Expedition Bavaria

The Idea

Expedition Bavaria is a youth social work project at elementary schools in the city of Erlangen. It is carried out by the youth social workers at six elementary schools. The project team has many years of experience and a high level of expertise in conducting expedition-style programs.

Expedition Bavaria arose from the idea of adapting “Expedition Germany”—a proven experiential education project run by the city’s youth welfare office in collaboration with middle schools—to the elementary school setting. The underlying concept was to give children the opportunity to discover new things beyond the city limits of Erlangen and thereby strengthen their own skills. To meet the needs of elementary-school-aged children, the plan was developed to travel throughout their own federal state. Bavaria is a multifaceted state with much to discover, which led to the idea of exploring the north and south, city and countryside, mountains and rivers using various modes of transportation. “Expedition Bavaria” was born.

Preparation

As is customary with an expedition, participants must prepare for the trips in advance. To this end, various training sessions were developed, which the children complete in the months leading up to the trip.

The training sessions include a bicycle training session, a first-aid course, and a train and rail training session. To kick things off, there’s a hike to the Walberla with all the children and their parents.

Recording Experiences

To ensure that no memories are lost, each child receives their own logbook. In it, they can document the many impressions and experiences of the expedition.