| IMWe is
an annual Scouting and Guiding event run by the German Scout Association
Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (VCP). IMWe stands
for Internationale Musische Werkstatt (International
Creative Workshop). It takes place annually, usually at Rieneck Castle,
near Würzburg in Germany. The aim of IMWe is to give leaders of Guide
and Scout groups the opportunity to explore their creative talents in
a setting free of their usual responsibilities, within a set theme. IMWe
is prepared on behalf of the German VCP by an international
group of scouts who meet several times a year to organize the workshop,
which is always held around Easter each year. The workshop lasts for 8
or 9 days and always has a certain theme. All Guides and Scouts of 17
years plus are welcome at IMWe.
History:
IMWe started out more than 50 years ago as a training workshop for group
leaders of Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder, a German
Protestant Scout Association, designed to encourage the leaders to bring
creativeness into scouting. After a while people from other countries
started to show up at IMWe, wanting to take part of this artistic event.
The organisers of IMWe, known as teamers, are currently
a group of scouts from Germany, Austria, Norway, Croatia, Latvia,
Hungary, Finland and Iceland.
Programme:
The programme varies from year to year but here are some of the highlights
listed:
Theme
To set an extraordinary atmosphere every IMWe has a theme and a story-line
and are participants asked to dress up in costumes based on the themes.
The teamers make up a plot and the theme is involved in several programme
activities with each teamer having to act one character in the story-line.
The participants themselves are active observers, although they manage
to influence the plot as the week passes. Themes used on IMWe include:
2000: Millennium Bug
2001: India Express
2002: Gold Rush
2004: Hanseatic league
2005: The Cucumber King
2006: The Body from within
2007: Sherlock Holmes murdered?
2008: Arabian Nights - It's bazaar in Al'Mashewa
2009: Intrigue at the Opera - The final curtain
2010: Expedition Lost - Secrets of the Forgotten Diary
2011: Mission Supernova
2012: Grand Hotel Chicago
Workshops
At each year at IMWe several workshops are offered to the participants
in which they will spend their entire morning. The workshops differ from
year to year but always focus on creativeness, such as painting, acting,
making music, inventing things, telling stories, and dancing. Throughout
the week the workshops prepare something and set up a show at the final
evening, displaying the creative work of the week. The teamers make effort
in inventing new and special workshops every year so that one can go as
often to IMWe as he desires and still always learn something new. Last
few years have featured workshops like bookbinding, Flying Objects, UV-Theatre,
puppet making, storytelling, cooking etc.
Interest Groups
Interest Groups or IGs as they are commonly called are short activities
prepared and organized by the participants themselves. Everyone participating
in IMWe is offered to teach the others any special talent of his, some
customs of his nation or just anything that comes to mind.
The Day Out
One day during the middle of the week is called the Day Out, where the
scouts go to a nearby town and bring scouting to the world by fulfilling
tasks made by the teamers. This encourages the scouts to share their culture
and scouting experience with local Germans, and makes them work together
regardless of their nationality.
International Evening
This is usually one of the first evenings of the week when participants
of each nation prepare a table displaying some goods or pictures from
their country; Icelanders provide shark and liquorices, Norwegians show
pictures of trolls, the Austrians present the newest Yodeling CD from
the Alps, the Slovenians offer Honey and Potica (a nut cake) and the Germans
show up with various sorts of beer and a sip of Butzelmann.
Dream Time
Each day there is a specific Dream time after lunch, where participants
can relax after the hard work of their workshop and the events of the
night. Dream time usually takes place in the basement which is supplied
with blankets and pillows and each day the teamers provide, or ask participants
to provide, different soothing sounds, for example a story is read in
Hungarian, natural sounds are played on a CD or a musician plays the exhausted
participants to sleep.
Chatting Time
Each day also features chatting time where participants are offered tea
and biscuits and actually, participants themselves often bring some kind
of pastry from their country. Mail from the castle's postbox is delivered
but participants often send mail to their secret friends in connection
to the secret angel game. Chatting time is the ideal for integration and
mingling.
All Week Game
In some years each participant receives a name of another participant
and is therefore obliged to be especially kind to that participant. It's
popular to send candy or kind words to one's secret friend but some secret
angels (what the person who sends gifts to his secret friend is called)
are more original, sending paintings or riddles to their friends.
Information on who is whose secret angel is kept a secret until the last
night when each angel confesses to his friend that he is the secret angel.
Objectives:
IMWe aims to bring together scout leaders from Europe
- for an uplifting experience
- for new motivation and ideas for the work at home
- to exchange ideas, experiences and skills
- to establish international connections (for future exchange projects,
international activities etc.)
- to practise intercultural communication and living
- to stimulate awareness of their own and other cultures
- to reflect and present the own cultural background
- to train soft skills: communication, team work, presentation
- to learn traditional skills
- to promote creative work, arts, crafts and music in scout groups
as cultural learning
- to train methods of theme-oriented youth work
Previous IMWes:
IMWe 2010
IMWe 2010 was held in Rieneck Castle from 28.3. to 5.4.2010. The theme
was "Expedition Lost - Secrets of the Forgotten Diary" and participants
were requested to dress up as jungle plants, adventurers, explorers, pilots,
etc., anything related to the jungle.. Workshops offered were "Jungle
Colours" - a painting workshop, "On Stage Jungle" - a theatre
workshop, "Jungle Fever" - an IMWe documentary workshop, "Wooool"
and "Jungle Crafts" - 2 handicrafts workshops.
IMWe 2009
IMWe 2009 was held in Rieneck Castle from 05.4. to 13.4.2009. The theme
was "Intrigue at the Opera" and participants were requested
to dress up as Opera employees or people related to the opera (e.g. singers,
actors, stage workers, journalists, etc.). Workshops offered were "Put
it on Canvas!" - Art with uncommon materials, Cajon making, Acting
at Prof. Dr. D. Rama's Acting School, Paper World, Newspaper "Ze
Vienna Schmooze", "Masquerade - paper faces on parade…",
The Modern Dance Company, Intrigue at the Opera – The Movie (play
doh).
IMWe 2008
IMWe 2008 was held in Rieneck Castle from 16.3. to 24.3.2008. The theme
was "Arabian Nights" and participants were requested to dress
up as Arabian people (e.g. belly dancers, sheiks, traders, etc.). Workshops
offered were hammock making, Flying Objects (letting things fly, even
creating a flying carpet), Shadow theatre, Sewing Workshop, Camel News
Network (CNN) Newspaper and Radio, Music Workshop, Heavy metal workshop
(working with different metals), Portrait painting and the "The last
Game", where participants were active in designing the End Game of
IMWe 2008.
IMWe 2007
IMWe 2007 was held in Rieneck Castle from 1.4. to 9.4.2007. The theme
was "Sherlock Holmes murdered?" and participants were requested
to dress up as 19th century Londoners. Workshops offered were Mystery
Story Book making an interactive detective story, 19th Century Stage Composition
doing everything concerned with a stage play, The London Times making
a newspaper for the citizens of the Empire, The Lego film club making
a stop motion film with lego bricks, The Songwriters Club composing and
performing various songs, Experimental Science Foundation doing tests
and experiments and The Booker's Club producing books from the scratch.
IMWe 2006
IMWe 2006 was held in Rieneck Castle from 10.04. to 17.04.2006. The theme
was "The Body from within" and participants were requested to
dress up as cells or microorganisms. Workshops offered were Bactobusters
making soaps and perfumes, Heart Beat Records recording music and making
a CD, Body Language making scenes by miming, Magical Eyes making kaleidoscopes,
Woodwork making things from wood, Orchestral Body composing music, From
within making cameras out of cardboard boxes and Brain Train making up
boardgames.
IMWe 2005
This time IMWe was held in Mansfeld Castle. The theme was "The Cucumber
King" and participants were requested to dress up as characters from
various fairy-tales. Workshops offered were UV Theater where participants
used a blacklight to make plays or scenes in a darkened room, Game on
making up boardgames, Muffin Man's Lab making up stories, Printing making
stamps and printing on T-shirts, Art with the artist where participants
made a big painting of everything that had happened with a help from a
local artist, Art is everything painting paintings, Magic Lantern making
lanterns and lamps.
... and many more. The first IMWe dates back to 1955!! |
scouting skills