By Pastor Bernd Siggelkow | Founder & Director
We are halfway through 2024, and the excitement for the summer days in Germany is rising. At our “Die Arche” locations, preparations have been underway for months to ensure that our children and teenagers of all ages will have an unforgettable summer.
As the warmer days finally arrive, our various “Die Arche” sites have begun with the final phase of the summer preparations. To make this summer memorable for all of our fosterlings, we aim to offer a wide range of activities.
With the rising temperatures, we are already expanding our range of outdoor activities in the outside areas of our locations. Football, Volleyball or playground time is included in our day-to-day work.
In order to beat the heat, we can make use of our water slush system on the side of our Arche in Berlin-Hellersdorf. At the other “Die Arche” locations in Germany, we can set up pools for a little refreshment. What could be better on a hot summer´s day than cooling off in a pool and having fun with friends?
Besides our everyday activities, the summer season is also the time where our famous “Arche-Camps”, trips to the “Arche-Ranch” and some other day trips or sleepovers are offered. Often our Arche children and teenagers come from families with limited financial resources, so a trip with the Arche is often the only way for them to escape the city for a while, to discover new surroundings and have a travel experience.
With our youngest, we are not bound to the school holidays yet. This allows us to offer camps outside the regular school holiday period, so that we have the possibility to enjoy less crowded destinations.
There will be two camps at the Baltic Sea, which are already eagerly awaited. Digging in the sand and building sandcastles, visiting the nearby strawberry fields and the dinosaur theme park will allow our children to make some exciting new experiences and enjoy their summer to the fullest. And if the Baltic sea is too cold for swimming we have a backup plan: a trip to the nearby indoor swimming pool, where the children can swim and joyfully play around.
For some of our youngest, this summer will be particularly special as their school enrollments are right around the corner. To celebrate this milestone, we are organizing a so-called “Zuckertütenfest” (sugar cone festival). Parents are invited to this event as well where the preschoolers receive a schoolbag and a sugar cone to be perfectly equipped for their school starts.
Whilst our preschoolers are looking forward to their school enrollments, our school-aged children and teenagers eagerly anticipate the opposite - their summer holidays. Six weeks of freedom without homework, learning or tests.
To ensure that our children can fully recharge their batteries and have some meaningful distraction during their holidays, the children and teenagers are invited to join us to our "Arche Camps", to the "Arche-Ranch" or for our further recreational activities.
Our summer camps are always a school holiday highlight. These camps provide a balance of recreational activities, fun and offer the possibility for the participants to grow beyond themselves. In addition, the camps are always the time to strengthen existing bonds and make new friendships. Also for our pedagogues, this is a special time: Trust and open communication often flourish around a campfire, making these experiences invaluable.
Let the summer begin. We are very well prepared for the upcoming summer season. This would not be possible without the wonderful help of people like you.
Thanks to our supporters, we can continue to support the children and teenagers of die Arche. Without your generosity, we would not be able to offer a summer full of activities, camps and excursions.
Your contributions make an unforgettable summer experience for our children and teenagers possible and ensures that we can continue our daily work in the different "Die Arche" locations.
For all of this we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
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