Youth Organizations and Camps for Deaf Young People

There are special groups and summer camps for deaf children and young people in Europe. These organizations are here for deaf youth to meet other deaf people, learn new skills, and have fun together. They also work to protect the rights of deaf young people.

The Main European Organization: EUDY

EUDY means “European Union of the Deaf Youth.” It is an organization that represents deaf young people across Europe. EUDY was started in 1987 and now has 32 member organizations from different European countries[1]. This means it connects deaf youth from many places like Finland, Spain, Italy, and Slovakia.

EUDY works to:

Help deaf young people develop their skills
Protect the rights of deaf youth in Europe
Create opportunities for deaf people to meet each other

Camps for Different Ages

EUDY organizes special camps for deaf children and young people. These camps happen in different countries each time. There are three types of camps for different ages:

Children’s Camps: For children aged 9-12 years old[3]
Junior Camps: For teenagers aged 13-17 years old[4][5]
Youth Camps: For young adults aged 18-30 years old[6]

These camps happen regularly, usually in summer. Each camp has a special topic or theme. For example, the Junior Camp in Slovakia in 2018 had the theme “Identity of the Deaf”[4][7].

What Happens at These Camps?

At these camps, deaf young people:

Meet new friends from other countries
Learn International Sign to talk with each other
Join fun activities like sports, games, and workshops
Learn about Deaf identity and culture[8][7]

The camps have teachers and leaders who are also deaf. These leaders are usually between 21-30 years old and know International Sign well[4]. They take care of the younger participants.

Each day at camp has different activities. For example, at the Junior Camp in Slovakia, there were workshops about deaf identity, deaf history, and deaf arts[8].

National Organizations

Many European countries have their own organizations for deaf youth. Some examples are:

Netherlands: NDJ (Nederlandse Dove Jongeren)[9]
Slovakia: SAKMN (Slovakia Association Club of the Deaf Youth)[4]
Belgium: Doof & Jong Vlaanderen[6]

These organizations arrange activities in their own countries and send young people to the European camps[6].

Why These Organizations Are Important

These youth organizations and camps are very important because they help deaf young people:

Meet others who use sign language
Feel proud of being Deaf
Learn leadership skills
Understand their rights
Have fun in places where everyone uses sign language[2][7]

If you want to join these camps or organizations, you can contact the Deaf youth organization in your country. They can give you information about upcoming camps and activities.

This article uses information from European sources about deaf youth organizations and their activities.