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Module B
Workcamp life in the past and today

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 Workcamp doesn’t consists only of work. Volunteers come from far away together in order to live together too. The founders of SCI considered this living community as promotion for international understanding. However in the past workcamp life was little bit different.

Work

The volunteers worked for 8-9 hours per day. The work was usually hard manual work, so that “Pick and Shovel” became a synonym of workcamps.

Leadership

A authoritarian campleader maintained strong discipline in workcamps. Actually a organisation similar to the army was applied. For the SCI founder, Pierre Ceresole, a workcamp was a model for a alternative service for conscientious objectors. Therefore in workcamps the same discipline like in the army should rule.

Gender role

The first workcamps had a traditional split in gender role. Men worked with pick and shovel, while women were occupied in the kitchen. The women (called ‘Sisters’), did the cooking, cleaning and washing while the men (called 'Friends’), were working doing the 'hard' work.

Living togheter

From the beginning SCI considered itself as non religious movement. But some rituals of the Quakers* were introduced like the minute’s silence, which was hold before the meals in order to respect all the believe of every participant. An important habit was to sing the ‘Amitiés’** for the volunteer farewell.

- Maybe somebody of the workcamp can teach to sing the “Amitiés”