slavic museum-town where I volunteered was extremely nice and helpful; the other workers there were very nice as well. I was enthusiastic about helping the children groups which came; and learning about the various aspects of Slavic lifestyle of 1200 years ago; about learning the German language better - and the workers appreciated this, helping me find opportunities to help out and learn." Christopher Hunt / Germany - 2006

"I initially wanted this experience to meet international people, to explore a region of the world, to practice my German, to have fun and to volunteer. I came away with a better understanding of myself and of others, of current situations in the world, of the different realities facing many people at home, and of the goodness that exists so freely in young people across the world. It hurts very much to be exposed to people that have changed my outlook and perception of the world and then to have left them after only three weeks." Tanya Bindra / Germany - 2006

"When anyone asks me how my summer went, I can hardly contain my excitement as I smile and say, "AMAZING!" The experiences I had, friends I made, work accomplished, moments shared...everything was so great! Every day had some new adventure, and I loved spending time with such wonderful people who could make any activity, no matter how mundane, loads of fun. I'll never forget going grocery shopping for no fewer than 130 meals, riding the buses, cooking dinner, and of course, our work on the playground. Not only did we get to work with an extremely kind and wonderful group of construction workers, but we got the unique reward of seeing our efforts grow from under our hands. Seeing the children scream and laugh and above all help each other play in the playground we had built gave me one of the best feelings in the world. I think back on my trip with a smile in my heart and a feeling of pride and joy and gratitude. What I gained is immeasurable, from the friendships to the experiences to the lessons learned. I am so grateful to have gotten this chance." Susan Steinman / Germany - 2005

"…something else happened to me which was amazing. As a Jew, I have always had a problem with Germany and with Germans. Now I realized this was stupid. This is not Nazi Germany, these are not militant people. My prejudice was ill-founded and it hung on. For this reason I decided to go to Germany and settle this account with myself. I did not really discuss it with anyone, it was my problem and my business. I worked with Germans, I talked with Germans, I walked the streets of Dresden and felt the pain and the culture of the city. And I worked on an old farmhouse which had been badly hurt by the flood of 2002. And I emerged a different person…a woman who no longer harbors those old feelings and anger. And I am very pleased about my new feelings.
Connie (our leader) was amazing. This was a life-changing experience for me and I want to do it again." Jessica Rains / Germany - 2005

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