• Home
• Contact
• Site Map
•      
• Print

Holiday camps and travel

Upcoming children's and young people's camps:

Summer camps 2013

Information: about offers for Children (8 - 14 years old): Tel. +41 (0)31 356 61 16  sjas(at)aso.ch   Flyer Summer Children's camps 2013   about offers for Young People (from 15 years old): Tel. +41 (0)31 356 61 00 youth(at)aso.ch        More information about Program Travel Accomodation Support Team Reductions Camp language

Program

The main aim of our holiday camps is to allow young Swiss Abroad to get to know their country of origin for the first time or, for those who have visited Switzerland before, to get to know it better. We will visit and look at many of Switzerland’s sights. The attractions will include cities, countryside, mountains, caves, lakes, rivers, etc. We might do some easy hikes but we will also be travelling by train, bus and boat. 
Of course there will also be many days when we will simply stay „at home“. At the camp, the main activities will be playing games, sports, arts and crafts, and much more. There will be opportunities to get to know Switzerland and its residents. We will, for example,explore Swiss languages, Swiss songs, and Swiss cooking recipes, as well as typical Swiss games and sports.

Top

Travel

Travel to the youth camps (for those older than 14 years) is usually on an individual basis.

For the children's camps (8 - 14 years) the following is applicable: On the first day, the children meet up with the leaders at 1pm at the Zurich airport railway station and continue their journey to the camp together. On the last day, the children and leaders travel together back to the Zurich Airport railway station and arrive there at 12 noon.

Travel to the meeting point and from the meeting point back home is the responsibility of parents.

Unaccompanied Minors: Children travelling alone, who cannot be met by relatives or friends of the family, can be met at the airport by a member of the camp’s staff and can also be accompanied to their return flight or train on the last day of camp. This service is available on the first day between 9 a.m. until 12 noon and on the last day between 2-5 p.m. For this extra service, we will charge you an amount of CHF 50.— per direction.

We strongly recommend that you arrange for children travelling alone (even children above age 12) to fly as an “Unaccompanied Minor (UM)“. Please contact your nearest airline representative for details. Details of the Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (SJAS) representative to whom the child is to be handed over on arrival in Switzerland will be provided to parents two weeks before the start of the camp. In the meantime we recommend that you provide the SJAS with details of the airline, address and telephone.  

Please note that the responsibility of the SJAS for the child begins on the child's arrival at the meeting point and ends when the child checks in for the return flight/train. If you pay for the extra service.

Top

Accommodations

Our holiday camps are housed in simple but well-equipped hostels. Depending on the house-plan, participants will share three- to eight-bed dormitories and eat together with the whole camp ‘family'. The smooth running of the holiday camp requires that children and youngsters lend a hand with daily chores, such as doing the drying-up or helping clean the rooms.

Top

Support Team

Each holiday camp is organised and run by experienced team leaders. They have an efficient kitchen crew at their disposal and several well qualified group leaders to back them up. They can all speak several languages and are at least 18 years old. This team looks after the participants full-time from the minute they get up until bedtime. The leaders organise all activities and are also available during periods of individual free time. All the members of these back-up teams take time off during their own holidays to take part in the camps without much financial compensation.

Top

Camp language

Participants come from all over the world and speak a wide range of languages(e.g. German, French, English, Spanish, Italian).The team of leaders carries out the programmes in German, French and English. The camp language does not depend on the language spoken in the specific camp location.

Top

OSA

• About ourselves

Advertising