After the huge success of the youth camp in 2019, it finally went into the 2nd round
In August this year, there was a lot going on in Simhachalam after the long break due to the Corona pandemic. One highlight was this year’s youth summer camp, which we were able to hold from 9 to 17 August 2022 in cooperation with Erasmus+, after it had already been postponed twice due to the ongoing pandemic. We welcomed a total of 34 participants from Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, and Germany to the camp under the motto “The Power of Expression”.
When one expresses freely, it’s like opening up the heart and the mind.
Expressions are an important part of every human being on this earth. Through expressions, we can achieve harmony between the physical body and the mental core. As important as it is to express ourselves, it’s definitely not easy because of the barriers we have created within ourselves. There is not just one right way to do it. The aim of the project was to learn together about how we can express ourselves sincerely and openly in a surrounding with people from different backgrounds, and countries, speaking different languages, with different colors of skin, and opinions. Bringing different cultures together enriches our lives, provides new opportunities and teaches us how to accept differences in unity. When being able to express the own feelings, emotions, desires, and opinions, it’s like opening up the heart and the mind. The person then is always comfortable with people and their surroundings!
The ambition of “The Power of Expression” was to come together and express our thoughts and feelings through music, dance, theatre, sports, and hands-on activities to balance our body and mind and build strong friendships. The project objectives are to actively promote the importance of expression in a balanced life through creativity and culture, to promote physical and mental health among young people by promoting participation in sports, art, cultural activities, and teambuilding activities, and to provide youth with intercultural experience and create appreciation, tolerance, and awareness of different culture.
Therefore, we offered a wide variety of activities, such as fun games, do-it-yourself workshops, cultural presentations, seminars, nature trips, etc., which made it an unforgettable experience for everyone. Highlights of this year’s summer camp were:
Jhulan Yatra celebration
Visit of HH Bhakti Vikasa Maharaj
Balaram Jayanti
Maha-Harinam in Passau
Boat Race at the lake
Hiking trip to the Dreisesselberg
Yagna + Kirtan, Kirtan, Kirtan …
We are very grateful to everyone who took part in and contributed to this project and we are looking forward to seeing you all next year again!
Participants sharing their experiences during the youth camp 2019: