With family or friends you can make trips to the surrounding area. A walk along a river or lake, a bike ride, a hike in the mountains or a picnic in nature offer a change from everyday life. In winter you can go sledding or skiing, for example. Likewise, there are various museums in the canton of Obwalden and in central Switzerland.

Many good ideas for excursions in the canton of Obwalden you will also get here.

The Social Issues Unit has developed a Brochure with all playgrounds and some selected fireplaces in the canton of Obwalden designed. You will find these here.

With the KulturLegi Central Switzerland people on a small budget can take advantage of offers from the areas of leisure, sports, culture and education at reduced rates.

In order to integrate well and feel comfortable in Switzerland, it is important to participate in social and cultural life. In the canton of Obwalden there are numerous cultural events - from exhibitions and lectures to theater performances and concerts. Some of the events are free of charge and open to the public.

Various event calendars for the canton of Obwalden can be found under the following links:

• www.ow.ch
• www.obwalden.net
• www.obwalden-tourismus.ch

Switzerland is also known as the land of associations. Many people get involved in an association to pursue a hobby together. There are clubs in all kinds of areas: Music, sports, culture, nature and much more. Most of the time, you pay an annual fee to become a member and to be able to use the offers.

Attending cultural events or joining a club are good ways to meet people and learn about Swiss society and the country at the same time. You can also improve your German Improve language skills, expand your network of relationships and are better anchored in the community. In an association you can also new competencies such as computer skills, how to create a budget, or how to organize the distribution of tasks in a group. Such skills can also be important for your professional life.

If you want to know more about an association, it is best to call the indicated Contact or write an e-mail. Most clubs are happy to hear from interested parties.

Various directories of associations for the canton of Obwalden can be found under the following links:

• www.vereinsverzeichnis.ch (sorted by municipality)

In Switzerland it is relatively easy to found an association. It needs:

• like-minded people, who want to found an association together with you;
• written statutes, describing the purpose of the association and the organization;
• a Foundation meeting, at which the statutes are approved and the board of directors elected;
• at most an entry in the Commercial register

For all these stages there are Tools and information on the Internet - such as general statutes, which you only need to modify for your purposes. After an association is founded, you should make it known in the community or region. This is because there are usually other people who are interested in the association and its activities. Also have your association listed in an association directory on the Internet. This way the association will be found better.

Information about the foundation of the association can be found on the following websites:

www.vitaminb.ch

www.beobachter.ch

Around a quarter of the resident population in Switzerland participates in institutionalized volunteer work. In other words, they voluntarily perform work in the service of society and do not demand payment for it. This is called volunteer work.

The Work assignments are organized by associations, charitable, political or public bodies. Volunteering can be found in areas such as culture, the environment, sports, politics, in neighborhood assistance, in social, church and many other areas of our society.

You can find more information about volunteering here.

Within the framework of volunteer work, associations can issue their members with a so-called "DOSSIER FREIWILLIG ENGAGIERT". By doing so, they show that the work of volunteers is important and appreciated. In this dossier (also called social time card) the own voluntary work is listed. The so acquired Skills and competencies one wants with it make visible. Volunteer work is thus upgraded and becomes comparable with paid work. You can also use this dossier when you are looking for a job. Because committed employees are appreciated everywhere.

Further information about the "DOSSIER FREELY ENGAGED" can be found at here.