From July 29 to August 7, 2018, the first summer camp for young Europeans with albinism was held in Ireland. The project entitled "TRAINING YOUTH WITH ALBINISM LEADERS: IMPROVING THE INCLUSION IN EUROPE" was funded by the Erasmus + program of the European Commission and was coordinated by "ALBA-Asociación de ayuda a personas con albinismo" with the participation of associations of people with albinism of the following countries: Norway, Denmark, Italy, Turkey and France, as well as the support company in Ireland “Irelands & Families”.

The camp lasted 10 days and brought together 30 young people with albinism between the ages of 13 and 17 as well as 12 companions, all of them belonging to associations of people with albinism involved in the project: ALBINIT (Italy), NFFA - Norsk forening for Albinisme (Norway), Genespoir - Associaton française des albinismes (France), Albinizm Dernegi (Turkey), DFFA - Dansk forening for albinisme (Denmark) and ALBA-Asociación de ayuda a personas con albinismo (Spain).

ALBA proposed this project to the European Union with the objective of facilitating the access of young people with albinism to camps abroad, paying special attention to their special needs. The aim of the camp was to help improve the English language skills of young people with albinism, to learn something about the host country and its culture, and to continue development of a network of young Europeans with albinism who can participate in meetings in the future, as the YPA (Young People with Albinism)

The summer camp took place at Saint Flannan's school, located in the city of Ennis. A spectacular building, surrounded by magnificent green areas in an enclosed area to which only the participants of the summer camp had access.

During the stay in Ireland, participants attended English classes taught by Irish native teachers (Jack and Rory) for three hours in the mornings. During these classes, in addition to practicing English, they learned several songs in English that they then performed in front of the companions at the end of the stay.

 In the evenings, sports and leisure activities were organized (also in English), for which they also had specialized monitors. One of the highlights was the "Mannequin Challenge" activity, that you can see on the Youtube channel of ALBA, and the preparation of choreography.

The participants also took part in two excursions. The first one was to visit the cliffs of Moher and an Irish beach (Spanish Point) and the second trip was to the city of Galway, with a tour through the port of Galway, then the "Spanish Arch" and the Cathedral of Galway. Finally, we visited the commercial area of the city where they could buy various souvenirs and soak up the atmosphere of this Irish city during the horse racing festival. 

They also enjoyed two-days use of a swimming-pool and a day of bowling in the town of Ennis.

On the last day we were able to enjoy a final party where the participating groups gave performances and diplomas were given to all the participants in the project.

In short, it has been a wonderful experience for young people who have not only enjoyed the camp and have learned English skills, but have also made new friendships thus creating the seed of a European network of young people with albinism.

 See video Video summary of the summer camp by the Norwegian girls