In the following texts and videos, you will see various situations that you can encounter as campleaders or project leaders. They are to provide you tips and guidance in case you’re wondering how to solve an issue that arose during your projects. The solutions proposed are based on many years of experience of experienced leaders and trainers, who are used of working with multicultural groups of participants. But always remember, that the context of your situation matters.
For some of the proposed solutions, you might also find handy to go through the main principles of non-violent communication and explanation to better understand variety of expectations from participants, campleaders and local partners.
Select one or several of the tags to watch and read about specific possible issues and how to deal with them.
What happened:
The participants want too much from the camp leader, they come to him with every detail or small question. He has a co-leader, but she is very inexperienced, so she is nervous about the whole situation and needs to help herself with tasks, he can't rely on her too much. In addition, one day the project partner also announces that they have decided to organise an informal event, which is not related to the project, but they want the campleader to get the participants to help with the set-up. The campleader is very overwhelmed and stressed all the time because he feels that everyone is relying on him for everything and it's getting to be too much.
Proposed solution:
Some more ideas for similar situations are in the video:
What happened:
You and your co-leader are to prepare a workshop for local people. However, your co-leader is not contributing much to the planning process, leaving the majority of the work to you. Despite your expectations and encouragement for them to take action, they do not seem to be showing much interest in the workshop.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
During a workcamp in Spain, a participant who does not speak Spanish is being left out of group activities and discussions. Other participants seem to avoid speaking in English and instead switch to Spanish, making it difficult for the non-Spanish speaking participant to participate and engage with the group. This exclusion results in the participant feeling isolated and hinders their ability to fully participate in the workcamp.
Proposed solutions:
Similar situation (couple/two people excluding themselves from the group) is discussed in this video:
What happened:
One participant is being excluded from group activities due to a language barrier. This participant is unable to understand English and therefore cannot fully participate in discussions, games, or work instructions. This exclusion may make the participant feel isolated and may hinder their ability to fully engage with the group.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
Some participants are behaving as though they are on vacation, going out to party every night and prioritizing leisure over work responsibilities. This behavior is having a negative impact on their participation in work activities. They are unable to wake up on time the next day and are missing out on work opportunities. This lack of commitment and responsibility may affect the productivity of the entire team, and can hinder the success of the workcamp.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
After several days of outdoor working the participants began to complain about the work because they did not expect this workload.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
Volunteers arrived at a work camp to plant vegetables in a community garden, but at the last minute the project manager changed the task to building a fence around the garden without informing the camp leader. The volunteers were disappointed by the change in plans and lost their motivation. A camp leader was faced with a difficult situation where the participants did not want to do a new type of work.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
After a few days, the camp leader noticed that one girl was not eating her meals with the others. The camp leader asked her what was wrong, but she said everything was fine. The next day the counsellor insisted on going to the doctor, where it was discovered that the girl had a stomach infection. Overall, the girl was shy and did not complain or express any concerns.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
Two camp leaders had to organize an international evening for the participants. However, they had different approaches to the task at hand. One leader was ambitious and creative, with many ideas for the event, while the other was more pragmatic and preferred to focus on basic activities. As a result, they struggled to collaborate and make decisions about what would be included in the evening's activities.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
One participant struggled to follow the rules and stay on task during the workcamp. She often went out for a smoke or a chat with her friends instead of working, causing delays and frustration for the other volunteers. In her free time, she wanted to be the centre of attention and made other participants feel uncomfortable.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
The participants in the work camp had various dietary restrictions, with some preferring a vegetarian diet, some preferring meat, and others having gluten or lactose intolerance. Unfortunately, some participants did not indicate their dietary preferences and restrictions before the work camp, which made it challenging to prepare meals that would suit everyone.
Proposed solutions:
Follow simple hygiene rules in the kitchen to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses that can cause illness. So make sure that the cooking group:
wash their hands before cooking
What happened:
Proposed solution:
What happened:
Unexpected issue came up (a participant got lost) and one campleader is in panic. S/he doesn’t know what to do.
Proposed solutions:
What happened:
A couple or two friends tend to spend a lot of time together and don’t socialize with the group.
Proposed solution:
What happened:
One participant is sometimes excluding themselves from the group, not participating at a group exercise or division of tasks. Campleaders are not sure if the person is alright.
Proposed solutions:
This part of the website was prepared in the project Peacebuilding through Workcamps, that is realised in 2022 - 2023 by INEX - Sdružení dobrovolných aktivit and IBG. The content was prepared by experienced trainers, project and workcamp leaders and coordinations from NGOs all over the Europe.
Thank you Ajka, Aleks, Anna, Christina, Csenge, Flemming, Isabel, Jana, Janina, Katerina, Lea, Lenka, Mario, Nina, Puji, Rob, Timur, and Zuzana for your contributions!