Workcamps

In cooperation with our umbrella organization, Service Civil International (SCI), we organize foreign volunteer camps worldwide, where 5-15 international volunteers work together for 2-3 weeks helping a civil organization, municipality or other community. Every camp is different, their subjects vary from environmental protection to renovation of public spaces to dealing with children, the elderly, the disabled, refugees to campaigns against racism and xenophobia to advocating peace.

Why Participate?

  • You can travel – there are SCI camps in 45 countries on 5 continents
  • Your accommodation and food are provided – in exchange for a five-day-a-week, 4-6-hour-a-day job that can be done by anyone and therefore does not require expertise
  • You get to know people you wouldn’t otherwise meet, you can make lifelong friendships. In addition to having fun (because those who will be here are likely to be just as open-minded and entrepreneurial as you), this creates a balance between work and fun
  • In addition, you can test yourself, your abilities, your aptitude, polish your language skills, get to know (at least) another culture and, in addition, you can be enriched by the incomparable feeling of seeing the results of your work when you are done, and that you have left a mark on the life of the local community by being there.

How to Participate?

  • Applying is very simple, you can do everything online by registering on our camp search database website: workcamps.info. It is also worth following us on Facebook, as we also advertise some current opportunities there.
  • Participation in the camps organized by Útilapu is conditional on the age of 18 and the payment of the membership fee. Membership can be activated and extended for one year. In all cases, the annual membership applies to one year. Our membership fee is HUF 15,000.
  • For this amount, you can go to one camp within one year. If you would like to participate in more than one camp within the same time period, we can forward your application after transferring HUF 7,500 per extra camp.
  • Therefore, if you would like to go camping for the first time this year, you must pay a HUF 15,000 fee to apply.
  • The membership fee also includes general insurance covering illness and accidents during the camp. It does not cover travel or personal property (luggage, valuables, equipment). You can find more information here and here. If you are traveling to a country that requires a visa, please notify [email protected] as soon as possible in order to prepare an insurance policy certificate for your name and specific camp, which you can take with you to the competent embassy together with the invitation letter. (please note that this may take a few working days). If you are camping in the territory of the European Union, be sure to take the EU health insurance card with you, which entitles you to the same EU care in the territory of the EU as in Hungary. In addition, if you are traveling within the EU, no other SCI certificate is required, if something goes wrong and you receive medical care, the camp leader will always have a Medical claim form, which the doctor will fill out.
  • For first-time campers, we provide preparation for volunteer camps abroad. Every year during the summer season (June-July-August) we hold these 2-3 hour long trainings upon demand. We make these events public on our Facebook page.
  • Some camps select applicants based on motivation, so in such cases sending a motivation letter is also mandatory. This can be seen every time in the description of the camp.
  • Some organizations ask applicants for an extra participation fee. This amount is determined independently of the Travel Card, in all cases the amount must be paid to the partner organization that’s responsible to organize the camp. They determine when and how it must be paid. Our team will be happy to help with this at [email protected]
  • Withdrawal after application and payment: if two weeks before the start of the camp or if you indicate in advance that you cannot go and you will not participate in a camp until the end of the camp season (September 15), we will refund HUF 5,000. If there is less than two weeks left until the start of the camp, we are no longer able to give any refunds. If after your confirmation, but two weeks before the start of the camp or if you indicate earlier that you want to transfer to another location, we will charge an administration fee of HUF 2,500. We ask that you take the withdrawal seriously, as it is feared that the host organization will not be able to fill the vacated place, and fewer volunteers in the camp will have to do the same work!
  • It usually takes a few working days (1-5) to process applications. This varies by partner organization. We ask you to be patient, as in the majority of organizations this task is often carried out by volunteers in their own free time in addition to their work and studies.

Application Step by Step

  1. Choose the desired camp. (The filter on workcamps.info helps you narrow down by place, topic, and time)
  2. Register at workcamps.info
  3. Check the description of the camp to see if there are still spaces available!
  4. After completing the registration, apply to the desired camp. It is worth marking several camps at the same time (max. 6 at the same time), just in case the first marked camp runs out of space. (Your application will only be sent to one place at a time, according to your order of preference)
  5. Transfer HUF 15,000 (if you have not yet paid a membership fee this year) or HUF 7,500 (if you have already paid a membership fee this year) to our bank account.
    Our bank details
    Domestic account number: 16200223-10084234
    IBAN: HU98 1620 0223 1008 4234 0000 0000
    ​Account holder: Útilapu Hálózat
    Amount: 15.000 Ft
    ​Bank: ​Magnet Bank
    Reference: your name and camp code(s)

    Enter the name of the person who wants to participate in the workcamp in the announcement column (especially if you are transferring the amount from the parents’ bank account) or the code of the camp. E.g.: like this: Example Anna JP-NIC 10.15013
  6. Send a screenshot of the confirmation of the payment or a pdf file that can be downloaded from the online banking to [email protected].
  7. Our coordinator will change your status to paid in the system and send your application form to our partner organization. Then, within a few days, the partner will also approve your application.
  8. It is important to keep an eye on your status in the system, because remember, you must arrange the trip yourself, and plane tickets are cheaper the sooner you book them.
  9. If you have any questions about the camp (beyond what is mentioned in the description), feel free to contact our volunteer coordinator at [email protected], who will help you contact the organization running the camp.
  10. The organization normally sends the information pack at least 2-3 weeks before the start of the camp. IMPORTANT: If you do not receive it by email within this interval, write to [email protected] so that our colleague can contact the organization.
  11. Travel to the camp site and have a great time!
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