"No Fear!" is a Christian Language Camp for young people.
It is christian camp because it's organised by people who believe in the Bible and try to follow Jesus in a personal way.
It is a language camp because we'll be practising our English. When? All the time! When we play, sing, attend workshops or discuss every topic under the sun, we speak English. The goal is to overcome the fears that stop us from learning efficiently, work hard and stay highly motivated.
And it is for young people because... well, it's for people who are young. Not too young though. The point is: if you are not a child any more, but do not feel quite like an adult, the camp is probably for you.
The camp officially starts at 12:00 PM on August 19th and ends at 12:00 PM on August 26th, 2024.
We'll be at the Zielona Polana in Łączki. Click the link to learn more.
The price is 1789 PLN and it includes:
- 7 nights at the Zielona Polana holiday resort in Łączki
- Access to all amenities: swimming pool, sports field, billiards, table tennis, lounge, parking, and more
- Free internet (Wi-Fi) access throughout the facility
- Full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Supervision by qualified staff and medical care
- Personal accident, health, and liability insurance
- Program activities
Transportation to and from the facility is not included, so make sure you have a transport. If you need help, just let us know, we are good with dealing with non-standard situations.
For anyone who's no longer a child but not quite an adult, looking to improve their English and conquer their fears. If you like to watch films in English, sing songs in English, chat freely with people from around the globe, the camp is for you. And if you look for opportunities to talk about life, faith, tough choices, scary future or modern-world dilemmas, you'll like the camp even more. The camp is an opportunity for anyone who is fearful but wishes to be fearless.
The camp is organised by "To Be Happy C.I.C." from England and the holiday organiser RagaTour from Poland. Click the links to get more information.
C.I.C. stands for "Community Interest Company". It's a type of company in the United Kingdom similar to charity. All the profits must be spent to benefit a community in line with the company's statutory objectives. Simply put, it's a business that runs like any other, but all the profits must be spent on something good for everybody.
That's the formal side of things.
On a more personal note, the camp's inventor and driving force is Martin Lechowicz. If you speak Polish you might know him from the internet. Martin is known for his humorous songs and libertarian views, but less so for running a Bible podcast called Odwyk for the last 16 years.
The podcast is more important here because it has attracted over the years extraordinary people: creative, brave, and unusual. They started to meet, organise themselves and work together. Over the years, they managed to run wonderfully unorganised camps they call "OdwykCamps". In 2022 they founded "To Be Happy C.I.C.". In 2023 participated in a camp in Ukraine (no one else would come on account of war and occasional drones falling down from the sky), And in 2024 they started organising their own camps.
Martin Lechowicz has been involved with English Camps run by International Messengers in Poland since 1994. First, he was a camper, then a translator, and eventually assisted in anything there was something to do. With so much experience and with a team well-tested in battle (it was quite literally war), it's time to start running the camps again.
No, of course not. "Christian camp" simply means: it is organised by Christians. We see no reason to hide who we are, as it is the reason we are happy, open and friendly.
The only requirement for campers is to respect the beliefs, convictions and viewpoints of other people. Freedom to choose your own beliefs, the right to express your opinion, and open discussions (also about God and faith) are encouraged and promoted at the camp. So a "Christians-only" camp would be pointless. Not to mention: boring.
So please believe anything you like, don't worry about it. You're welcome to share it. Be yourself and have no fear.
It is not a military camp, and children are not robots. Young people don't like rules, and with a good reason. Neither do we.
But since we don't know all our campers, a minimal set of strict rules must apply to all. There are 7 basic rules and the camp:
1. We do not tolerate any violence, hitting, bullying or threats. This applies to everyone, everywhere, all the time. There will be no blind eye for anyone who harms others.
2. The same goes for private property. Theft or destruction of things that belong to others will not be tolerated.
3. No alcohol, no drugs. Beer is not a sin, Jesus drank wine, but that's not the point. Those rules are for a reason and they come from long experience. If you want to know our reasons, talk to us.
4. Tobacco can only be smoked in designated areas within the facility. And in a way that doesn't bother others.
5. I know there is a child benefit in Poland that is 800 PLN a month. If a girl and a boy are desperate to get that money, starting from May 2025, they better wait with the plan until after the camp. That's the rule number 5. I understand it might be a bit unclear to a camper what the rule says. But I'm counting on parents to explain. If they don't, no worries, we'll explain. The rule is quite serious though. No "number 5" at the camp, please.
6. Campers will follow the staff's instructions regarding safety, legal requirements, and other important matters. Here's an example: if a teacher says, "Wojtek, take off that sweater, it's 30 degrees," camper Wojtek may choose to listen or not. No problem. But if he's told: "Wojtek, leave the room now, there's a fire alarm," there will be no discussion. Camper Wojtek either does what he's told or he will explain to parents why he broke rule number 6.
7. If in doubt, we will investigate, ask around, and be fair and just. But the final decision belongs to the camp director.
Every camper has to agree that if they break any of the basic rules, it automatically ends the camp for him or her. In such cases, it is the responsibility of parents or guardians to transport the camper back home.
This is the deal. We believe that trust and understanding yield better results than rules and regulations. We don't like rules and we don't want more of them than absolutely necessary. But we also must ensure that everyone has a good time and returns home safely. There will be no tolerance for breaking the basic rules at the camp.
Campers (or their parents) need to arrange transport to and from the camp. If there's a problem, we can help. Just tell us, we'll try to find the best solution together.
Also, please note, that if a camper breaks one of our basic rules, he (or she) is expelled it is the parents' responsibility to provide the transport back home.
But we believe there will be no cases like that and it won't be necessary.
Just get in touch with us any way you like. We will tell you all about the process.
To secure your spot at the camp, you will need to fill out a registration form, read a few additional documents, sign a contract with Raga Tour Travel Agency, and pay a deposit of 700 PLN.
Those are all legal requirements, and they are quite boring. But don't worry, we will guide you through it.
When you get all the information from us and have signed all the documents, please send the first part of the payment via bank transfer. The rest of the fee can be transferred later. We'll provide all the details when you sign up.
Well, that's unfortunate. If you withdraw after signing the contract, the paid amount will be deducted according to the contract's terms. In simple language: the deposit will be gone.
We realise that life can be unpredictable, so if you are not sure if you can make it or not, we recommend buying cancellation insurance to cover the possibility of illness or other unforeseen events. It's not expensive and provides peace of mind. If you buy the cancellation insurance and withdraw after signing the contract, you will have your deposit back by ty.
In case that for some unexpected reason, the camp has to be cancelled, we will refund all you paid, including the deposit.
In a perfect world, the camp would be free. We would like that.
But in real one, there are costs. Our team consists entirely of volunteers, which keeps the costs as low as possible. However, there are other costs and the cost of the facility is the biggest. We cannot go around it. This is the lowest camp price we can offer.
However, we are prepared for some special cases.
We would like the camp to have as many participants from other countries and cultures as possible. Therefore, for participants from lands far, far away (outside the EU and UK), we've set up a special fund, thanks to our donors. It means we are able to offer a 50% discount for a few campers.
It's not a rule, it's all individual. So if you think this is your case, please contact us and we'll see what we can do.
If you're exceptionally fearless, bring nothing at all! You would have definitely earned our respect. For the rest of us, a.k.a. "normal people", we do recommend packing one, several, or all of the following items:
- Phone
- Clothes
- Phone charger
- Sportswear
- Something warm to wear (for cooler days)
- Rain gear (for rainy days)
- A hat or sunglasses (for sunny days and to look cool)
- Flip-flops for the shower
- Towels
- Pyjamas
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo
- Hairdryer (for those with long hair)
- A bag for dirty, smelly clothes
- A cuddly toy or plush animal (why not)
- Sunscreen, with or without SPF
- A PMR radio if you want to have fun eavesdropping on staff conversations (channel 7)
Get detailed directions here (site is in Polish, but you know how to translate it, can't you?): https://www.zielonapolana.com.pl/dojazd
Yes, absolutely! Go ahead, this is a holiday camp, not a high-security prison.
We just ask that you inform us beforehand, just to make sure we're not off on a trip or running around in the forest, for example.
Many campers, and even some of the staff, have unique dietary requirements. This is completely normal and we're well prepared to help.
Last year at the camp in Ukraine, we brought a volunteer who could only eat eggs and meat cooked in a slow cooker. It might seem a bit problematic during the war, but we managed just fine. So don't worry, after the experience we had, we can manage just about anything.
The camp application form, which participants or parents need to fill out, has a field for dietary needs. Just write down for us what you need. In the rare case that your requirements are so unusual that they surpass our capabilities (hard to believe, frankly), we'll get in touch and we'll work something out together.
Your child is already well insured for the camp. It's all in the price, so there's no need for additional insurance. However, you can opt for additional cancellation insurance if you need. Raga Tour Travel Agency, a co-organiser of the camp, offers such insurance.
We don't have a fixed number. At the beginning of the camp, before dividing into groups, we spend some time getting to know each camper and assessing their English level. Based on this information, we divide campers into groups. We make sure that campers in each group have similar levels of English and also similar expectations. Some campers are more ambitious than Hermione Granger, and some like to have fun like Ron Weasley. They'll be happier if they are in separate English classes.
What we know for sure is that a group will have no fewer than 3 people and no more than 7.
Two, three or four. There are several types of rooms.
The facility offers a swimming pool, sports fields, billiards, table tennis, a lounge, and a playground. There are recreational areas all around the facility. There is a barbecue shelter. All these are available for campers.
That's the facility, but we have also our own events planned during our free time. We keep them as surprises, but we have lots to choose from. Field games, competitions, drone races or more adventurous trips. We even have access to training at a shooting range with a licensed instructor for selected campers - no additional cost. We make only one camp a year, so we have time to prepare fir quite unusual events. We also like to leave some room for changes and improvisation, so expect nice surprises every now or then. It's all part of the camp. It's not an accident that the name of the camp is "no fear".
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