Making Furniture in the Forest Darmstadt

CODE: ICJA2503

Work:

Together we would like to build new furniture for the rooms in our guest house for children and youth groups. We will be sawing, drilling, screwing and hammering with professional tools and machines under the expert guidance of a carpenter. During your stay, there will also be other groups at the youth centre with whom you can sit around the campfire in the evening and chat.

We are delighted that a group of young people from the region with different disabilities and abilities will be part of the project. Together with the international volunteers, we are forming small teams that can support each other, learn from each other and grow together in the tasks. These mentorships enable an inclusive exchange in which everyone can contribute their individual str engths. Our aim is to create an open and respectful atmosphere in which all participants can actively take part in the work camp and gain new experiences.

Accomodation and food

The volunteers live in our centrally located self-catering house ‘Sharewood Lodge’. In addition to a spacious kitchen and two bathrooms, there are three bedrooms in the house, each with five beds. In general, the buildings on the extensive grounds allow for all-day outdoor living.

Location and leisure

Jugendhof Bessunger Forst e.V. is located on the edge of the forest between the city of Darmstadt and the village of Roßdorf. The suburban area marks the transition from the Rhine-Main region to the Odenwald low mountain range and is located 30 kilometres south of Frankfurt am Main and 50 kilometres north of the picturesque city of Heidelberg.
The Jugendhof is located on the edge of the Bessunger Forest, which is easy to explore from here. On hot summer days, the shady forest offers a good opportunity to cool off and the wide-open meadows invite you to enjoy a relaxing picnic. You can enjoy meetings in a wooden yurt, which was built from an international workcamp as well. An hour's walk through the woods and meadows takes you to a beautiful bathing lake with a small sandy beach. Darmstadt is also very interesting culturally, as it was one of the centres of European Art Nouveau at the beginning of the 20th century. The “Mathildenhöhe Artists Colony” in Darmstadt has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021. We highly recommend a visit to the impressive and unique site, including the museum and the Orthodox chapel. Fancy more action? Then visit the climbing park high up in the trees with its very different levels of difficulty.

Project hosted by

Jugendhof Bessunger Forst e.V. is a non-profit children's and youth centre and one of the oldest self-managed establishments in Germany. Situated in the forest on the outskirts of the city of Darmstadt, we maintain the tradition of a place of learning and leisure close to nature and life with down-to-earth, resource-saving accommodation. For over forty years, groups of children, young people and adults, families, clubs and political initiatives have been coming together here and finding plenty of space to learn, run around, play, relax, meet, develop or simply be outdoors and be together. In spring and summer, we open the “ForstLove Café” on Sundays with a colourful musical programme. Day trippers, city travellers and fresh air fans can relax here in the green idyll of the large grounds. Our offer is aimed in particular at families and people on low incomes, as the appreciation of heterogeneity and diversity is very important to us. You can find Jugendhof here: https://jugendhof.org/

Directions to meeting point

Bus station Bessunger Forst/Jugendhof reachable with bus from Darmstadt Main Station or Darmstadt Ostbahnhof.

Additional comments

After registration, we require a self-declaration in terms of legal protection for children and vulnerable persons. You will need working clothes, rainwear and, if necessary, swimming gear as well as sturdy closed shoes. Since it can get very cold in the forest at night, even in summer, please bring warm clothes and don't forget your sunscreen. Bed linen will be provided by the house. Please bring your own towels.