Day 1 – Arrival Day!

Welcome to sunny South Africa! Upon your arrival to Port Elizabeth Airport, you’ll be picked up and transferred across to your new home for the next 5-weeks! Spend the evening getting to know your fellow campers and settling into South African lifestyle!

Day 2 – Introduction to the United Through Sport Team & FREE DAY

Meet the team that are running the project, get settled in an explore your new surroundings with your free day.

Day 3 – 7 – English Teaching/Sports Coaching Project

Time to make a real difference and get involved with your chosen community projects for the next 5 days!

English Teaching – Teaching takes place Monday – Friday from 9 am – 2:30 pm.

Here at Camp South Africa, we work with two main schools in the Townships of the local village – one is a conventional primary school and the other is a school for those with special needs (you will have the option to choose upon arrival which school you’d like to teach in, and if you’d like to attend both, that is possible too!). Participants will mainly be involved in helping with Maths and English to slow and fast learning children in grades 4, 5, 6 and 7. However, some participants may get the chance to teach a whole class of children, either by themselves or alongside other volunteers. As levels of education do not stay within strict grade guidelines in South Africa, as in other countries, it’s important all Camp South Africa participants are proactive, flexible and adaptable.

All the students within the schools we work with have workbooks with set assignments in, so teachers are not expected to come up with materials to teach, just help the children with their already existing assignments. All Camp South Africa participants are provided with an online Teaching Young Learners Qualification prior to their departure to help prepare them for teaching.

Sports Coaching – Coaching takes place from Monday-Friday 9am-4:00pm. On a normal day, you will leave the accommodation at about 8:30am and return at about 5:00pm. We say ‘on a normal day’ because as you will quickly find out, the way of life in South Africa is very relaxed and plans often change, so you may get a few half days off here and there! Participants will coach in three different schools a day for about an hour and a half at each, and you will be transported to and from each by the team in South Africa. Depending on the number of coaches there at the same time, you will usually be coaching in groups of twos or threes. So don’t worry – you won’t be on your own. It’s a team effort!

A usual session will start with a fun warm-up (including games and fun competitions), develop into some skill development exercises, maybe a small match or two and most likely end with lots of singing and dancing and maybe the odd Xhosa lesson (this is where the children will teach you!). Coaching in this project relies on having a relaxed attitude and being able to improvise. The levels and quantities of equipment out there can be very limited, so you may have to use rocks instead of cones, but that’s all part of the fun! You will be coaching kids ranging from 8-14 years of age, sometimes in the same class (as the classes are very mixed) with a mixture of boys and girls (depending on what sports you help to coach, with more girls in netball and more boys in rugby).

Nearly all of the children have a very basic level of English, but you might have to improvise in how you explain things, with lots of demonstrations, but this really does just add to the fun and the experience! The abilities of the children you coach will be very varied depending on the school you’re in and the sport you are coaching. Those coaching football often find the boys are quite skilled due to their sheer love of the sport. However, those coaching sports such as Netball and Hockey may find themselves coaching complete beginners.

Afternoons/Evenings after Community Projects: The evenings throughout the week are yours to fill your time as you wish! Chill at the accommodation after a day of hard-work in the community spaces or around the seasonal pool, travel into Port Elizabeth centre to do some exploring or get involved in some epic optional activities! Be sure to talk to our onsite team about their favourite recommendations for local tours, restaurants and activities!

Day 8 & 9: Weekend Activities: –

Here at Camp South Africa, the weekends are for FUN!

The programme includes 2 weekend tours, however the dates for these tours are not fixed as they are dependent on availability and the weather – our partners ‘UTS’ will disclose tour dates and details upon your arrival.

On the weekends that our included tours aren’t running, be sure to speak to our dedicated reps for recommendations on local tours and some of the epic activities you can get involved in, these involve* (warning – may not be for the faint-hearted! :P) :

• Skydiving
• Bungee Jumping
• Shark Cage Diving
• Safari & Game Reserve Drives
• Canoeing Trips
• Waterfall Visits
• Boat and Snorkelling Trips

For the less adventurous, the beautiful city of Port Elizabeth is just a short drive away and boasts one of the most beautiful shorelines in all of South Africa. Why not try your hand at surfing or spend the day topping up the tan on the local silky sands palm-fringed beach? If you prefer, you can choose to spend the weekend relaxing on-site and chilling by the pool!

*All optional activities come at an additional cost and are subject to availability at the time of booking (booked in country).

Day 10 – 14 – English Teaching/Sports Coaching Project

Time to get back to our community projects for another 5 days of really making a difference! Remember if you’d like to switch to English Teaching or Sports Coaching for a few days, you’re more than welcome!

The evenings are yours to spend as you wish! Feel free to chill by the pool after all of your hard work, head into Port Elizabeth, or talk to our dedicated reps about the different optional activities and tours you could get involved with!

Day 15 & 16 – Visit Jeffreys Bay – Home of Surfing in South Africa!

This weekend we transfer across to the beautiful Jeffreys Bay for a change of scenery! One just a sleepy seaside town ‘J-Bay’ is now one of the world’s top surfing destinations! This weekend, why not try your hand at surfing, or a different type of watersport* to get the adrenaline pumping! J-Bay is also renowned for its stunning beaches and quirky cafes, so for those less adventurous, feel free to spend the weekend topping up the tan and exploring the local area!

Transport & Accommodation at Jeffreys Bay Included, surfing an activities are optional and come at an additional cost.

Day 17 – 21 – English Teaching/Sports Coaching Project

Time to get back to our community projects for another 5 days of really making a difference! Remember if you’d like to switch to English Teaching or Sports Coaching for a few days, you’re more than welcome!

The evenings are yours to spend as you wish! Feel free to chill by the pool after all of your hard work, head into Port Elizabeth, or talk to our dedicated reps about the different optional activities and tours you could get involved with!

Day 22 & 23 – Here at Camp South Africa, the weekends are for FUN!

The programme includes 2-weekend tours, however the dates for these tours are not fixed as they are dependent on availability and the weather – our partners ‘UTS’ will disclose tour dates and details upon your arrival.

On the weekends that our included tours aren’t running, be sure to speak to our dedicated reps for recommendations on local tours and some of the epic activities you can get involved in, these involve* (warning – may not be for the faint-hearted! :P) :

• Skydiving
• Bungee Jumping
• Shark Cage Diving
• Safari & Game Reserve Drives
• Canoeing Trips
• Waterfall Visits
• Boat and Snorkelling Trips

For the less adventurous, the beautiful city of Port Elizabeth is just a short drive away and boasts one of the most beautiful shorelines in all of South Africa. Why not try your hand at surfing or spend the day topping up the tan on the local silky sands palm fringed beach? If you prefer, you can choose to spend the weekend relaxing on-site and chilling by the pool!

*All optional activities come at an additional cost and are subject to availability at the time of booking (booked in country).

Day 24 – 28 – English Teaching/Sports Coaching Project

Time to get back to our community projects for another 5 days of really making a difference! Remember if you’d like to switch to English Teaching or Sports Coaching for a few days, you’re more than welcome!

The evenings are yours to spend as you wish! Feel free to chill by the pool after all of your hard work, head into Port Elizabeth, or talk to our dedicated reps about the different optional activities and tours you could get involved with!

Day 29 & 30: – Here at Camp South Africa, the weekends are for FUN! 

The programme includes 2 weekend tours, however the dates for these tours are not fixed as they are dependent on availability and the weather – our partners ‘UTS’ will disclose tour dates and details upon your arrival.

On the weekends that our included tours aren’t running, be sure to speak to our dedicated reps for recommendations on local tours and some of the epic activities you can get involved in, these involve* (warning – may not be for the faint-hearted! :P) :

• Skydiving
• Bungee Jumping
• Shark Cage Diving
• Safari & Game Reserve Drives
• Canoeing Trips
• Waterfall Visits
• Boat and Snorkelling Trips

For the less adventurous, the beautiful city of Port Elizabeth is just a short drive away and boasts one of the most beautiful shorelines in all of South Africa. Why not try your hand at surfing or spend the day topping up the tan on the local silky sands palm fringed beach? If you prefer, you can choose to spend the weekend relaxing on-site and chilling by the pool!

*All optional activities come at an additional cost and are subject to availability at the time of booking (booked in country).

Day 31 – 35 – English Teaching/Sports Coaching Project

Time to get back to our community projects for the last 5 days of really making a difference! Remember if you’d like to switch to English Teaching or Sports Coaching for a few days, you’re more than welcome! Make this week count, as you spend your last few days with the children you’ve been working with thus far, it’s likely that the goodbye’s may be tough, as you’ll have made such a difference in the local community and created the best of friends and unforgettable memories!

The evenings are yours to spend as you wish! Feel free to chill by the pool after all of your hard work, head into Port Elizabeth, or talk to our dedicated reps about the different optional activities and tours you could get involved with!

Day 36 – Departure Day 🙁

Your trip of a lifetime is officially over! If you’re planning on doing some onward travel, be sure to speak to our dedicated reps for some epic travel tips and tricks! After breakfast, transfer by vehicle to the airport for your departure. It’s been a real pleasure x