KacsaKő Experience Camp

KacsaKő Association (KacsaKő Közösségépítő Egyesület) was established in Hungary in 2021, however the organisation has been working as an informal group of young people since 2018. 

At the moment there are 2 staff members involved deeply in the daily organisational work (president and vice-president), there are 10-15 volunteers who participate in the activities during the year, and there are 20 volunteers in total involved in the implementation of the summer camp. 

Regarding the youngsters, there are about 60 youngsters in total who joined the KacsaKő inclusive community throughout the years, amongst whom 40-50% are coming from an underprivileged background.

Type of Organisation: NGO

By organising recreational sports and adventure activities in Hungary, KacsaKő Association is building an inclusive community of 9-17year-old children and youngsters who otherwise would never meet under regular circumstances due to the different and distant social bubbles they live in. They invite underprivileged children who come from lowincome families, Roma settlements and from segregated schools together with children who come from majority, non- Roma, privileged backgrounds. The aim is to bring children closer to each other to reduce their own and each other’s prejudices and to improve those social-psychological skills that help to prevent radicalisation and overcome conflicts that usually are rooted in miscommunication and misunderstanding of each other. 

The main tools for the activities in the project are nonformal, outdoor and experience-based learning methods. Team sports in the spirit of fair play is one of the main activities.Laying down the rules of the matches together lets the children practice democratic decision-making, and by playing the games without a referee and only with the support of adult mediators, participants are empowered to stand up for themselves when they experience injustice. A safe space is provided for children who come from different backgrounds and when conflicts occur between them, adults are there to mediate and prepare the children on how to solve conflicts in a restorative way. After each game there is a reflection session, where participants are invited to reflect on their personal and group experiences. 

Main sports activities cover “KacsaKő rugby”, quidditch, ultimate frisbee, football, basketball, capture the flag, orienteering and several other cooperative games. 

The children adult ration os 2:1 and the team is very well prepared: prior to the camp there are two days long preparation training taking place two times, and the camp is followed by a two days long evaluation. 

By 2024 there is a group of youngsters who have been attending the KacsaKő programs since 5-6 years, they are now implementing their own social action that they chose: they are organising and implementing non-formal educational workshops for younger children in the topic of anti-racism.

Address:

Meredek utca 21.
1124 Budapest,
Hungary

Contact person: Borbála Takács
Telephone: +36 207 791 799
kacsako [dot] egyesuletgmail [dot] com (Email) | Website