Sports, games and fun at the European youth camp in Bocholt

32 young people and 10 accompanying persons from Albania, Belgium, Germany, France, Great Britain, Lithuania and the Netherlands are taking part in the European Youth Camp organized by Europastadt Bocholt and Europe Direct Bocholt. Under the motto "Come together - Olympia in the European City of Bocholt" they experience sports, games and fun for one week in the Europe House Bocholt. Cooperation partners are various organizations and youth clubs as well as schools from the friendly and partner cities of Bocholt.

The deputy mayor Elisabeth Kroesen now welcomed the European young people in the Europe House Bocholt. She was pleased that she could finally welcome young people in presence in Bocholt again. In her welcoming speech she underlined the excellent possibilities in Bocholt for this sportive meeting. She wished everyone a great week with lots of sports, games and fun and hoped that the young people will come back to Bocholt one day.

Two years waiting for personal meeting

"In the "European Year of Youth", the youth camp, which should have already taken place in 2020, could now be made up for," said the Petra Taubach, partnership officer of the city of Bocholt. The Corona pandemic had made a personal meeting of the young people from Vlora (Albania), Bocholt (Belgium), Bocholt (Germany), Armentieres (France), Akmene (Lithuania), Rossendale (Great Britain) and the Netherlands, where the "Stichting Aover de göät" sent the young people, impossible in the last two years. In 2020 there was as a substitute an online youth camp under the motto "Come together online". Silver medal winner Jutta Tielmann and various e-gamers came to speak at the three-day camp, which was held as a video conference.

Sports in the hall, on the soccer field and in Langenbergpark

The major sporting event of the nations, the Tokyo Olympics, could not take place in 2020 due to the Corona pandemic. However, it was the inspiration for the program design of the current European youth camp. The task for the young people was to find out in their countries which sports are particularly popular there. With films, PowerPoint presentations and explanations, the groups from the individual nations guided the other young people, for example, to play the Albanian national sport of dodgeball in mixed national teams. France and Belgium present soccer on the artificial turf pitch of FC Olympia.

Olympia - Being there is everything...

The young people were happy to play "Brennball" presented by the young people from Rossendale (Great Britain) in the shady Langenbergpark Bocholt in the warm weather. In the sports hall center the teams of mixed nations competed in volleyball and basketball. The sport of volleyball was presented by the Dutch youth. The national sport basketball was presented by the Lithuanian youth. Everyone was enthusiastic about trying out these sports and playing together with young people from other countries. Winning was not the goal of the game, but - true to the Olympic motto - taking part is everything!

Getting to know nations and people

Before sports and games took place at the European Youth Camp, the young people got to know each other at the "meet & greet". They introduced their nations and home countries to the other participants with films and funny anecdotes. They also brought sweets and other typical treats from home. A city rally through Bocholt with the task of taking selfies at the various sights provided a lot of fun. It also provided an opportunity for ice cream and shopping. A visit to the Olympia Museum in Cologne rounded off the week-long meeting of the young people from seven nations. The wish of all is that next year another European youth camp will take place in the European city of Bocholt.

Financial support and voluntary help

The European Youth Camp is financially supported by ERASMUS + - Youth in Action and the German-Dutch Youth Office. Also the sports clubs TuB Bocholt, FC Olympia, TSV Bocholt as well as the German-French, the German-British and the German-Albanian Society Bocholt e.V. and the Rotary Club Bocholt contribute to the success of the camp. In the friendly and twin towns of Bocholt, the participants could also count on helping hands that made the success of this European youth encounter possible in the first place.