“At 6 PM on June 6, the Arche bus from Arche Stuttgart set off toward Munich, packed with 6 children and 2 staff members, luggage, and great anticipation. After an overnight stay at Arche Munich, we set out early in the morning on June 7 for Pula, Croatia.

Finally arriving, the children excitedly boarded the sailboat, their home for the next 8 days. Then we sailed off to the first bay, where we spent the night.

Some children saw the sea for the first time, and the next day the first jumps into the turquoise water were taken. The following days were filled with swimming, jumping off the boat, enjoying the sun, and sailing. The children learned to steer the boat, set the sails, drop the anchor, and ‘clear the deck.’ We also caught three fish.

In sessions, we talked about the children’s good gifts and abilities, challenges and difficult situations in life and how to overcome them, how important friendship is, and that you need a goal to set a course.

We experienced a very special highlight right at the end: an hour before we entered our destination harbor, we saw dolphins. That was a really beautiful moment and a wonderful conclusion to our journey.

Early in the morning on June 14, we loaded our Arche bus again and headed back to Stuttgart. A unique week on a sailboat comes to an end.

The sailing trip is an unforgettable experience. Two weeks later, an Arche boy summed up the journey with these words: “Croatia changed me. I’ve been completely different since then. I want to go back.”