Rotary Clubs Melk, Hallein and Wallersee - from districts 1910 and 1920 in Austria and Rotary Club Freilassing–Laufen from district 1842 in Germany organised a Youth Camp where for the first time 4 Rotary clubs from 3 Districts and 2 countries worked together to ensure its success.
The title of the Youth Camp was Capture Austria - a Mindful Photographic Adventure through the Natural and Cultural Landscape. 16 participants from 14 countries; Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and the USA participated from the 17th to the 31st August 2024 in Melk/Wachau and Rauris Valley.
The accommodation during the first week was provided in the Abbey of Melk. The second week the participants stayed in the Rauris Valley at the Asten Schmiede, an alpine lodge belonging to the organisation Austrian Nature Youth located in the Hohe Tauern National Park. The emphasis was on hiking and discovering the raw Alpine landscape.
Under the guidance of professional photographer Lachlan LOX Blair and movement expert Tanja Feldbacher - who both lead the camp, participants learned how to capture the essence of their surroundings and experiences on their adventure through Austria.
Exposed to the beauty of various cultural and natural highlights they were guided on how to use simple methods and tools to help refine their view and translate that into artistic expression. With the material created and lessons learned during their stay they contributed to a group performance at the end of the camp.
Highlights of the first week included:
A fun meet and greet to get to know each other. A discussion about the language of photography and how to use various techniques and methods of presentation to tell stories. A workshop on photo editing techniques with an introduction to generative artificial intelligence, held in the HTL Ybbs – a leading secondary school for Information Technology in Lower Austria.
The participants explored the old town of Ybbs guided by a knowledgeable local resident. They also visited an organic Winery and a traditional ‘Heurigen’ wine restaurant. In the City of Baden they visited an outstanding outdoor photo festival with surprising perspectives inspired by sensuous creativity with some of the best photographers in the world transforming the gardens, streets and squares of Baden into an all-embracing work of art.
Highlights of the second week included:
Welcome evening in the alpine lodge Asten Schmiede. A range of easy to more challenging hiking tours in the nearby mountains of the Hohe Tauern National Park, included a walk through primeval forest. Experiencing local culture including singing, dancing and cooking. A visit to the Tauern Spa in Kaprun was a welcome change and chance to swim in the thermal waters. The photography workshop was continued with an emphasis on utilising closeness and distance. The final group performance was held on the last evening of the camp in Pfongau, a town close to the city of Salzburg. The large audience including current district 1842 governor and district 1910 past governor were pleasantly inspiried and touched by the participants enthusiasm and ability to work and learn together.
The Camp Reviews:
Hello,
This rotary camp was such a great experience. I loved learning about the culture, food and photography and I think it was great that the camp had two parts, because we got to see the beautifull Wachau valley as well as the Alps and each have been very different but both amazing experience. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly and I really enjoyed spending time with them.
Thank you so much for the camp!
Anna from Czech Republic
Through this rotary camp I got to explore Austria like never before and experienced what it means to capture Austria through photography, movement, my eyes and even my taste buds.
I am very grateful for all the amazing people that I met and that I not only learned more about the country’s culture, that is so near to my own home, but also learned a lot about other cultures.In addition I finally was able to fulfill my dream to go hiking in the Alps and live in a real “Alm”.
I entered this camp with a lot of excitement and left with an expanded horizon, many new friends, valuable memories and plenty of knowledge to share with other people.
Thank you so much to all the people and rotary clubs that made this camp such an unforgettable and precious time!
Marleen from Germany
