Welcome Days 2019

Gruppen Foto im Sportcamp

Welcome Days 2019

The camp in Melchsee-Frutt

On Wednesday morning, we met as usual at the parking lot at Sihlquai. Excitement was in the air. It wasn’t just because we didn’t know where we were off to, but also because we were meeting the new apprentices for the first time. It’s a big reunion every time and everyone enjoys seeing each other again. Once we had finished greeting everyone and stowed away the suitcases in the buses, it was time to set off!

14.08.2019

As always with the Welcome Days, everything was a huge mystery. No one was allowed to know where we were going, what the accommodation was like or even what we were going to do there. Although the last Welcome Days were a great success, nobody wanted to spend the night sleeping on a plank of wood again. Instead of speculating where we were going, we were all just hoping for comfortable beds. On the way, we tried to find out from the street signs and Google maps where our camp could be located. It was at a sports camp in Melchsee-Frutt. We were confused at first. A sports camp? The invitation didn’t say anything about sportswear. But we noticed quite quickly that the sports camp served mainly as accommodation and wasn’t related to the activities we would be doing there. Once we arrived, we all took our luggage inside. There were beds! The accommodation had several rooms that could sleep around 30 apprentices. When we were done with that, we had lunch. All satiated, we went into a room where we played games to get to know each other. The vocational trainers had come up with some really great games to get to know the new apprentices. After the games, we watched a video that was supposed to be a clue for the next day. Olaf Swantee had prepared a video message for us. The video was about a company that had developed a virus that it wanted to use to harm humanity. The apprentices’ task was to act as agents and stop the virus. However, we didn’t yet know how we were going to master the task. After all the excitement, we had free time until dinner, followed by more time to do as we pleased. Everyone really got along well and it was a great evening.

15.08.2019

The second day began. Full of energy after breakfast, we all went to the buses, that drove us about 30 minutes to Sarnen. We didn’t know anything apart from the information we’d been given the night before. We received an explanation upon arrival. There would be groups tasked with stopping and eliminating the virus. We received a briefcase with an iPad and a number of tools (IDs, letters, notes, a number lock and various chemicals). We had to solve a range of tasks and earn points. This was the only way to prevent the destruction of humanity. The iPad showed us where there were tasks to be done and where we had to go. This was followed by puzzles. Sometimes these were just questions that we had to answer. Other times, however, we had to find a password with the tools in our suitcase. One of the last tasks was even to mix the chemical liquids together in the correct order and add the mixture to the groundwater. We were in constant competition with the other teams. At lunch, we sat down in groups at a pizza restaurant. We all badly needed this break. Because the tasks hadn’t exactly been easy. Anyone who had solved the last task was allowed to grab a drink or ice cream at the lake house and wait for the others. We were all pretty tired, which made it all the more entertaining to hear how the opposing groups got on. Back at camp, we had time off until dinner. That evening, we all got together for a barbecue and enjoyed our time tremendously.

16.08.2019

It was home time already. After breakfast, we had to pack all our suitcases and take them to the bus. When everyone had finally loaded their luggage, it was time to clean up. Since everyone helped out, it went pretty quickly and we were able to leave earlier than planned. The trip home was a big party since these were the last hours of the last camp for the third-year apprentices. After arriving in Zurich, we said goodbye and went our separate ways. It was one of the best camps we’ve had so far. Now it’s time for a big thank you to the Young Talents team and once again a warm welcome to the new apprentices.