information

General information
If you have applied to participate in an IBG-organised workcamp you should have already received a confirmation from your partner organisation if there is one in your country or if there is not, from IBG directly.
Apart from the information contained in the programme of your partner organisation about the camp in which you will participate, you will also receive some more information about the exact location of the camp, about what to bring, about the nature of the work that you will do and about possible free-time activities in the region. Often you will also receive a letter by your campleaders which they write in order to introduce themselves.

What is a workcamp
Workcamps are voluntary services lasting between 2-4 weeks. There are usually 10-20 volunteers taking part in one camp. Typically volunteers in one camp come from about 6-12 different countries. Volunteers are expected to work around 30 hours a week. The work undertaken at camps should serve the local community or benefit the environment. Free time can be spent relaxing, talking and on excursions. Accommodation in IBG camps is usually in a school, a youth centre or some other building like that. The language spoken in IBG workcamps is usually English. It is important that you speak at least basic English. Food and accommodation are provided free of charge. You will only need money to cover travel costs,  your application fee to your sending organisation, and some pocket money.

Group life
There will be between 10 and 20 other volunteers taking part in your workcamp. They will be from about 6-12 different countries and aged between18 and 30 years.  The official language of the camp is English, except when otherwise indicated, so it is very important that you speak at least basic English. You will live, work, play, cook and make excursions in the group. Everyone should participate in group life, bring their own ideas and help each other. You will get to know other cultures and other ways of life and therefore you should arrive with lots of tolerance and an open mind. You will have lots of fun together and will learn a lot from each other.
There will always be one or two camp leaders. They will help you organise free time activities since they will know more than you about the possibilities that you have, they keep the money for food and accommodation and they represent the camp towards the work leaders. They generally have more responsibility in the camp but apart from that they are volunteers just like you.

Work
Workcamps are called workcamps because there is some work to be done.
Usually you will work about 30 hours a week (six hours a day about five days a week). Remember that you are a volunteer, so you will not be paid for your work.
The nature of the work done varies greatly between different workcamps. You could be helping the environment, playing with children, renovating old buildings,
organising festivals, working with disabled people and so on. What all projects have in common is that they serve the local community.
It is important that you are motivated to do volunteer work. If you are not, then a workcamp is the wrong thing for you.

Accommodation
The word workcamp has "camp" in it, but usually you will not be camping (at least in Germany). Most of the time the accommodation will be in a school, a youth centre, a scouts hut or something similar. The accommodation will be basic, but there will always be a kitchen and a bathroom.

Free time
How you spend your free time depends on where the camp is, what the possibilities in the area are and what you and the others like doing.
It is always possible to go for walks, make log fires, sing, talk, play, do sports and so on. In addition to that you can make some excursions to see local things of interest, or go sightseeing to towns or museums which are close to the camp.

How to get to your camp
You will receive some information about how to get to the camp after your place has been confirmed. This tells you how to get to the camp once you have made your way to Germany.
You can either arrive by plane, train or bus.
If you do not come from very far away, especially from Central Europe,  a bus is usually a cheap alternative. There are now many different bus companies stopping at every big city in Germany. 
In any case you will probably have to take the train and/or public bus to get to your camp.
If you take the train you can find your connection at http://www.bahn.de or at the info points in the train stations. The big yellow sheets in the train stations are the departure tables. Do not look on the white ones; they are only for arrivals.
If you get lost or you miss the last train/bus to your camp, phone the emergency phone number on your info-sheet.
To find your bus connection you can also try the railways internet pages, since they often include busses. Alternatively, you can go to the web pages of nearby towns and look for local bus companies there. 
Remember that you should plan to arrive at your workcamp on the first day. 

What you should bring
What you need to bring depends on the workcamp which you are joining. More detailed information will be on your infosheet. 
You will definitely need for every workcamp: sensible shoes and clothes including summer clothes during summer months but also a jacket, long trousers, and some warmer jumpers and a sleeping bag. You will need some pocket money to write postcards, maybe to go out and to make phone calls. How much you need depends on you. 
It is also a good idea to bring information about your home country (maps, games, recipes, personal photos, etc.), a dictionary and music that you like. 
If you live in the EU you should bring an E111.

Some information about Germany
Currency:
Germany has joined the European Monetary Union, so the legal tender is the Euro (€).
Phone:
There are public phones which work with coins and those that work with phone cards. Some work with both. You can buy phone cards for public phones at tabacconists, supermarkets and petrol stations. If you have a mobile phone, you will probably be able to use it in Germany. However this is a very expensive option. 
Post:
A postcard or a letter to a country in the European postal union costs €0.55. For other countries it costs € 1.50.
Prices:
If you think Germany is expensive depends where you come from, what you would like to buy, and which region of Germany your workcamp is in.
For example: cup of coffee in a village coffee shop around € 1.60
                        cup of coffee in a bigger city         around € 2.50
                        beer in a pub                               around € 2.50-€ 3