Friday

Discussing and deciding on general values and principles for a society isn't always fun and games. During today's workshop, Angelique and her assistants from Amnesty International came and gave us insight about human rights, their fundamental importance and the difficulties within a society. Thanks to their help, we were informed of the United Nations' text, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was written in 1948, in response of the atrocities of the Second World War. Overall, Amnesty International's presentation allowed us to fully understand the importance of this organization, which is protecting human rights throughout the world. After Angelique and her assistants left, some of us went out for lunch and to the Migros, while others rested in the hostel before the festivities at the Congress.

A quarter to five, we left the hostel, dressed for the occasion and took the tram to the event. At 5,30, we took part to the opening of the congress where the OSA president Jacques-Simon Eggly was the first speaker. After listening to many interesting, inspiring Swiss leaders such as the president of Swiss Travel System, the president of the International Club of Diplomacy of Geneva , we headed to the aperitif, where we took pictures, meet other Swiss abroad, and enjoyed the music, drinks, and hors d'oeuvre. Soon after, we all headed to a room, where we practiced our debates and discussed the questions that we would ask Doris Leuthard when we meet after the debate.

After a productive session, we all went to an Asian restaurant, where we reflected and discussed about the night's events. Since one of our friends' birthday (Guido)was approaching, we went for drinks, before heading back to the hostel, in order to work on our presentation. There, we made sure that everything was ready for the big day!

Seminar to the Congress 2015 - Youth debate

Thursday 

Despite the gray skies today, we were able to accomplish quite a bit of work at the Debate workshop. During this workshop, two instructors from the Swiss Debate “Stiftung Dialog” came to the hostel and taught us strategies about debating, about controversial topics at the Congress on Saturday. After introducing ourselves to the instructors, we divided into small groups and came up with controversial questions that we could debate about.

Ranging from legalizing marijuana to requiring Swiss women to serve at the military, we were able to vote on two questions for Congress:

- Should the Swiss government impose military service for women?
- Should foreigners born in Switzerland automatically receive Swiss citizenship?

After taking a break for lunch, we broke up into two groups, in order to do some research on our topics. Soon after, we learned about the procedure of debating, which allowed us to debate our two questions after. Throughout the debates, we were able to learn more about the daily issues and regulations of our country. We put this into practice during the trial debates and received constructive criticism on how to improve our speaking and debating skills.



After the debate workshop, we had a short session with two young politicians from the SVP and the FDP. We got to ask a lot of interesting questions and generated quite some discussion. Unfortunately, most of the day everyone was expected to be able to understand French. Some of us only understand German and the language from our native country. After the discussion with the young politicians, we went out for dinner and walked around Geneva before going back to the hostel.

Day three, Wednesday 

Today we completed many activities. In the morning we took breakfast and after finished the third session of youth parliament aboard seminar. The leaders were very helpful & the tables were alive with hopes for the future of Swiss youth living outside of Switzerland. After we took lunch & went to go swimming in the lake, an excursion very much needed as it was 34° C. There we climbed rock walls on the water, and had a wonderful time! It was then 15.30 and we needed to catch a train to Mont Pélérin. Unfortunately we didn't make the train but we were able to take another one half an hour later. It was an hour train ride where we created questions for when we meet Doris Leuthard, an occasion everyone is excited for! 

After the train we folks tram and then a cable car up the mountain where we thought we would take a short walk to our destination. It turned out to be a longer walk, but only an hour so there wasn't too much complaining. Once we got there, it was gorgeous and the view was fabulous. On the way back we listened to music and were in high spirits, excited for dinner! We had dinner at a pizza restaurant & had a very nice time there as well. We then walked down by the Freddie Mercury statue, posed, looking out at the twinkling view. Afterwards we went for ice cream and continued out walk until it was time to go home and walked towards the train station. We arrived at the train station, moments too late, as we were able to kiss the train goodbye & a one hour late hello. The wait was fine as we listened to music & bonded over cultural overlaps and differences in the singing world. We took the train home and many people slept to help them move on from our very exciting day, to a very exciting tomorrow where we start youth debates and meet local political parties!

ASO Seminar Genf 2015

Tuesday

Dear readers,

another day of our busy week has gone by... and once again it was a full day!!!! We started with a big breakfast at the hostel and then we were ready to face the new challanges!!! We headed to the Palais de Nations (UN Headquarter in Geneva), where we took part to a guided tour that showed us the main conferences halls and explained the way the UN works. This interesting visit also gave us the opportunity to have a better understanding of the work that is carried out every day in this neutral territory. Before moving to the next location, we had lunch at the canteen of the UN palace, with an incredible view over the surrounding park and the cultural heritage of this place.

With our bellies full we moved to the Red Cross Museum, where we had the chance to discover the important work that is carried out every day, all over the world, by this humanitarian organization. It was interesting to learn the main issues that are continuously faced by the delegates and volunteers.

The afternoon continued with the workshop on the possibility of the creation of the Youth Parliament which will represent the young people leaving outside of Switzerland.  This meeting gave the opportunity for all young people to discuss their vision on the possible outcome of the future organization. Despite the huge amount of work to be done, The discussion was interrupted at 21.30, when everyone decided that it was time to enjoy the nightlife of Geneva.

                             

Stay tuned for more updates on the ASO seminar :-)

ASO-Seminar Genf 2015

Dear reader,

Welcome to this blog about the ASO Youth Seminar of August 2015 in Geneva. Yesterday was the first official day of the seminar. Some of the participants already arrived the day before and got to know each other a bit better over a nice and fancy dinner. Afterwards, we all returned to the hostel to get a good night's  sleep to get ready for a week full of activities having to do with the education of young citizens on the political systems in Switzerland.

Monday morning, the last participants arrived and we got together in a seminar room. There, we got to know our fellow young ASO members and got a short introduction and an analysis of the Swiss political system. After preparing lunch, we went on a bike tour with three students from Geneva (George, Natalie (who is also a Swiss abroad) and Simon). They showed us the many different University buildings in Geneva as well as other interesting landmarks within the city. They explained the Swiss school system to us and told us a lot about the history of Geneva. They gave us insider tips on how to survive in the multicultural city of Geneva; those of which, we will gladly use in the future.

These students joined us for dinner and took us to their favorite restaurant. After having walked through this city with them, we realized that it is actually a very multicultural place where many different groups of people thrive alongside each other. After a long and interesting day full of impressions and experiences, we arrived at the hostel exhausted, looking forward to a relatively long and good night of sleep. If you want to read more or are interested in what is going on at this seminar, we suggest you follow this daily blog!

The End...

Day 8:
After a more or less relaxing night in the hammocks "il Ticino" was calling! First stop Bellinzona: A hostel right bellow one of the famous castles of the city, a proper BBQ and sunny weather led to another memorable night. And on top of that, the winners of the challenge were announced: Congrats to the Atompinguine!

Day 9:
Today promised to get some of us a huge adrenaline rush. We walked up to Verzasca and the bravest among us decided to jump of the famous dam wall - 007 would have been proud ;) After a lot of excitment, cheering and screaming we deserved a refreshment in the scenic river. The day came to an end with delicous pizzas in Lugano.

Day 10:
We spent our last day of the camp in Lugano with relaxing from the challenge, shopping and on pedal-boats on Lake Lugano. And in the end we even had a look at Lugano's night life.

Day 11: 
It's time to say Goodbye! There's probably no better words than this poem (which was created during one of the challenges):

The challenge began
We were off with a bang
We raced to the Oberland
and that's where we sang
Though the words were strange and not very easy
we sure cam to love s'Vogelisi

Then on to Einsiedeln, we trekked to the steeple
that's when we truly becam "Ben and the people"

While staying with the incredible Regula Blum
Anusha becam familiar wih Flavio's room
As we all bathed in free wifi and food
we slowly floated into a really good mood

This trip's like sausage; all spicy and fun,
but unlike this poem it's not almost done
More running around, how fun it will be
because everything has its meaning - you'll see

The Swiss Challenge

The Arrival 

We all arrived in the Bern Train station all pumped and motivated!!!! Then we travelled as a group to a House in Moosseedorf from a Youth Organisation called Infoklick.ch and got aquainted with each other by playing small games. Then in the next day we all did an awesome 45km bike ride from Murten to Biel…everyone was quite tired after that. In Biel we stayed in a Scouts House and planned our Journey for the next 7 days…we had to organize three places for three nights to sleep ourselves somewhere and we also had to do our challenges during the seven days.

The Swiss Challenge:

Day 1

On the first day we only travelled to our sleeping destination in Puideux. We slept in a beautiful Kloster called Cres Berard. To waste a bit of time we visited Lausanne and enjoyed the nice weather.

Day 2

On the second day we travelled to Crans Montana and sang the swiss national anthem in french infront of  a lake. Then we travelled to Luzern to meet up with the other groups. And we all stayed together in a Youth Hostlel.

Day 3

We travelled tthe next day from Luzern to Kaiseraugst an took a few pictures there. Then we went to Basel and enjoyed the warm weather and the town. After that we travelled to Hölstein to stay at a participants relatives place for the night.

Day 4

We headed back to Luzern and travelled by boat to Weggis to and back. Then we went directly to our next acomodation in Zürich in a WG of a camp leader. We met up with her and we played a few games together and in the afternoon we did a small tour of Zürich.

Day 5

On the 1st of August we started our day with a nice snack….on of the students in the Wg fried us all one worm and we ate them together. We all thought it tasted like Popcorn. We headed to Kreuzlingen in the afternoon and met up with the other groups and stayed in a tourist camping house by the lake.

Day 6

At around 10 in the morning we travelled to Lenzerheide and got at our sleeping destination at 14.30pm and then went down to a lake and walked around it and then went back up to the destination.

Day 7 

The todays' Challenge was: we planned to go up on a mountain to at least 2000m high and then to travel to St. Gallen to our next Stay for the Night. We were surprised by the leadersgroup, because we had to sleep outside in hammocks. 

Time flies...

Seit fast einer Woche wird Grindelwald nun schon von einer Horde ungezähmter Auslandschweizer belagert! Es wird gemunkelt, dass sie schon ziemlich müde sind. Ob das an den unzähligen Aktivitäten oder an den intensiven Gesprächen im Massenschlag bis tief in die Nacht liegt, ist noch nicht abschliessend geklärt.

Schon kurz nachdem das vorübergehende Zuhause inspiziert wurde, hiess es auch schon Wanderschuhe schnüren, Lunch fassen, Sonnencreme einschmieren und ab in die Berge. Es wurde geschwitzt, geklönt, die Aussicht bestaunt und vor allem viel gelaufen. Als Belohnung durfte der Rückweg dann mit dem Trottibike zurückgelegt werden.

Auch das Stadtleben wurde bereits erkundet – Bern was calling! Nach einer ersten Erkundungstour durch die Stadt und der fieberhaften Suche nach Mr. X, stand der langersehnte Freibadbesuch auf dem Programm. Nebst der einen oder anderen Bauchlandung vom Sprungbrett war der Tag ein durch und durch erfolgreicher Tag.

Journée 8 - Gorges de l'Areuse

Après plusieurs jours de cours de français, deux sorties à la piscine pour rafraîchir nos esprits et la soirée discothèque du samedi, nous avons fait une excursion pendant toute la journée. Nous avons voyagé beaucoup en train. Le matin, nous avons fait une randonnée dans les Gorges de l’Areuse, qui se trouve dans la région de Neuchâtel. La nature y était magnifique.
Dans l’après-midi, nous sommes allés dans la ville de Neuchâtel même. Nous nous sommes divisés en petits groupes et nous avons exploré la ville. Nous avons fait du shopping et une promenade.
De retour à la maison, nous avions tous besoin d’une douche. Pour le dîner, nous avons de nouveau fait un barbecue. C’était la première fois que nous avons mangé beaucoup de légumes.
Après le dîner, nous avons fait du Wellness jusqu’à tard. Agnes faisait des massages après lesquels on se sentait beaucoup mieux. Également au programme : masque de visage, tatouages (nos noms en chinois et en arabe) et soins des mains.
Ensuite, nous sommes allés nous coucher, mais comme d’habitude les nombreuses mouches nous ont empêchés de nous endormir tout de suite.

French-Camp La Ferrière - Day 3

Today at noon we took the train and the bus to Mont-Crosin. We then hiked up to Mont-Soleil passing by the wind farm of Juvent. We listened to a presentation and were then shown the inside of one of the 16 windmills. We learnt a lot about renewable energy and the pros and cons of wind turbines. We then walked up to see the solar panels and experienced the honor and trust of Swiss people: A fridge with drinks and snacks in the middle of the forest, where everybody can serve himself and pay the corresponding amount. We then took the tram down the steep mountain and walked across the town of Saint-Imier to take the train back home. After this long, hot and tiring day, we relaxed by eating dinner and watching a movie.

French-Camp La Ferrière - Tag 1 + 2

Nachdem wir uns in Zürich getroffen haben sind wir in den Zug gestiegen und bis zur Station La Chaux d’Abel gefahren. Wir haben unser Gepäck in den Van geladen, das danach nach oben zum Camp-Haus gefahren wurde. Da das Gepäck den ganzen Platz einnahm, mussten wir die Strecke vom Bahnhof bis zum Haus zu Fuss gehen.
Angekommen! Zuerst haben wir uns hingesetzt und geredet. Da der Leiter noch jemanden abholen musste, gab er uns Bälle und die Ping-Pong-Schläger und wir spielten zusammen. Das Abendessen war sehr lecker und am Abend hatten wir «Freizeit», die wir dazu nutzten, um zusammen zu reden und Sachen zu machen.

Aufstehen ! Alle wachen gut geschlafen auf, auch wenn man beim Frühstück hin und wieder noch ein paar müde Augen sieht. Danach hatten wir am Vor- und Nachmittag unsere erste Französischstunde. Die Anfänger lernten, sich auf Französisch vorzustellen und über die Familie zu sprechen. Auch bei der Fortgeschrittenen-Gruppe gab es eine Präsentationsrunde. Zudem wurde das Tagesmenü von Deutsch auf Französisch übersetzt. Auch am Abend war es noch sehr heiss, ideal zum Grillieren. Die Würste waren sehr lecker und jeder ist satt und müde ins Bett gefallen.

Day 8: FAREWELLS

Today was a last opportunity to visit the slopes and enjoy the great weather conditions and awesome fresh powder snow or a chance to rest sore muscles at the pool after a day at the gym.
Our last day together proved to be just as amazing as all the ones leading up to it, and it doesn't hurt that we were treated to Fondue by the great kitchen crew. Not to mention the film put together by our very own participants; Pablo, Chris, Saskia and Laura and the End of Camp Party later tonight.
The ASO Youth Winter Camp 2014/2015 at Sedrun in Kanton Graubünden was just as successful as all the previous ASO camps in bringing together the Swiss abroad youth and forming bonds which will last lifetimes and connect the world one friendship at a time... one very diverse family at a time!
As we all prepare to go back home to our blood family and say farewells to our ASO family we reflect on the last 10 days and all the memories we will carry home with us.
Though we live on opposite sides of the worlds we have a family and a home here which will forever hold a special place in our hearts and be a strong foundation on which we can build even stronger characters who are the future leaders of the world.
So Thank You to all those who made this possible for us!!
Goodbye
Tot ziens
Au revoir
Auf wiedersehen
Adios
Arrivederci
Ja ne
Adeus
Hasta la Vista... baby ;)

Day 7: RIPPING IT UP

Today was something a little different… Sure we were on the slopes, however there was a lot more skill on display. We were split into five groups; carving, slope technique, park, slope style and  another group for those who wanted to take it easy. So at the end of the day we had all improved our techniques (well most…) Some of us even learnt a few tricks, though execution often led to faces full of snow and laughs for those watching.

The weather wasn't preferable due to the foggy and rainy conditions…but that didn't hold hold us back! we fought the deathly snow and rain, striving against the wind and just biting against the cold like living spartans. We are( SKIERS/ SNOWBOARDERS)…(it wasn't that bad actually… but that makes us sound hardcore :P). 

Due to the ghastly winds and horrible slope conditions we were forced to cut the day short and most of the group left with the 3.05 train. that did not prevent the day from being fun though. Like always, we prevailed and found a way to have a good time. For dinner we ate a mix of leftovers from the whole week, making for an awesome array of flavours. 

Overall, the day was just as good as all the other days and we enjoyed every moment of it. We're sitting in this small room forced to listen to leaders singing with loud and untuned voices, songs that mostly do not rhyme and our ears are hurting so much right now..but! we must stay strong and not give up because….oh my god its finished! thank you jesus. 

Anyway until tomorrow…

cheers

cheerio

cherios

cheese

cheese balls

cheesy cheese balls

ok..bye :) 

Day 6: Endless Hike

Today we woke up in the morning at the normal time again. Afterwards, we had breakfast, which included succulent bacon and scrambled eggs, the 'mericans complained (once again) that there was not enough ketchup. Once we hit the slopes the weather was great, only a few clouds littered the horizon, but the day was obviously not as good as the day before. the day really started to get boring once we went for that "2 hour" hike, which turned out to be a 3 hour hike. My feet felt like a pile of marmalade in the blazing heat of a  mid-summer sun once we arrived.

Once we got back the kitchen team greeted us with a nice cup of Punch or Gluhwein, everybody ran to get a shower once they drank their drink. Once the showers were over the kitchen team once again served us some desert.

The day overall was gr8 m8 and we r8 it 8/8!

Day 5: Most beautiful day of Camp

Today was the nicest day of the camp so far. It was sunny and warmer than before. The slopes were beautiful,  but there were more people than before. Everybody was enjoying the great conditions. One group went to Andermatt, a ski resort close to the one we normally go to. Most of us had a quite relaxing day, since we were exhausted from celebrating New Year. Many of us decided not to drive as much today and take it a little slower.

We came back around 4 pm and spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on sleep. The dinner was traditional with "wäihe" (a sort of pie) and a type of soup. Tonight's program will be either going to the gym, watching a movie or enjoying a massage workshop. Overall a great day.

Day 4: New Years Eve

Today we went skiing again and there was bad weather in the morning, however the sun still came through the clouds at times. The pistes were great and in the afternoon all of the skiers had a free afternoon without leaders. The powder was very good. After this we went to the train station all together.

Since we were going to have the party we started preparations. Then it was time for the party! We had the presentations and they were very entertaining and done very well. We had a large cake from the kitchen for desert which was delicious. Then it was time to party! We had a great time at the snow bar and we watched fireworks. The fire alarm kept going off when we went inside. It was cold in the party room and the party was moved to the eating room. We all had a lot of fun going into the new year!

Day 3: Snowfight

Today the weather was very bad and the slopes were closed due to a snowstorm. Therefore we stayed in Sedrun the whole day. We first all went out and had a snowball fight and played capture the flag... which was very exhausting but also fun. There was a dog-pile on Rias and he threw snow in many peoples eyes. Jürg was also nearly hit by a snowmobile.

We were all very tired after this and after a well deserved lunch break many had a short nap. Then we split up into different groups for the afternoon. Most people stayed here and played table tennis and board games such as "Cards Against Humanity" and "Jungle Speed". There was a table tennis and kicker tournament. A few of us walked to the gym in Sedrun and played ball games including Handball, Dodgeball (with many hard hits), Volleyball and Hockey. 

After this we went into our workshops and in the Improv workshop Julian ran into somebody's leg and unfortunately got a nosebleed. Tonight we are going in our workshops again to finish preparations for the party tomorrow and after this we have the chance to go in a pub. 

Day 2: It Got Real

Twas Monday, the second day of our camp, and the wind was especially feisty. Huddled in tight groups, the campers prayed for dear life for the temperatures to so rise, even by the slightest. They were flabbergasted  by strange messages on their devices, claiming that the temperatures were too damn low to be operational. Unfortunately, most of the campers had taken many a snow cannon to the face that day, and were not is in a-- how do i say? Cheerful mood? When the conditions were too awful to ski in, the campers spent time their time in a mess hall having heartfelt conversations or complaining about the seemingly unacceptable prices for hot cocoa. At one point in time, the campers shared a hearty laugh when their legendary leader, the glorious Daniel, fell face-first into the snow... Twas a good moment. Other campers decided to skip skiing for a while, and went to enjoy the comforting embrace of the pool, many of whom were alarmed to find out the water was a deceitful illusion. For the water was actually quite chilling. When the day came to a close, the campers returned to the cabin with high hope for warm showers, and most were not disappointed.

Day 1: Dun-dun-DUUUN, SNOWSTORM!

After arriving safely yesterday, everyone was very excited to get on the slopes and enjoy the fresh snow. Talking about the weather is boring enough... blogging about it is worse. Nevertheless, we will do just that! A snowstorm blew throughout the day, and the slope got really icy towards the end of the day. Despite the abundant snowfall, the snow cannons blew continuously. Sometimes the sun showed itself and people could see the slopes again - what an experience!

While the "newbies" on the snowboard already learned their first turns the more experienced ones could hit some fresh powder from last night. Talking about hitting... in the expert skigroup the only person who hit ground was the leader.

This evening there are workshops to prepare the new years evening. People learn songs to play, learn to juggle, build a snowbar, prepare party games or working on a theatrical piece.

With a dessert in our stomaches we are looking forward for tomorrow an another day on the slopes.

Nationaler Zukunftstag bei der ASO

Einmal im Jahr findet der nationale Zukunftstag in der Schweiz statt, an welchem Kinder und Jugendliche ihre Verwandten bei der Arbeit besuchen können. Wir haben uns für die Auslandschweizer-Organisation entschieden, bei welcher wir einen schönen Tag erlebt haben. Als Erstes haben die Co-Direktorinnen eine tolle Präsentation vorgetragen, bei welcher wir viel über die ASO erfuhren. Unter Anderem haben wir erfahren, dass ca. 700`000 Schweizer im Ausland leben. Die ASO lässt die Auslandschweizer die neusten Informationen über die Schweiz zukommen und informieren sie zum Beispiel über die neuen Abstimmungen. All dies halten sie in dem Magazin „Schweizer Revue“ fest. Auch organisiert die ASO verschiedene Lager für Schweizer Kinder und Jugendliche, welche im Ausland leben. Natürlich machen sie noch viele weitere Sachen wie verteidigen, vernetzen und beraten. Als Zweites stand ein Besuch im Parlamentsgebäude auf dem Programm. Dort erfuhren wir vieles über die Abstimmungen der Stände- und Nationalräte. Sehr beeindruckt haben uns die Kommisionszimmer, der National- und Ständeratsaal, die Eingangshalle mit der Glaskuppel auf der 22 Kantonswappen abgebildet sind und die Statuen der drei ersten Eidgenossen. Am Mittag wurden wir mit einer leckeren Pizza verwöhnt. Dabei haben wir die Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter besser kennengelernt. Später lernten wir in kurzen Interviews auch deren Berufe näher kennen. Danach machten wir noch eine kleine Hausbesichtigung und erhielten eine Geschenktüte mit vielen kleinen Souvenirs, sowie ein T-Shirt der ASO.