please help: Groups of school students walking the Camino

[soydechiapas]

While hiking the stretch from Sarría to Santiago I noticed large groups of students hiking alongside and staying in the albergues. I am a teacher in Indiana USA and I would like to take a group of students to walk with me that same stretch. I want my students to stay in albergues instead of hotels. Travel companies I have contacted are unwilling to do this. Can someone put me in contact with a school that has arranged this last section so I can arrange a trip similarly?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

a school that has arranged this last section

The last 100km is a standard part of the curriculum of many middle schools in Spain. The groups seem to have about 20 students in them with another 4-5 chaperones. Planning is probably automatic from year to year. I think they are able to make reservations in xunta albergues even though the rest of us cannot.

Here are the places I observed them staying:

Sarria - any of several private albergues
Portomarin - municipal albergue, O Mirador, and Ferramenteiro
Palas de Rei - municipal and Os Chacotes (in the park on the hill before town)
Arzua - Don Quijote and Ultreia
Pedrouzo - Porta de Santiago and the xunta albergue
Santiago - Monte do Gozo

 

[Carol06]

What a great question. I hope you receive useful replies.

 

[Walter1407]

While hiking the stretch from Sarría to Santiago I noticed large groups of students hiking alongside and staying in the albergues. I am a teacher in Indiana USA and I would like to take a group of students to walk with me that same stretch. I want my students to stay in albergues instead of hotels. Travel companies I have contacted are unwilling to do this. Can someone put me in contact with a school that has arranged this last section so I can arrange a trip similarly?

I don't know Spanish well enough to easily find those schools online. If you don't know Spanish well either, are there Spanish speaking kids at your school who can get the information for you? I found only this in a couple of clicks:
http://www.colegiomeres.com/web/main.asp?id_mapa=0406
They have contact information. Might be a start.

 

[Tincatinker]

@soydechiapas you would probably find best benefit in contacting one of the official tourism promotional organisations for Galicia. Such as, and without recommendation, turgalicia.es or Galicia.es. There will be few if any forum members with knowledge or experience of taking school parties on that route. An activity that is almost exclusively Spanish.

Spanish school groups do seem to be able to achieve the impossible, book ahead in Xunta Albergues, but such privileges are likely to not be accessible to Extranjeros. Booking your party into private Albergues should be easy given sufficient planning and co-ordination. There is plenty of private Albergue space between Sarria and Santiago.

I suspect that your local "safeguarding" requirements will place enough pressures on you in bringing your plans to fruition without adding Spanish bureaucracy to the mix.

That said. Good luck with your planning and Buen Camino.

 

[Bajaracer]

I stayed at Ferramenteiro in Portomarin in late July 2013, it was 3/4 full, this place could easily handle a group reservation, they also have a large kitchen and dining area for your group if you want to have a group meals to reduce costs.
Albergue Seminario Menor in Santiago is where large groups stay as well with decent facilities in the basement consisting of the kitchen, mini market, coin op computers, and laundry area with machines.

You won't save any money by trying to stay in the Xunta albergues since they essentially have non functioning kitchens which force you to go out to eat.

 

[Olivares]

Almost every other college and university in the United States with a program in Hispanic Studies, Hispanic Literature, Medieval Arts, etc, etc... take groups of students on the Camino on a yearly basis. I just returned from the Camino in July (2014) and interacted with dozens of students from universities and schools from Arizona, New York, Virginia, Colorado, Utah, etc, etc....They stayed in albergues and walked every step, many started in Leon, many others in Sarria. Also, as suggested above the Office of Tourism in Galicia is actually very well organized with excellent resources to help you out: try email xacobeoweb@xacobeo.org.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I know your group is probably well-versed in good behavior, but PLEASE brief them in advance about littering the trail. Youth groups and bicyclists are the top two sources of trash along the camino. We are trying to reach out to group leaders and biking organizations to join us in keeping the camino clean for everyone... but no one is willing to correct someone else's kid!

 

[Alyssa]

While hiking the stretch from Sarría to Santiago I noticed large groups of students hiking alongside and staying in the albergues. I am a teacher in Indiana USA and I would like to take a group of students to walk with me that same stretch. I want my students to stay in albergues instead of hotels. Travel companies I have contacted are unwilling to do this. Can someone put me in contact with a school that has arranged this last section so I can arrange a trip similarly?

I can put you in touch with a teacher from Mexico who took a high school soccer team on the Camino this summer. Feel free to send me a private message.

 

[camino07]

In June there was a big group of students sitting ,waiting outside the Xunta in Ribadeso.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

i love the idea and may i suggest you do small private albergues that can be booked in advance... the last thing you want is to have half your group without a bed at the end of the day!

i am surprised you haven't found any companies willing

 

[soydechiapas]

I can put you in touch with a teacher from Mexico who took a high school soccer team on the Camino this summer. Feel free to send me a private message.

The last 100km is a standard part of the curriculum of many middle schools in Spain. The groups seem to have about 20 students in them with another 4-5 chaperones. Planning is probably automatic from year to year. I think they are able to make reservations in xunta albergues even though the rest of us cannot.

Here are the places I observed them staying:

Sarria - any of several private albergues
Portomarin - municipal albergue, O Mirador, and Ferramenteiro
Palas de Rei - municipal and Os Chacotes (in the park on the hill before town)
Arzua - Don Quijote and Ultreia
Pedrouzo - Porta de Santiago and the xunta albergue
Santiago - Monte do Gozo

Thank you so much.

 

[soydechiapas]

I can put you in touch with a teacher from Mexico who took a high school soccer team on the Camino this summer. Feel free to send me a private message.

The last 100km is a standard part of the curriculum of many middle schools in Spain. The groups seem to have about 20 students in them with another 4-5 chaperones. Planning is probably automatic from year to year. I think they are able to make reservations in xunta albergues even though the rest of us cannot.

Here are the places I observed them staying:

Sarria - any of several private albergues
Portomarin - municipal albergue, O Mirador, and Ferramenteiro
Palas de Rei - municipal and Os Chacotes (in the park on the hill before town)
Arzua - Don Quijote and Ultreia
Pedrouzo - Porta de Santiago and the xunta albergue
Santiago - Monte do Gozo

Thank you so much. They all want to put us in hotels instead of albergues. I want the kids to get the "real" experience.

i love the idea and may i suggest you do small private albergues that can be booked in advance... the last thing you want is to have half your group without a bed at the end of the day!

i am surprised you haven't found any companies willing

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I want the kids to get the "real" experience.

And an affordable one!! Having organized Boy Scout groups for a decade, cost matters if you have a spectrum of wealth among the kids. Also, private rooms are not good ideas for youth groups. Dormitories are chaos, though, so it takes a couple of days for the pilgrimage to sap the youth's energy. By day 3, they are in a docile sort of pain. Your fellow travelers will be glad to see that day! When you sense that your group has worn out its welcome, remember two things: 1) they have the same right to be there as other pilgrims; 2) all the other pilgrims have an option to go elsewhere.

 

[paul.ferris]

As a former teacher and pilgrim who has shared Albergues with youth groups; I do not believe that the Camino is a suitable venue for school groups. Students should be encouraged to do the Camino but they should do it on their own or with parents. I have traveled extensively with high school groups and sports teams. It is not fair to inflict this kind of group on other pilgrims.

 

[saltwaterpearl]

As a former teacher and pilgrim who has shared Albergues with youth groups; I do not believe that the Camino is a suitable venue for school groups. Students should be encouraged to do the Camino but they should do it on their own or with parents. I have traveled extensively with high school groups and sports teams. It is not fair to inflict this kind of group on other pilgrims.

Agree, 100% (as a former teacher, now professor)

"Inflict" is a strong but entirely appropriate word.

 

[Deborah1964]

Contact me. I have a fully licensed travel company in Spain and I am also a very active volunteer on the Camino. A couple of times a year I organize these trips for students. With the emphasis of them being able to get the real feel of the Camino. Send me a private massage and I will send you my e-mail address.

 

[Felice]

And an affordable one!! Having organized Boy Scout groups for a decade, cost matters if you have a spectrum of wealth among the kids. Also, private rooms are not good ideas for youth groups. Dormitories are chaos, though, so it takes a couple of days for the pilgrimage to sap the youth's energy. By day 3, they are in a docile sort of pain. Your fellow travelers will be glad to see that day! When you sense that your group has worn out its welcome, remember two things: 1) they have the same right to be there as other pilgrims; 2) all the other pilgrims have an option to go elsewhere.

As a former teacher and pilgrim who has shared Albergues with youth groups; I do not believe that the Camino is a suitable venue for school groups. Students should be encouraged to do the Camino but they should do it on their own or with parents. I have traveled extensively with high school groups and sports teams. It is not fair to inflict this kind of group on other pilgrims.

With rights come responsibilities.

Those groups that 'inflict' themselves on others have not accepted their responsibilities. And that applies as much to the adult leaders as to the students themselves.

I urge you to make it a precondition of going on the trip, that all students act in a considerate way to other pilgrims, and the camino itself, at all times. Drill it in to them, before you leave, in a nice but firm way, that there is a considerate way to behave in an albergue, that the 'old folk' who walk the camino need more rest than them, so absolute quiet after 10pm. Point out that it is polite to make room for others when walking in a group. Point out that no-one is going to pick up their litter. Etc etc. Remind them frequently, as such things can get forgotten in the enthusiasm of the moment. And make it clear that anyone who infringes basic consideration will be admonished. That way, you might impart a lesson for a lifetime, and lead a group that will bring credit to young people.

And by the end, you might even find them complaining about the inconsiderate behaviour of other pilgrims!!

 

[Kanga]

The problem is that kids will be kids. And kids in a group are going to be primarily focused on their peers and status within the group. No amount of lecturing or threats or beseeching or pre-planning will overcome that. Which is why I don't like groups on the Camino. In a herd people behave very differently, and children are no exception.

 

[Tia Valeria]

The most considerate folk we met on my first Camino were a group of about 10 youngsters. Quiet at night, crept out in the morning. We neither heard them come back from their meal, nor leave. A credit to their group and so very friendly to us 'oldies'. We actually found on later Caminos that the 'Camino formed' groups of pilgrims were less considerate - noisy at night and early am, especially the night we were in Melide. Groups on the Inglés and Primitivo were so very different. So maybe these young folk will be in the thoughtful group type

Edit:- spelling corrected 9/10

 

[CISSA69]

Blackrock College, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland, have and as far as I know, still walk the Camino, both students and past pupils. They even chartered a "Tall Ship", sailing from as near to St. James Gate (the name for the Guiness production site in Dublin and where Irish pilgrims set sail on their Camino years ago) as possible, sailed to the north of Spain and then walked the last 100 or so KMs to Santiago ..... very impressive.

 

[Me Fein]

I walked the Via de la Plata in April/May this year. I met a group of college kids from the USA, walking from Ourense to Santiago ( 100+ kms). They were studying in the University of Alicante for a semester. They stayed in the Albergues and were accompanied by their professor. They mixed freely and walked with other peregrinos and we really enjoyed their company.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Everyone should do the Camino his own way except youth. Children should be seen, but not heard. For them it should be a lesson in obedience. They should do it the way adults want them to.

 

[wayfarer]

Everyone should do the Camino his own way except youth. Children should be seen, but not heard. For them it should be a lesson in obedience. They should do it the way adults want them to.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Soydechiapas (love the name!), I don't think you have said what age these students are.

I have come across three type of student groups, of two different kinds.

The first group was made up of Irish Theology students, must have been 20 years old or so, walking with their Dean. Along the way they reflected on the history of the Camino, learned about the art work associated with it, and made links between the art and theology. I rean into them in Najera and you would never have guessed they were a group if it wasn't for listening to them thinking and learning. I'm guessing they were 10 or 12 with two members of faculty. I wish I had been part of that group to learn as they were learning.

The other two groups were Spanish teenagers - clearly teenagers. Boys in one, girls in the other. And the dynamic was incredibly different. This was a school trip like any other for them. Plus I think their bags were being carried for them, so so much for the "true experience" in their case. Groups were much larger, perhaps 25 each. Ran into them ... yes... during the last 100km. Their grooming process was taking forever: long showers (as in no hot water for anyone else, including the rest of their friends), lots of perfume and cologne ;0) Eating in catered meals in separate rooms of the albergues. Did not witness any sort of "teaching", but there may have been. On the trail it was skipping, running, signing all the way. Introspection?

Yes the Camino is for everyone, but I can understand those who say that the children should walk it with their parents. I understand this if the idea is to bring 20 schoolage kids to walk 3 or 4 days and not anchor this experience in anything but observation and a good time.

The truth is that there is no way they can get a "real experience" in such a group. There is no instropection, no sharing or interaction with strangers, no pain or sacrifice (short distance with no bags). The albergues that would accomodate you with reservations would also not be the ones that stand out as a life experience like Gragnon, San Bol, San Juan de Ortega, etc., those that would are just like going to any other albergue juvenil which are there for any group activity, camino or not (like Donostia or Gernika on the Norte).

If you want to make this a "truer experience" and are thinking of school age kids/teenagers, I would suggest a small group (a maximum of 8) and a lot of work on the history of Spain, theology, art history and public-spiritedness before they leave. This will teach them much more than taking over beds in a albergue while still not engaging with the other pilgrim (who after all will be old and borning to them ;0) )

Staying in an albergue or hotel won't make that much of a difference in that context. I would also skip the last 100km and do another part of the Camino, more beautiful for sure and a "truer experience" so they are not part of the "race" of the "linear Disney Land". OK, no poster for them to hang in their room, (Compostela), but perhaps more learning and more meaningful memories. Roncesvalles to Burgos perhaps, or Logrono if you want a shorter walk. And if you wanted something truly unforgetable: St-Jean-Pied-de-Port! THAT is something they will never forget and will give them a good sense of the sacrifices people made and make to pray in Santiago (and will keep them nice and tired ;0) ) Think of stages where particular experiences are possible like contact with the nuns in Leon, the monks in Rabanal del Camino or again San Juan de Ortega (where there is nothing to entertain them and the monastery is cold and humid and the mattresses, well .... old). And when they get to Santiago get them the certificate of distance to put on their wall ;0)

 

[Deleted member 3000]

As an Eagle Scout, my adult task on my son's first Cub Scout overnight was to teach five basic knots to 8-year-olds in thirty minutes. No problem, I thought. After thirty minutes, we were still working on the square knot, with none of the Cubs able to repeatedly tie it. Three years later, it would take days to teach 11-year-olds the knots.

So much for adult expectations for kids. Make the Camino a hellish lesson on discipline, and the Camino may be just a minor casualty as the entire value of religion is cast into doubt.

A fair number of fifty-somethings on the Forum have wished they had discovered the Camino in their youth. I think that would have worked out only in the "if I had known then what I know now" universe.

For the Spanish youth groups, the last 114km are an established part of the Catholic school curriculum. They probably talk about it for years in advance as they hear war stories from older students. I have watched a fair number of them struggle with the physical part. A baggage service is not a regular part of the pilgrimage, but the schools are long past where they would leave a bag or student behind, so there is assistance available when needed. I suspect that few of the resulting war stories are about churches and masses. I do think they are about being part of a group struggle, motivated by a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James. It makes them fit in as individuals; to successfully be part of something larger. I would worry about a teenager who was more interested in the historic places along the Camino than in his peers and having fun with them. Perspective is something they will gain a decade later, and it would be a lost lesson on middle/high school pilgrimages. You really cannot instill religion with a rap on the knuckles, any more than you can teach five knots to eight-year-olds.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

For the Spanish youth groups, the last 114km are an established part of the Catholic school curriculum. They probably talk about it for years in advance as they hear war stories from older students.

Sorry, but no, it is not part of the curriculum. Some schools may put it in, but it is certainly not mandatory, nor the norm. If it were, I would not be the only member of my family to have walked on the Camino. And can you imagine the mayhem? How many kids graduate from highschool in Spain every year?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Sorry, but no, it is not part of the curriculum.

I have spoken with the adult leaders of four groups, out of dozens I have seen, and it is an annual part of their school activities.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

None of my family members, over generations up to 3 years ago have had this as part of their curriculum. If you ask those on the Camino your sample is likely to be skewed.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Furthermore Falcon, when have you been proud of something anyone achieves, that has tought you nothing, that does not make you stand apart from others, and than means nothing to you other than a good time with your buddies. Hindsight is 20/20, so if you think that you would have appreciated the camino at age 20 when you nothing about it, perhaps it was better you knew nothing about it then and learned about it when it could mean somthing.

 

[grayland]

It may be a good idea to give this thread a rest.
There is a strong personal response building now.
I think this is called " nipping it in the bud"......