FAQ – Questions and answers about our camps

• Language vacations with fun & action for kids aged 6 to 15. The motto of all our camps: learning by doing instead of boring cramming in classrooms! Learn languages without lessons!

• Most camps are held in English. But a week in French or Spanish is also possible.

• Small groups: 8 to 12 children per counsellor, depending on the type of camp.

• Dedicated English, French or Spanish-speaking counsellors from all over the world: besides learning a language, kids will also be exposed to history, culture and attitudes towards life, e.g. from America, England, South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, France, Spain or Argentina!

• Our counselors will travel to you: most camps take place in Berlin, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony.

• Familiar atmosphere and high quality standards

• Fun & Action Camps: Our classic camps in English, with or without overnight stay.

  Day Camps: Fun & action during the day, and back home for the night. Monday to Friday without overnight stay, with lunch included, for kids aged 6 to 14 in Berlin, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony, camp language English.

  Overnight Camps: No parents from Sunday to Friday. Round-the-clock fun & action with overnight stay in the youth centre, full board, for kids aged 8 to 15 in Brandenburg and Lower Saxony, camp language English.

• Camp YoYo Rigolo: Our camps in French, with or without overnight stay, for kids aged 12 to 15, in Berlin, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony. Camp languages are both French and English.

• Club Español: Our camps in Spanish, with or without overnight stay, for kids aged 12 to 15, in Berlin, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony. Camp languages are both Spanish and English.

• Special Day Camps (English): For all kids who would like to work intensively with Graffiti, Arts & Crafts, Dance or Acrobatics & Gymnastics, from Monday to Friday without overnight stay, with lunch, for kids aged 9 to 14 in Berlin, Brandenburg and Lower Saxony, camp language English.

• International Kids Camp: Adventure and action, accommodation in tents or huts, full board, for kids from all over the world aged 7 to 16, in Lower Saxony, camp languages German and English.

• English intensive camp: combination of language course (lessons) and activity program, TOEFL course possible, one to three weeks, in Germany (kids aged 7 to 16) or England (kids aged 10 to 17).

YoYo Camps are colourful! They are wild! They are cool! Because learning languages with YoYo Camps means having fun, playing, chilling, laughing and doing cool things. In short: having great holidays! There are no lessons here, only "learning by doing". At the heart of YoYo Camps are the Fun & Action Camps in English with and without overnight stays in Germany. Since 2022, there have also been camps in French (Camp YoYo Rigolo) and Spanish (Club Español) for slightly older children.

We don't take the children abroad, we bring the foreign countries to the children. Our counsellors come from all over the world, e.g. from England, Ireland, USA, Nigeria, South Africa, India, France, Spain or Argentina. The camp language is (depending on the camp) English, French or Spanish. There are no traditional lessons, but the children immerse themselves in the foreign language in everyday life. As the counsellors usually do not speak German, the children have to talkin their language.

The camps are for bright children who are curious and keen to embark on an adventure. It's all about the games, the activities and the time they spend with the other children. They immerse themselves in a week full of fun and action with a colourful programme. As they are surrounded by English, French or Spanish all day long, they learn along the way.

The added value of holiday camps for children's development is undisputed. The children develop their social skills as well as their own behavioural and creative competencies by trying things out and developing themselves. They consolidate their own personality through interaction with other children and young people and gain independence. They gain experiences that will last a lifetime!

The safety and well-being of the kids is our highest priority. Therefore we place great emphasis on the high quality of our camps, which we regularly check, improve and have certified.

YoYo Camps is a member of Reisenetz, the German Association for Child and Youth Travel. As a programme provider and organiser of supervised trips for children and young people as well as school trips, we meet all of the association's quality criteria. In addition to the careful selection and training of our counsellors and well thought-out emergency management, this also includes free and competent consultation before and during the camps, the necessary insurance cover in the event of liability claims and insolvency, as well as an evaluation of  participant satisfaction.

All counselors are required to provide a copy of their extended criminal record and acquire knowledge during training week on the prevention of sexualized violence against children.

The coronavirus pandemic has presented us with new challenges so that we can continue to organise the camps with the usual quality and foresight. In this context, we have developed a customised hygiene concept to minimise the risk of infection (not only from coronavirus) in our camps as far as possible. We have also undergone training and have been certified in this field.

Camp bookings can only be made online. If you're having technical difficulties feel free to reach out to us and in exceptional cases we will be able to book everything through the phone. As soon as we have received your booking and checked it, we will send you a booking confirmation. With this the contract is closed, your booking is binding and your spot is guaranteed. The confirmation as well as any further correspondence will be done by e-mail. If you do not receive a confirmation within two days, please check your spam folder!

If you need to cancel your camp booking (e.g. because your child gets sick), you will have to pay cancellation fees. Alternatively you can rebook for a small service fee or find a replacement to take your spot. The amount of the cancellation fee depends on the time of cancellation.

During your booking process you can add a cancellation guarantee and minimize the cancellation fee. The cancellation guarantee costs 25€ for Day Camps and 50€ for Overnight Camps. Until the camp starts you reduce your cancellation costs to a maximum of 15% of the participation fee. Without a cancellation guarantee, 90% cancellation fees are due 15 days before the start of the camp.

If a camp gets cancelled by YoYo Camps e.g. because of coronavirus regulations, you will of course receive a full refund of your participation fee paid up to that point.

Our one week Day Camps are available from around 300 euros, overnight camps from around 500 euros per week, depending on the destination and length. Our goal is to enable as many children and teenagers as possible to participate in a holiday camp and have access to the English, French or Spanish language. We therefore keep costs as low as possible without compromising on our quality standards!

We offer loyalty and sibling discounts for returning participants and families with several children. In addition, we always endeavour to provide individual funding opportunities to specifically support families with financial challenges.

In addition, we are retaining our solidarity pricing model. There are three different price ranges: The Basispreis or Base price is what we have to charge to be able to run the camps with our usual quality. Those who are financially constrained and still want to enable their child to stay at the camp can take advantage of the "Soli-Rabatt" (solidarity discount). We have raised this to 15 euros for a day camp and 25 euros for a camp with overnight accommodation. On the other hand, those who can financially afford it, can pay the "Soli-Zuschlag" (solidarity surcharge) and thus make it possible for children with fewer financial resources to participate. The solidarity surcharge is also 15 euros for a day camp and 25 euros for an overnight camp. We do not profit from the solidarity surcharge ourselves! If we receive more solidarity surcharges than solidarity discounts are used, we will use them to finance additional spots for children who would not be able to participate in a summer camp from their own resources, e.g. from refugee families.

Ein weiteres Modell, um Kindern mit wenig finanziellen Mitteln eine Teilnahme am Camp zu ermöglichen, sind Patenschaften. Die Paten oder Patinnen übernehmen die Beiträge teilweise oder ganz für bestimmte Kinder. Wenn ihr Interesse habt, auch Pate oder Patin zu werden, meldet euch jederzeit bei uns, wir vermitteln gerne!

Sponsorships are another model for enabling children with limited financial resources to take part in the camps. The sponsors pay part or all of the fees for certain children. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please get in touch with us at any time, we will be happy to help!

We are confident that we will be able to count on your solidarity again in 2022 and thus help financially challenged families. Tip: We have learned from some parents that there is the possibility to get the costs of the camp reimbursed by the Jobcenter, for example as part of "education and participation". If you need a certificate from us for this, we will be happy to provide you with one!

Discounts: We always offer discounts for returning children and siblings. From time to time additional dicsounts will be added e.g. Early Bird or Last Minute offers. Discounts cannot be added together. The highest discount applies in each case.

Payments should be made through bank transfers after receiving the invoice.

A deposit is to be made within 14 days and the remaining payment is due no later than four weeks before camp start.

We plan everything in great detail and assume that all camps will be able to take place. However, there are certain situations which make it impossible to conduct camps. We will then cancel the camp and refund the participation fee you have paid up to that point.

Some examples of this type of situation are if there are government regulations or exceptional circumstances (e.g. accommodation ban, pandemic-related requirements, natural disasters) that make it impossible to carry the camp. It has also happened that the campground has cancelled our event at short notice, e.g. because the rooms were needed to cater for refugees.

In rare cases, we also have to cancel if the minimum participant count for a camp is not reached. The minimum is 12 children. In this case we will inform you at least two weeks before the camp starts.

This all depends on your child! An important factor besides prior knowledge is their willingness to try things out and immerse themselves in the language.

Our concept is based on the joy of learning, self-efficacy and motivation of the children. We do NOT offer lessons, one-to-one support or intensive courses, unless this is explicitly mentioned in the advert.

Instead, we offer a framework in which English/French/Spanish as the camp language dominates the day and the children are motivated and encouraged to try things out and develop further.

The learning success is often not noticeable in the short term, but can be seen in the longer term in the children's motivation and enjoyment of learning the language. At the camp, they experience the language in everyday life, not through abstract topics. They experience how much they already know and are encouraged to express all their concerns in the foreign language. This often works better than they initially think! Through positive experiences at the camp, the language is linked to these experiences and helps the children to have easier access to the language in the future and also to learn at school with more motivation and fun.

Day Camps are Monday to Thursday from 9 am to 5 pm (only in Braunschweig from 8 am to 4 pm), on Friday we also start at 9 am (or 8 am in Braunschweig), but end at 4 pm in all camp locations. In general our counsellors will be at the camp at 8.45 am to welcome the kids. The official programme ends at 4.30 pm, after which the children are free to play and are supervised until 5 pm. They can be picked up anytime after 4:30 pm. If they’re allowed to go home by themselves we need a written permission form stating so.

On Friday, the YoYo Show traditionally takes place at 15:30 (Day Camps) or 16:00 (Overnight Camps), for which the children rehearse a small stage performance. Parents and siblings are cordially invited to attend.

Overnight Camps in Brandenburg and Lower Saxony (except Lüneburger Heide, see below) usually run from Sunday afternoon 4pm to Friday afternoon 5pm.

The Easter and Autumn Camps in Gnewikow each last one day longer, ending on Saturday around noon.

Overnight Camps in Lüneburger Heide always run from Sunday to Saturday. You can bring your kids to the campsite yourself or book shuttles or chaperoned train rides. Details and exact schedules can be found in the descriptions of the camp locations.

Camps in England can be booked for two or three weeks. Here too, you can travel independently or via accompanied flights, train journeys or shuttles, which will affect the exact arrival and departure times. Details can also be found in the description of the camp locations. You will find the exact times for your camp in the travel documents, which we will send you in good time!

Unless otherwise stated in the camp description, children are responsible for their own arrival and departure.

For Day Camps you can decide whether your child can come to the camp alone from the second day onward, and is also allowed to go home alone. On the first day, it’s important that you accompany your child so you can get to know the counsellors and can discuss any unanswered questions. If your child is allowed to go home by themselves, we will need a written permission. The same applies if your child is being picked up by other parents / grandparents / other persons.

At Overnight Camps in Brandenburg and Lower Saxony (except Lüneburger Heide) arrival and departure are your own responsibilities. Of course we are always ready to help if you have difficulties getting there.

For our Overnight Camps in Lüneburger Heide and in England it is possible to book accompanied train journeys or flights and shuttles. Details can be found in the description of each camp.

Of course we take allergies and other dietary restrictions into account, if we are notified of these in advance! We work with caterers who are prepared for this and can always offer alternatives for special diets. In some cases, proof of allergies are required.

With your booking confirmation you will receive all important information about your camp. Approximately three to four weeks before the camp starts, you will receive a detailed information packet. Of course, we are also always happy to answer any questions you may have by phone or e-mail.

For all questions and concerns, the best way to reach us is by email at info(at)yoyocamps.de or by phone at 033205-604757. The office is usually staffed at least between 9am and 2pm.

If you can’t get ahold of us please leave a message on the answering machine and we will return the call as soon as possible.

During camps season, we may not be able to call you back immediately or an e-mail might not be answered for two days. If your child is at camp, you can reach us 24 hours a day via our emergency number, which we will send you in time with the parent information packet.