Stereotypes & prejudice about people & life in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus & Moldova are abound in our Western media today as ever before.  But who really knows the truth about what is happening? Do the people there share the same values, the same aspirations, the same concerns as their counterparts in the West, or do they look on the world with an entirely different perspective?

One great way to find out is to take part in one of this year's international workcamps, and there are plenty of them. For example, you can go to Siberia and learn what people in rural villages there think about human rights; you can spend your vacation organising activities with disabled kids in Moldova; or else join a project with teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds in Belarus. Last not least, there are plenty of exciting opportunities in the Ukraine, like for example a workcamp in the magical town of Cernovci, restoring one of the oldest and biggest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. And in all camps, you are guaranteed lots of opportunities to hear "from the horse's mouth" how people in those countries view the world around them. You will have plenty of time for getting to know the local culture, sightseeing, joining parties etc.

Interested? Then look on the SCI workcamp databank at www.sciint.org - there are more than 100 international workcamps to choose from in those four countries alone...

One thing is sure - an experience never to forget!

John Myers