Erasmus
International Treehouse Trainer Training in Michelstadt, Odenwald
Imagine this: you barely know anyone, you're in a foreign country, and on the very first day you find yourself standing in front of a tree — rope in hand — with the task of building a treehouse together with people from Sweden, Germany, Hungary and Finland. Sounds like an adventure? It is.
Michelstadt, 15.-21.06.2026. Our international treehouse trainer training in the Odenwald brought together 21 young adults from four countries in June 2026 — all with the goal of learning the craft of treehouse building and, at the same time, understanding how to pass it on. For one week, there was sawing, knotting, climbing and discussing. And sometimes crying and laughing — often both at once.
"I thought I was no help here. Then I learned the knots — and suddenly I was." A Participant from Finland
What happens when people with very different backgrounds, cultures and learning styles work together on a shared project? Something unexpected: real teamwork. Not the frictionless kind you hope for — but the kind that grows. One of the build teams chose to organise itself and follow its own process. Before the team really found its building flow on the final day, its members had already learned a great deal about collaboration during the planning stage and about the challenges involved in navigating such a self-organised process. The other team embraced the trainers’ input and adapted its plans to build at a lower height, allowing it to make faster progress on its platform. With support from this team, both groups ultimately completed their projects: by the end of the week, two finished platforms stood among the trees — one at an impressive height of 11 metres and the other at 2 metres.
The learning continued in the evenings around the campfire. There was input on topics such as pedagogy and group processes in the context of treehouse building, while participants and trainers shared their experiences and learned from one another.
Over the course of the week, an international group became a community. At the Cultural Evening, the Swedes shared their Midsummer dances, the Hungarians their traditional folk steps and the Germans their lullabies. The Finnish participants introduced everyone to their food and traditions. Everyone joined in. Everyone found themselves in that circle.
What moves us most: the week didn’t stop when the camp ended. Several participants are now active as trainers themselves — at the treehouse camp in Vienna and at the European Youth Workers Camp in Michelstadt — putting what they learned into practice. The network is alive and growing. And we are already planning the next training — this time in Sweden or Estonia.
Bleib auf dem Laufenden
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