Italy
– July 2 2024
SOS Children's Villages Summer Camp: Ready for s’more fun?
The sun is shining, the water is warm and the ice cream is cold. It is a typical summer day on Lake Caldonazzo—a place where kids can be kids, swimming, laughing and playing with friends.
Located in the foothills of the Italian Alps, SOS Children’s Villages Summer Camp is a magical place where every July and August, up to 1,000 children from villages around the world enjoy an unforgettable summer vacation in nature. It’s also a meeting place where children can experience a colorful diversity of languages and cultures.
“The best thing about this place is coming back the next year,” says a young camper from Belarus. “It’s my third time here and everything is fun. I like the mountains, the lake and the people,” she adds.
Aside from the attractions of the lake, the children can choose from a wide range of other activities, including sports like football, basketball, cycling and hiking; and creative activities like painting, music, dance and theater. And at the end of their stay, the children celebrate together and show off their talents at the “Creative Festival”.
“What’s great about this place is that the children can meet others from around Europe who are living in the same situation as them.” says the camp’s Logistical Coordinator, Stefania Bortolotti. “Or they can just lie on the grass, look at the sky and do nothing. It’s their holiday!”
At the lakeside, a nine-year-old boy from an SOS Children’s Village in Austria says: “It’s my fourth time here. It’s a lot of fun. There’s a dance group and movie nights. You can play Lego too! It gets better each year. Everything is great, and the food is good."
An Italian boy, who has been coming to the camp for nine years, adds:
“Every year, I meet new people from different countries. I learn something about other nations, about their cultures. I enjoy the nature here too. I live by the sea in southern Italy, but here it’s very different with the mountains and the lakes.”
Founded in 1953, SOS Children’s Villages Summer Camp has been a source of joy and community for children and young people in alternative care for more than 70 years, giving children the opportunity to make priceless memories of friendships and new experiences that they can cherish for a lifetime.