Pedagogical modules and projects we offer

We offer educational modules, meetings with contemporary witnesses, work modules on the graveyard, creative modules and field trips to Poland.

Depending on the chosen program there might be extra costs for transport, entrance fees and guided tours. The team of the YMC Golm would love helping you to plan and arrange excursions and gives advice in choosing the right means of transportation.
We recommend consultations regarding your booking not later than four week in advance.

Example of a school project week at the YMC Golm:
Monday: Arrival. Time to get to know the JMC and a introduction into the topic. Visit to the beach/ leisure time in Kamminke.
Thuesday: War cemetery module, examination with individual fates. Afternoon: creative module or guided tour through the natural park Island Usedom or bus/bike-tour to the beach in Ahlbeck.
Wednesday: Maritime field day (boat-trip, canoe etc.) at the Uecker or Stettiner backwater or courage module in the morning and Peenesafari (canoe) or ropes course in the afternoon.
Thursday: Excursion to Swinoujscie (Swinemünde) with bike. Follow the tracks of the prussian seaport and experience the polish city Swinoujscie. Maritime barbecue in the evening.
Friday: Trip to Peenemünde: Visit of the historical-technical museum. Afternoon: leisure time in the beautiful seaside resorts Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin.
Saturday: Evaluation of the joint project, departure.

Notice: Our educational modules are free for our guests. There is a fixed price for the creative module.

We have 50 bikes at our guest's disposal (small rental).

Participants of the field trip to Poland need a valid ID. Since Poland became a member of the Schengen Agreement in late 2007, passport controls at the border are no longer hold. But there is the duty to carry along identity papers. The entry of participants of non-EU-members is possible without any difficulty. The field trip to Poland will be organised and accompanied by staff of the YMC that is familiar with the place.

• War cemetery Golm

After an introduction into the topic the pupils divide themselves into small groups and work on selected biographies of survivers and victims of the bombing raid on Swinemünde. In this way they are able to overcome the distance and abstraction of topics like bomb war, displacement and abscondence.
Organisation and realisation: YMC Golm.
Length: about 3 hours.

Possible focuses:
• Actor or victim? Biographies on the cemetery "Golm"
• Bomb war
• Displacement and abscondence of german and polish people
• Talks with contemporary witnesses
• Forced labor in World War II
• Quarrel over the graves: the history of the Golm

Kriegsgräberstätte Golm, Oktober 2004

An Excursion to Peenemünde and Karlshagen would give this work a good complement. In Peenemünde the infamous V2-Rocket, the „Wunderwaffe“ (silver bullet) was produced which constantly attacked London. Karlshagen is, like the Golm, a place where thousands of victims of Hitler's "total war" are burried. These places can give precious insights to understand the reasons and consequences of war and violence.

The main focous of the exhibition at the historical technical museum of Peenemünde lies in the violence that spread from Usedom in form of the V2-Rocket. The museum offers the possibility of a guided tour. Different aspects could be further deepened by using questionaires.
On the way to Peenemünde there will be a stop at the memorial in Karlshagen that is in a direct context with Peenemünde.
Organisation: YMC Golm.
Realisation: historical technical museum Peenemünde.
Length: 1,5-4 hours
Costs: Guided tour: 30 €. Entrance fee for students: 2 €

• Creative module: Ideas for Peace

An possibility to continue the module on the cemetery on the Golm is an afternoon filled with creative examination of the topics war and peace. The group can also choose their preferred way to deal with the topic.

Paint and brushes, pens, fabric bags, paper, an old guitar and the pupils creativity are the ingredients for this creative workshop.
During the writing workshop students can choose between poems, letters to contemporary witnesses and personal peace agreements. With paint and fabric bags the artists can express their ideas and feelings. The guitar composes well known peace songs in a new way or even new songs arise.
The aim is that students individually deal with what they have heard, seen and felt here at the Golm.

Length: 2 - 3 hours
Costs of material: 5 € each participant

• Meeting a contemporary witness

Precondition for a successful meeting with a member of the war generation is an adequate preparation during school lessons prior arrival. Points of interest and questions should be developed by the group.
Living survivors receive small gifts from the groups.
Lenght: 1,5 - 2 hours

• Excursion to Swinoujscie

Participants will explore a polish city with german history and will become sensitised for the exciting coexistence of two cultures. It is a journey through past, present and future. The ideal way of transportation are bikes or the ship (during summertime only). Of course there will be enough leisure time, too.

A day in Swinoujscie might have the following focuses:

Trace tracking in Swinoujscie:
After a short polish language course the students are divided into groups. Each group gets a questionaire in which historical places of interest are are marked. With the help of a map and by asking inhabitants of Swinoujscie they have to find those places and answer certain questions.
Organisation and realisation: YMC Golm.
Length: 1,5 hours - half a day (depending on the way of transport -bike tour or bus)

Swinoujscie yesterday, today, tomorrow:
This ralley through the city is appropriate specially for international projects. Participants explore Swinoujscie in small bi-national groups and experience it as Polish, German and international city. Different topics will be discussed and later puzzled together to from a bigger picture of the city.
Organisation and realisation: YMC Golm.
Length: 1,5 hours - half a day (depending on the way of transport -bike tour or bus)

• "Junglesafari" and trace tracking at the island Karsibór (Kaseburg) - the summer adventure!

150 years ago the Swinoujscie isle Karsibór was part of the island Usedom. It was constructed during the building of a channel. Today the polish isle is basically a piece of untouched nature with interesting historical traces off the roads e.g.: a former U-boot harbur, the crash site of a British aeroplane or an old cemetery of a former German village. In small groups the trackers betake themselfs to this adventure!
Organisation and realisation: YMC Golm.
Length, incl. bike tour from and to Kamminke (each approx. 10 km) and ferry crossing (free of charge): approx. 5 hours

• Photosafari - Swinoujscie back then and today

After a short polish language course the students are divided into groups. Each group gets a certain number of historical photos from Swinoujscie, a map of the former german city and a street map. Aim of the groups are to find the depicted buildings, places etc. shown on the pictures. Creativitiy is needed for this because sometimes a person must be found how can match the picture with today's location. Finding out about the history of each location and a comparison with its present look and use are also part of the safari.
Organisation and realisation: YMC Golm.
Length: 1,5 hours - half a day (depending on the way of transport -bike tour or bus)

Option for all tours: A following bike tour to visit the island Wollin which gives the great opportunity to gather new perspectives. Climbing the old Lighthouse offers a marvellous view over the city, the harbour, the fortifications, the islands and the Golm.

• Courage Module

More than thousands of people have saved the lifes of jews during World War 2 and many of them already felt into oblivion. In this module we want to give those people a face and want to make them as role models for our everyday life and actions. Especially German and Polish "lawful ones of nations" will take a big part. By the means of those persons it shall be pointet out that every human being is responsible for hin own actions. And even during a dictatorship it was and is possible to act according to human rights as well as christian values. During a second part pupils work out what opportunities they have today to act encouraged and which "small steps" they can do on the path to peace. It is not the intension to create many little heros but to show "small bravery" during everyday life, because: everyone can change the world - you, too!

We recommend an early consultation to clearify the context and define aims of this module.
Lenght: 2-3 hours, appropriate for 7. grades and higher.

• Getting in contact with a war grave

• The work of the German War Graves Commission in Germany and foreign countries
• Ways of remembrance
• Reading and evaluating guest books of the war graveyard Golm
• Grave verification
• Project: book of remembrance
• Victims and actors
• Design of war graveyard and places of remembrance
• Active caretaking of graves
• The situation of law in war grave services
• the online service to find graves

Organisation and realisation: YMC Golm.
Length: 1,5-3 hours.

• German-Polish encounter

Aim for this module ist the personal encounter of polish teenagers of the same age for german groups that do not have a partner school. We will invite a group of pupils from the polish part of Usedom. The groups will be able to get to know each other in a variety of sports and games in Kamminke. The first evening will end with an international barbeque.
A visit of the school of the polish group in the following days is possible. This module is only possible if details are planned early enough!

Organisation and realisation: YMC Golm.
Length: one day.

• Peenesafari

Particular for youth groups (from 20 to 80 people) the canoestation Anklam offers a exciting time in the unique fluvial topography of the Peene. After a short introduction, safety advices and the handing out of equipment including life jackets the tour with an experence nature guide can start. Each canoe contains 2-4 people and we follow the traces of beavers and might be lucky to see sea eagles and kingfishers as well.

Lenght: approx. 3 hours
Costs: 8,00 € per person

• Maritime field day

Every wednesday at 10:00 am begins the journey through the Szczecin Lagoon at the harbor in Kamminke. On the other side of the Uecker at the Centre for outdoor and environmental education the group will be instructed in the use of kayaks, canoes and paddle boat catamarans. Under qualified instruction the group will start its tour on the Uecker. Depending on the technical skills the group will reach a historic bridge, some beaver places or even a ship graveyard. On request the climbing tower (height: 10 meters) at the Centre for outdoor and environmental education can be used.
Return at 18:30, Arrival at Kamminke: 20:00.

Price for guests of the YMC Golm: 16,00€ per participant.
Number of participants: 15, max. 32
Only possible on wednesdays

• Excursion to Szczecin (Stettin)

A day tour to the ancient Pomeranian capital is in particular suited for higher school grades, students and adult education groups. Starting point is the central cemetery, created as a main cemetery in 1907 and currently the third largest cemetery in Europe. On the spectacular park-like setting the eventful history of the city will be retraced during a guided tour with an expert of the Volksbund. A number of memorials, monuments and war graves also provide a deeper insight into the German, but especially the Polish culture of Remembrance and Commemoration.
Afterwards a visit of the hook terraces and the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes situated in the heart of the modern city is planed.
Further details of the day tour by prior arrangement.

Costs: Guided tour/ company: 50,00€ plus any costs for the transfer Kamminke-Stettin-Kamminke.

• Places to visit

• Historisch-Technisches Informationszentrum Peenemünde (Historical-technical information centre Peenemünde)
• Gedenk- und Kriegsgräberstätte Karlshagen (War graveyard and memorial place Karlshagen)
• during summer: Vineta-festival in Zinnowitz (7,00€ per person)
• visit of the theatre "Die Blechbüchse" in Zinnowitz (4,00€ per person)
• Exhibition about the Golm in the church of Garz
• Natural resort of the island of Usedom (guided hiking tour)
• Travel to Swinoujscie (Swinemünde) by bike or ship
• Canoeing on the river Peene
• Visit of the „Kaiserbäder“ Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin
• Prison of the Wehrmacht in Anklam
• Museum of Lilienthal in Anklam
• Museum of Pomerania in Greifswald
• The German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund
• Centre of Documentation “KdF-Bad Prora” (Island of Rügen)
• Travel to Szczecin (Stettin) by bus or ship
• ...

Leisure activities:
- table tennis
- streetball
- beachvolleyball
- small soccer field
- outdoor chessboard
- tabletop soccer
- barbegue and bonfire site
- beach with possibility to swim (10 min. by foot)
- bicycles


Material to prepare your visit:
(unfortunately most publications are not available in English)
Leaflet: „Kriegsgräberstätte Golm–Lernort der Geschichte“. Orders: Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V., Bundesgeschäftsstelle, Referat Ö/J1, Werner-Hilpert-Straße 2, 34117 Kassel, Telefon: 0049 561-7009-114, Fax: 0049 561-7009-295, Email: jbs@volksbund.de


The seminar rooms of the youth meeting centre can also be used for short projects (when the participants do not stay overnight). Previous contact with our team is necessary! Groups that stay longer have priority in using the rooms. There will be no fees for using the seminar rooms for long term guests.