IVS July 2004

IVS volunteers on Fair Isle - Emma-Reetta Koivunen from Finland and Dominika Czarny from Poland - clipping a Shetland ram.

At the moment a group of 9 young people took part in a fortnights Work Camp on Fair Isle, organised by International Voluntary Service Great Britain, a branch of Service Civil International.

Members of this Camp are drawn from eight different European nationalities:  Finland, Poland, Slovenia, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

There are also 2 two-week Thistle Camps on Fair Isle this summer, organised by The National Trust for Scotland.

Work parties are a long-standing tradition on Fair Isle and groups of volunteers have worked on the island for more than 40 years. The Camps play an important part in island life during the summer months, as the volunteers work alongside the islanders helping with whatever they are doing. Work is extremely varied and can include tasks like drystane dyking, painting, gardening, ditching, sheep gathering and clipping.  While the jobs can sometimes be hard and occasionally tedious, the volunteers always tackle everything with a huge amount of enthusiasm and islanders thoroughly enjoy working with them, making new friends from different countries and walks of life.

But it is not all work as the volunteers contribute greatly to the social life on Fair Isle during the summer and often become regular visitors to the island over succeeding years as friendships      blossom.

The social life on the Fair Isle camps is surprisingly varied and can be immense fun. Working as part of the island community for two weeks is a wonderful opportunity for volunteers to sample island life. Football matches, dances, slide shows and musical evenings are arranged, and there is often the opportunity to try local activities such as spinning and fishing.

Further information from the organisations respective websites

INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE GREAT BRITAIN       http://www.ivs-gb.org.uk
This is a peace organisation working for the sustainable development of local and global communities throughout the world. They are the British branch of Service Civil International, a worldwide network of like-minded voluntary organisations promoting peace and justice through voluntary work.

IVS projects offer a unique opportunity to make a difference in the world at a local level. By taking part in an International Voluntary Project, participants work and live alongside other volunteers from all over the world and contribute to local community development.

SERVICE CIVIL INTERNATIONAL     http://www.sciint.org/
The concept of workcamps evolved from a group of devoted individuals' efforts, sparked by the convictions of Pierre Ceresole, a pacifist and Quaker.   After World War I, Ceresole's pacifism and his interest in the philosophy of William James led him to create what he hoped would evolve as an alternative to military service. He and others went to work in a war-torn village in France. They helped with reconstruction, working to defuse war hostilities. Thus the first workcamp was born.

As the number of workcamps grew, SCI was formed and workcamps directed more attention to the needs of the underprivileged. During this period, workcamps spread outside of Europe to Asia and Africa. In the developing countries the emphasis was upon community development, education and agriculture. Many projects are in conflict areas such as the Balkans, Palestine and Sri Lanka, helping with ecological projects, refugees and/or alternative communities.Workcamps take place because a project needs outside support. The workcamp is designed to help the project eventually to become independent.

Text and photographs 2008 Dave Wheeler except where otherwise credited. (Logo picture courtesy of Sumburgh SAR)
If you would like to use photographs from this site please contact dave.wheeler@fairisle.org.uk
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