Rebuilding a Dirtbike-Track in Kelkheim

CODE: ICJA2506

Work:

It is planned to redesign and construct a Dirtbike-Track with the help of international volunteers. The currently existing Dirtbike track was also a project involving local teenagers who participated in the construction of the track. In the last few years, the track has been worn out and now it needs to be repaired. The idea is not just to rebuild the old track, but to redesign and build something new. In this case your task would be to help us with the necessary preparatory work and to start working on the redesign of the track. This means physical labour and cooperation with workers, who are specialized in such projects.
Local teenagers and young adults will work together with you. The lead of the work will be taken by some “professional” mountain bikers who know what a good dirt bike track should look like.
Besides this practical work, volunteers will get to know the concept of youth work in Kelkheim and the integration of residents with diverse social backgrounds. A common project to shape the city can bring together different people with the same interests. In this case you will also get to know the local people and how they live in Kelkheim.

Accomodation and food

Volunteers will stay in the central youth club of Kelkheim. You can use the kitchen, a pool table, a table football, a small gym for you to do some strength training and more. You will have plenty of space to make yourself at home, cook, play, do sports or watch a movie together. As already mentioned, the youth club is located in the center of Kelkheim, so you will have plenty of shopping opportunities and restaurants nearby. The central train station is only a five-to-ten-minute walk away.

Location and leisure

Volunteers will get free access to the local swimming pool and will visit the nearby castle of Königstein. There will be a guided tour of Kelkheim and some interesting information about the development of the first democratic institutions in Germany. Heinrich von Gagern, the most famous son of Kelkheim, was the first president of the first German national parliament in 1848. Therefore, you will also visit the historic parliament in Frankfurt itself, which is now called the “Frankfurt Paulskirche”. As there will be contact with German native speakers, the workcamp is a good opportunity to improve your German language skills.

Project hosted by

The city of Kelkheim (Taunus) is a small city consisting of five small villages surrounding the city center. The city stretches from the plain of the Main River to the edge of the Taunus Mountains. The landscape varies between hilly agricultural land in the south and wooded mountains in the north. Kelkheim is part of the Rhine-Main region, with major cities such as Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Mainz nearby.
Youth work in Kelkheim is very active as local youth work in youth centres and as mobile ‘street work’. Local youth work is running three youth clubs in the center of Kelkheim and in the districts of Fischbach and Ruppertshain. The mobile youth workers are more like street workers. They approach young people on the street and try to find out where they spend their free time and what they want and need in the city. In this context, we know that many young and older people in Kelkheim like to ride bikes, especially mountain biking. So, in cooperation with the mobile youth work a flow trail in the forest of Kelkheim was built in cooperation with local teenagers.

Directions to meeting point

Additional comments

After registering, you will need to fill out a child and youth protection form. Please bring work clothes and raincoats, a sleeping bag, (you may need an isolation sheet – to be clarified), a bathing suit, music, your talents and something special from your country.