Cooltour – Better than Holidays

Cooltour is a summer camp for children and young people with and without disabilities between the ages of 9 to 18. Over the span of eight days, they experience a varied programme that meets their needs. The focus is on shared experiences, fun and living together. They attend a variety of courses - from spray painting and street dance to cooking - and realise that people with and without disabilities actually have more in common than separates them.

The inclusive holiday camp began in 2009 in cooperation with national and regional partners from the youth, cultural, health and social sectors. Since then, around 80 children and young people with and without disabilities have taken part in the summer camp every year. In an informal setting, they learn to act in a self-determined, independent and responsible manner and realise the added value that diversity and inclusion bring.

Three qualitative studies by the Lucerne School of Social Work (HSLU) were able to show that Cooltour participation has positive long-term effects on the children's and youth’s social, as well as personal skills, tolerance and self-determination. The positive feedback from the participants and their parents, also makes it clear what an important and formative influence Cooltour has.

Cooltour is listed in the action plan of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a good practice example from the field of leisure. Furthermore, the project was awarded the „PrixPrintemps“ in 2016 and on top of that received the audience award at the ceremony.

Registration Cooltour 2023

Camping with friends for a week, making new friendships and acquaintances and enjoying the summer together. The inclusive summer camp Cooltour by Blindspot has everything what a successful holiday experience needs. Put together your own week from a wide range of courses. All this and much more awaits you during the Cooltour.

Our inclusive summer camp will be held from July 14 to 21, 2023. The registration for this year is closed.

General regulations and instructions

General regulations

Your registration is binding.

The number of participants for the summer holiday camp Cooltour is limited to 70.

Costs

Our prices are based on your means:

CHF 150.- in agreement with Blindspot and after presentation of documents (tax invoice, Kulturlegi etc.)

CHF 410.- for families with a reduced budget

CHF 460.- for families with medium income

CHF 510.- for families with a good financial situation

Final decision and invoice

In June 2023, you will receive a final decision on which week's course you can attend (based on your priorities) and what exactly the programme on Saturday (day course) will look like for you.

At the same time, you will receive detailed information and an invoice, which must be paid before the camp. All information and the invoice will be sent exclusively via the e-mail address provided. If this should be a problem, please contact us by phone.

Use of data

During the summer camp - film, picture and sound recordings may be made, which Blindspot is allowed to use for the website and other communication media in compliance with data protection laws. If you do not agree to this, please inform us in writing or by e-mail.

Cooltour is only possible thanks to the valuable support of our partners and supporters. The data of participants with disabilities will be forwarded and treated confidentially for the purpose of billing with our main partner, Plusport Behindertensport Schweiz.

Course selection

You can put together your own personal week. When you register, you can choose and prioritise your preferences from a wide and exciting range of weekly and daily courses. We will then do our best to ensure that all your wishes are taken into account as much as possible.

Weekly courses

Choose a weekly course for your very own Cooltour week.
These are the weekly courses for the Cooltour 2023:

Streetdance
Dance the hottest moves from the world champion from Germany. Together you will create a choreography, where your own steps and creativity have a place!

Cooking with fire
Do you like to be in nature, do you love hearty and homemade food? Then cooking in and over the fire suits you perfectly. Cook new recipes every day in the pizza oven and on the open fire.

Skate
Whether you've tried it before or not - together with the pros you'll discover the coolest tricks and spots in Bern and make skateboarding your lifestyle.

Circus
Do you remember sitting at the circus and marveling at fascinating spectacle? Immerse yourself in the world of circus. You will learn how to perform magic tricks and juggle and balance like a pro.

D Wäut verändere (Change the world)
Our earth is our heritage, we take responsibility for it. The Fridays for Future movement comes to the Cooltour. Immerse yourself in the world of climate activists for 4 days and take action yourself.

Mini PopUp with the Aarebar
Become a host! Make your mark on the Mini PopUp of the Cooltour 2023 directly at the Aare. Fun and sun while serving guests are already pre-programmed.

Climbing
Conquer the climbing wall. What's the easiest way to climb a wall with colored holds to the top? In this course fun and sore muscles are guaranteed.

Daycourses

Choose a day course and make your experience a little more special.
These are the day courses for the Cooltour 2023:

Outdoor Adventure
Off to the wilderness! Make your own fire without a lighter, build and operate an action-packed zip line in the forests of Bern with professionals. An unforgettable adventure is guaranteed.

Wellness
Just chill out with homemade face masks and peelings. With the help of various shiatsu, yoga and massages you can then relax completely - simply wonderful!

Party
You love parties and you're interested in their details. Create drinks and operate a DJ setup, this and much more you'll be able to discover in this course - and apply it directly at an internal party.

Gaming
Yes, that's right, the game consoles have found their way into Cooltour. Whether PS or Xbox, in this course you can dive into the world of colorful pictures and fast fingers.

Slackline / Juggling
Walk over thin slacklines, balance your body and look really cool while doing so. The trees will hold you up, just have a try.

Chill day together

This day will be relaxing. Sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast and then go to the hot tub, play a game together or just enjoy the day. It's up to you and you're sure to find someone to have a good time with among your new friends.

Public day

For the curious and those at home: Visit us - and experience a diverse and inclusive group.

On Wednesday July 19 2023 from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm there will be a burger day by the Cooltour cooking team. Enjoy a burger straight from the newly restored vintage food truck Copine76.

Travelling there

You have to organize your journey yourself and is not included in the camp fee. However, with the complete camp documents, it is possible to coordinate with each other to organize a joint journey.

Cancellations

Every registration triggers costs for us. For cancellations within the official registration period (until July 9th) 50% of the camp costs will be charged, for cancellations after the registration period as well as no-shows we have to charge 100% of the camp costs.

Short-term cancellations due to illness or accident will be charged at 80%. Please inform yourself if you are privately insured and send us the medical certificate.

The insurance is the responsibility of the participants.

Instructions to register

Please note that if the registration cannot be completed, one or some fields are not filled in correctly. In this case, you can simply click on the 'Back Button' and see where information is missing or entered incorrectly.

The confirmation mail may end up in spam. Therefore, we also recommend that you check your spam folder when you have completed your registration.

We will also be taking registrations by telephone phone for people with high support needs. We ask that you keep the lines free for these people and register using the registration form.

We search for: Volunteers with and without disabilities

To support the participating children and adolescents as well as help with the infrastructure, we are searching for joung and motivated volunteers with and without disabilities.

For more information or applications, you can directly contact our project manager, Kevin Hirt, per e-mail or telephone.