📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Located in the middle of Cologne by the river Rhine, in the former working class neighbourhood of Muelheim, you can find the Sozialistische Selbsthilfe Muelheim (SSM - Socialist Self-help Muelheim). The group that began with only 20 people has now established a project that has become popular far beyond the borders of Cologne. Anybody can join the SSM – no one is too old or too ill. SSM has restored an old factory and earns its money by helping people with removals and flat closures. It is involved with various beneficial projects within the local community and helps those in need. Only a few hundred metres from the SSM a new project is currently under development: converting a disused warehouse into a second hand furniture store combined with workshops, a café and a room for activities.
💼 What the programme involves
Restoring an old warehouse according to the preservation order,
kitchen work, help with flat closures and removals, gardening.
🏠 Accommodation on site
In rooms with up to three beds.
You will have lunch with the community, breakfast and dinner will be prepared by
the camp group
📍 About the location
Cologne is located in the west of Germany at the river Rhine. The Netherlands and Belgium are a 1 hour drive away while it takes you 3 hours to get to France. Cologne is a historic town with many world heritage sites and buildings in and around the city.
⚠️ Requirements
Interest in teamwork and physical work, initiative and creativity,
interest in urban development and social designs.
ℹ️ Additional information
There will be a guided tour through the district of Cologne-Muelheim, a
visit of the EL- DE house in Cologne (Gestapo department and prison during the
Nazi regime), a visit of the historic city with Cologne Cathedral and a boat trip;
Trips and sightseeing in Cologne and the surrounding area will complement the
work as it is important to socialize with the group and learn about the local
community! Further information: http://www.ssm-koeln.org/
Partly reimbursement of travel costs for volunteers from Germany, France and
Spain (Franco-German Youth Office, FGYO).