6th of July - 2nd of August
Who is coming?
Delegations: Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Turkey, USA
JC’s: France, Germany, Jordan, Mexico, Norway (x 2).
Who are we?
Brita: Hi everyone! My name is Brita, and I’m going to be the Camp Director at this village. I am 23 years old, and I study sociology at the University of Bergen. “World in a Bubble Village” will be the 3rd summer I spend with happy and energetic CISVers, and I am really excited!! I’m looking forward to meeting you all, and to all the fun and all the memories we are going to create this summer! See you soon! Bye-bye
Ernesto: Hey Guys!! My name is Ernesto and I shall be the only male member of this superb staff team. I am not Norwegian (you shall notice this by the fact that I was not born with skis on my feet!), but I like Norway a lot. This is the fourth time I've been here! I am 23 years old, I study law and I love CISV. I've done a few CISV activities in the past and I am super excited about being staff with all of you. I can't wait for this summer!!! Hope to see you soon!!!
Hilde: Hello, my name is Hilde. I am 23 years old and I’m studying Visual Culture at the University in Bergen. Photography is my great passion! I spent last summer as a delegation leader at the Rock On Village in Hamburg. This summer I’m spending with you at World in a Bubble Village. Looking forward to blowing bubbles with you all! Ciao, Hilde.
Inga: Heisann Folkens :) My name is Inga, and I’m going to be your JuniorStaff. I am a farmer-girl, living just nearby the campsite at my family’s farm. I am 19 years old and really tall, something that can be both practical and annoying ;) I’m an active girl who loves a lot of different sports, but also a typical girl who love chatting and shopping. :) I love CISV, and I look so much forward to meet you this summer!
How to get in contact with us before the village?
Before the village, all contact with the staff can be done through our camp director:
Brita Bolstad britabo@gmail.com
(Post-adress and phone was given to you in the pre-camp you recived by mail).
Before the village the staff will post news, pictures and other useful information at our own Bubble-blog at http://bubblevillage.blogspot.com/ . Check it out!
Why “World in a Bubble Village” ?
You might wonder why we have chosen to call our village “World in a Bubble Village”. Or it might be pretty obvious... We believe a CISV village gathers little pieces of the entire world for a short time, and we create our own little bubble of friendship, cooperation, peace and fun.
We hope that you, in your delegations, can think about what kind of things, ideas or values from your own country and culture you want to bring into our bubble and share with the rest of the village. We would like you to concretize this and find some kind of small concrete item, symbolizing something special from your country, and bring this to the village.
About Norway and Leikanger
Norway is one of the Scandinavian countries. It borders to Sweden in the east, Finland and Russia in the north-east and we have a long coast line in the west. We are 4 640 219 Norwegians, and 2 199 of us live in Leikanger. You’ll find Leikanger in the western part of Norway, situated by the Sognefjord; - the world’s longest and deepest fjord!
The people of this area grow a lot of fruits and berries and they spend their summers by the fjord or in the mountains. Our nature is magnificent, have a peek at: http://www.midsogn.com/ (press Leikanger at the top menu), http://www.sognafoto.no/ (you can find a picture of the camp site under “Leikanger”, Leikanger Ungdomsskule), or this site if you prefer Spanish or German: www.fjordnorway.no/index_no.html (Search destinations and press Middle Sogn).
The Norwegian summers can have quite changing weather; so we are hoping for sun, but should be prepared for rain as well. The temperatures can vary from 15 to 25 degrees Celsius.
Camp site
At the camp site we have access to a soccer field, a big gym, 2 bedrooms for girls, 2 bedrooms for boys, arts ‘n crafts-room, a leader’s lounge etc.
How to get here?
Those of you arriving to Sogndal domestic airport will be picked up at the airport, while those arriving to Bergen International airport will have to take a bus or boat to get to Leikanger (as mentioned in Pre-Camp 1). The reason for this is simply due to the fact that the closest airport is domestic, and these flights might be more costly.
You therefore have the option of arriving to Bergen, but unfortunately our chapter does not have the resources to arrange for pick-up of delegations arriving there. The following information will help you get started with the planning of the travel, but would only concern the ones who choose to arrive to Bergen:
From the airport you have to take the Airport Bus to the city centre of Bergen. This takes approximately 30 minutes, and the price of the tickets are 75 nok for adults and 38 nok for children (but note that one adult can bring two children for free). The bus leaves about every 15th minutes, and stops by the bus station and the port where the boat departs.
To make sure you have sufficient time to collect your luggage and get to the centre, you should calculate at least two hours from the arrival of your flight to the departure of your bus or boat.
Option #1: Boat
There is an express boat from Bergen to Leikanger departing twice a day (at 08.00 and at 16.30), which takes about 4 hours. An adult ticket costs 460 NOK, and both children and students are given a 50% discount (so the leaders who are students should remember to bring a student ID).
This is a really beautiful trip, which gives you the chance to see the fjord from its best side! Because this trip is a popular tourist attraction during the summertime, it’s recommended to book the tickets in advance. The staff would be more than happy to help you with this.
Option #2: Bus
There are 5-6 departures by bus from Bergen to Leikanger/Sogndal every day (detailed schedule in Pre-Camp 3). This trip takes approximately 4,5 hours and the tickets do not need to be booked in advance. An adult ticket costs 389 NOK, and children are given a 50% discount and students are given a 25% discount.
Please note that the last departure with bus is at 19.30 (assuming you arrive on Friday), or 17.30 (all other days). Therefore, to avoid having to spend a night in Bergen your flights should not be scheduled for arrival any later than 17.30 (or 15.30 if it is not a Friday).
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions regarding travel arrangements!
JCs’ arrival
We would like the JCs to arrive one day in advance, on Thursday the 5th.
Language
The language used during the village will be English. We expect all leaders and JCs to have a fair knowledge of the language. We do not require kids to speak English, a smile and body language says a lot. We also look forward to hear different languages during translation sessions.
Responsibilities of Staff, Delegation Leaders and Junior Councellors
The delegation leaders, the JCs and the staff are responsible for the daily running of the village. This involves planning and running the activities, some of the practical things that need to be done, and of course each of us has to contribute to make this village a friendly and special experience for all the participants!
All adult participants have one day off (24 hours) during the village. No more than three leaders can have their day off at the same time.
Leaders have a special responsibility for their own delegation at all times.
The JC-role is a very important part of the village. Just keep in mind that all the kids will need your attention – it’s a busy life!
The staff is responsible for all the practical arrangement of everyday village life. While leaders will be in charge of most of the content at a village, the staff will be in charge of the structure. This includes organizing excursions, cooperating with the village committee, running the kitchen and basically making sure everybody is having a good village!
Kitchen Staff
There will be a kitchen staff attending our village. Their main responsibility will be preparation and serving of meals, but we want the kitchen staff to be part of our village group, by giving them the opportunity of participating in activities.
In addition to the kitchen staff, all delegations and JCs will be divided into groups to help out in the kitchen after meals.
Communication during camp
Children will be allowed to send and receive letters. Letters from home are always welcome! For those of you living very far away from Norway it might be an idea to send a letter before the village starts to avoid a long period without mail.
It is also possible for parents to send emails to their children at the village address: worldinabubble@gmail.com. This address will be managed by the staff, which will distribute incoming emails to the delegation leaders. All phone and email communication with parents during the village can only be done through the delegation leaders. The telephone number for the village will be communicated to you in Pre-Camp 3.
During the village our Bubble-blog at http://bubblevillage.blogspot.com/ will also be updated from time to time with news and photos from the camp.
Family weekends
During the village there will be two family weekends; the first weekend you arrive in Norway (the 6th to the 8th of July), and halfway through the camp (the 20th to the 22nd of July). The first weekend the delegation will stay all together, or in pairs. The second family weekend you will stay with one of your new friends. It will be a nice gesture to bring a little gift to your host families. It is not supposed to be anything expensive, rather something special you would like to give as thanks for their hospitality and to remind them of you.
Excursions
We plan for three excursions during the village. We would like these to be a surprise for you – and will only say that the activities will be typical for this part of Norway. There will also be a shopping day in the small local centre of Sogndal.
Cultural Evenings
All delegations will arrange a cultural evening together with another delegation; to give the rest of us a touch of their home country through games, songs, a dance etc. This is also the time for you to give out the small scrapbooks that you have made for everyone in the village.
If you would like to prepare some food from your own country, you are welcome to do so. We recommend, though, that you don’t make any kind of big, hot meals: rather some small dish. If you need any special ingredients please bring them along.
To make the cultural evenings run as smooth as possible, we would like to know a bit about your plans in advance, e.g. what technical equipment you’ll need and if you are going to prepare any kind of food. Reidun will be in charge of organizing the practicalities of the cultural evenings, so even if you might not have it all figured out yet, she’s looking forward to hearing from you at reidunvi@gmail.com when you do.
National Costume
At the village there will be cultural evenings and an Open Day. If you have a costume that symbolizes your country or region it would be nice if you brought it, so that all of us can get to see it. It is up to you whether you want to trade your national costume or not.
National flag
We would like you to bring your country’s flag. Preferably a flag of approximately 3ft x 5ft or 90 cm x 150 cm.
Open Day
During the village we’ll have an Open Day where everyone is welcome to come visit us. We will especially invite people from the local community, host families and other local CISV members to come and see our village and get to know us a little bit.
Swimming
During the camp we might have activities or excursions involving swimming, and host families might bring the children to go swimming in family weekends. So, remember to bring your swimsuit! It is also important that the parents sign a “swimming permission.”
Food
Every day we will have breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack in the evening. There will be varied food – but in Norway we eat a lot of bread!
If you have any special dietary requests you must inform us as soon as possible, so we can make the necessary preparations!
Clothing
Please bring warm clothes as well as shorts and T-shirts. You should also bring a raincoat and a pair of sturdy shoes. You must also bring your own towels!
Remember that all items should be labeled with the owner’s first name and country.
Pre-Camp 3 will include a more detailed packing list.
Laundry facilities
There will be laundry facilities at the camp site. Each delegation will have approximately 3-4 laundry days during the village. Leaders will be expected to take care of their own delegation’s laundry.
Again, to make the washing of the clothes as smooth as possible, you have to label all your clothes with first name and country!
Medical facilities
There will not be a nurse or doctor staying in the village. However, there is a health center nearby for smaller injuries and sickness. In case of a medical emergency the closest hospital is informed about our village and where the participants come from.
Remember to adequately fill out your health forms!
For those needing prescribed medication, the leader must bring it and is also responsible for proper use. We also suggest that you bring the prescription.
Pocket Money
We would like you to bring a maximum amount of 1250 NOK (200 USD) in pocket money for the village. We hope that you will respect this as a maximum amount, as we hope to avoid big differences between what the delegations are bringing. There will be a JC-shop at the village where you can buy stamps, postcards and some candy.
Major currencies and travelers’ checks can be exchanged in a nearby bank. However, since all major credit cards are accepted in banks, ATMs and most shops, an easy and secure way to bring money would be to use the leader’s credit card. Travelers’ checks should be made out in the name of the leader as it will be difficult to bring 48 children to the bank.
Trading/swapping
We would like you to bring items so you can swap with your new friends. This should be small and inexpensive items (key rings, stickers, pens and stuff like that).
Religious service
The main religion in Norway is Protestantism, and in our part of the country there are few other religious services. It will be possible to join a Protestant ceremony on Sundays; this will be given in Norwegian.
Alcohol
As alcohol is not allowed in Norwegian schools, we would have to collect any alcohol, if brought. Hence we recommend that you don’t bring any alcohol to the village.
Drugs and narcotics
Illegal drugs are totally prohibited in CISV villages! According to CISV guidelines all village participants must obey laws in the nation where the village takes place. Norwegian laws are quite strict when it comes to drugs.
Norwegian act of 20 June, 1964, No. 5 Relating to medicines etc:
§ 22: In the absence of legal right it is forbidden to be in possession of, or to use narcotics, etc, and to obtain or purchase such under false pretence e.g. by giving false information about name, address, illness or symptoms of illness.
Severe offences against required behavior may result in exclusion from the village. We will only accept the drugs that are a part of regular medical treatment, so if you are under treatment let us know, and bring what you need for your stay. Please do provide internationally accepted documentation that you are legally carrying this medicine. Such documentation will be treated confidentially.
Reminders for the coming weeks
- Travel Information Form and Delegation Information Form
- Send by email to britabo@gmail.com, as soon as possible
- Start filling out Health Form and Legal /Insurance Form. Original and copies should be brought to camp
- Parents need to sign a swimming permition. This should be brought to camp
- Notify us about:
Any dietary requests, allergies etc.
Any special requirements for your cultural evening
Good luck with all your preparations! Please ask us if you need more information or if you have any other questions; - we are happy to help you!
- The Bubble Staff,
Brita, Ernesto, Hilde and Inga
