Sustainable development of rural areas

INEX-SDA SHORT TERM VOLUNTEER PROJECTS IN 2014

INEX-SDA SHORT TERM VOLUNTEER PROJECTS IN 2014

Sustainable development of rural areas

Project: The workcamp will take place in the small Moravian village of Tvarozna Lhota, situated in the White Carpathian Mountains, near to the Slovak border. The region is famous for its folk traditions and its beautiful countryside. In the outskirts of the village, the local NGO “INEX-SDA Bile Karpaty” runs a small centre for rural development and sustainability called Cottage Travicna. The centre also hosts an outdoor museum with traditional cottages, some farm animals, a herb garden and traditional fruit trees, showing how rural life in the mountains used to look like there in the past. Every year several public events take place there.

Work: The work will be manual. Firstly, volunteers will work in the outdoor museum, mainly repairing fences, making hay, cleaning, and weeding the herb garden. Secondly, volunteers will collect herbs from the surrounding meadows, which will then be used for the production of herbal teas. At the beginning of the workcamp (on 26th April) a small festival of typical fruit products called “Oskeruse” will take place. The volunteers will help with the technical preparations of the event (i.e. installation of an exhibition, cleaning up afterwards) and are invited to attend the celebration.

Study part: Apart from the celebration mentioned above, there could be other folkloric events during the workcamp, such as erection of the maypole (central point of the village made of tall decorated wood). There will be many opportunities to learn about local products, local farming, the history, traditions and potential of the region.

Leisure time: Trips to the countryside and to folklore events, visits to touristic sights in the surrounding towns and villages will take place.

Accommodation/Food: In a building in the very centre of the village. Volunteers will need to bring their own sleeping bags and sleeping mats. Two small bathrooms are available. Please be prepared for basic living conditions as the house is very small. Volunteers will prepare their meals together – a small kitchen is available in the living area. Bring your favourite recipes.

Location: Tvarozna Lhota, Southern Moravia (bus stop in the village, next train stop Straznice and Veseli nad Moravou)

Project: The project takes place in a small town of Uhersky Ostroh in the Southern Moravia. It is organized by the local non-governmental organization Hastera in co-operation with the municipality of Uhersky Ostroh. Hastera’s aim is to organize and support cultural and educational activities for the general public as well as for children and youth (such as traditional folk culture, music, dances, arts courses, etc.). The project will take place already for 8th time this year.

Work: The main work activities will take place in the underground of the castle in Uhersky Ostroh where volunteers already worked two years ago. The underground serves as a gallery and is also open to public. It has 3 rooms – one is decorated as a crystal cave, the second as a space shuttle and the third will be a place of work for volunteers this year. The work will be both manual and creative. Manual work can be physically hard! It can include smaller construction works and removing of heavy material according to what will be needed. The creative part will include painting and decorating 3D objects. With the help of local amateur artists, you will paint a fantasy world on the walls of the underground. Two days of the camp will be also devoted to activities with local school children – presentations of the culture of volunteers during lessons in school, sports matches or common work. Bring something special from home which represents your region/country (food, games, music, pictures, etc.). In return, pupils will introduce the Czech Republic to you.

Study part: Get to know the local folk traditions, have an excursion to a traditional wine cellar.

Leisure time: There is much to see in the region: The open-air museum in Straznice, a place of Pilgrimage in Velehrad, castles, the Bata Canal, a big lake for swimming and other sites of interest. You can also go cycling and play games at the sports ground next to the school.

Accommodation/food: In an apartment in the centre of Uhersky Ostroh. There will be beds but you need to bring your own sleeping bag. In the apartment, there is a shower, a toilet and a kitchen. The meals will be prepared by the volunteers at the accommodation. In the house, smoking and drinking alcohol is forbidden.

Location: Uhersky Ostroh (a town with 4500 inhabitants) is situated at the river Morava in a beautiful area of Southern Moravia, known for its wine, folkloric culture and traditions. It is surrounded by fertile lowlands and preserved nature.

Note: Please note that the camp’s main focus is on work in the underground of the castle – the work with children and artistic activities will be complementary, not as main work tasks. We are looking for outgoing and friendly volunteers with a good attitude towards children and interest in or skills of arts. If you are not afraid of harder physical work and you like arts, it is the perfect camp for you!

Project: The project is organized with the municipality of Dysina, a small village in Western Bohemia not far from Pilsen. You will mainly support the community to improve the look of the village and take care of the local green in parks and in other public places. You will also help to organize an important cultural event in the village.

Work: The work will be mainly manual. Firstly, you will take care of the community green areas - so you should be fond of gardening works (cutting bushes and grass, painting works, raking etc.). Secondly you will help with some manual tasks that will be needed for the preparations and running of a local festival “Folkloric afternoon” that will be held in Dysina and will be part of the International Folkloric Festival Pilsen 2014. Thirdly, you can also meet local school children and prepare some presentations about your country of origin and your culture for them. Bring something special from home which could be suitable for such an activity (games, music, pictures, etc.).

Study part: Get familiar with the history of the region and visit some local craftsmen. It is also possible to learn about the local remarkable church. Learn how to play golf, there will be a two-hour lesson of golf provided for the volunteers in the nearby golf terrain.

Leisure time: Excursion to Pilsen (European Cultural Capital 2015). From 13th to 15th June Pilsen will host the International Folkloric Festival with many Czech and foreign dance and music groups. Trips to the surrounding countryside and visit of cultural and historical sights, swimming in nearby lakes, campfire. The village will try to arrange some activities with the local population as well. You will also have a chance to organize a film evening in the attic of the local church.

Accommodation/Food: You will sleep in a local centre for children on mattresses. Please bring a sleeping bag, mattresses will be provided. It is possible to use the internet for free and wash your clothes. Please be prepared for less comfort – the room for sleeping is quite small and you will take a shower in the cabins of a local football pitch about 10 mins of walk from the accommodation. Some of the meals will be served in the local school canteen, some will be prepared by the group. Vegetarian diet is possible.

Location: Dysina (about 1500 inhabitants) is located at about 10 km from Pilsen.

Project: The project takes place in a little village of Mezno, about 70 km south from Prague. It is organized by the local NGO Mezenak in co-operation with the municipality of Mezno. Mezenak aims at creating opportunities for local people to meet, to get closer to each other and to the place where they live by organizing different non-formal cultural and leisure-time activities (both for children and adults). This year, the workcamp will be held in Mezno already for the sixth time.

Work: The workcamp will be mainly focused on the contact with local community, especially children. During the first week, you will be presenting yourselves and your culture in two local elementary schools and in one high school. You will also prepare international evenings for local public in three close-by villages and a summer celebration for children. You will be also invited to create several small workshops for children during which they can learn more about your culture. The second week, you will do some manual work in the forest or in other public areas for three days (preferably together with local children and youth) which will be physically demanding. Meanwhile, you will be asked to write a blog on the web page of the NGO Mezenak to help the locals know more about your stay in Mezno and also to keep memories after your departure. Besides the blog, you will have space to create a project together with children (e.g. a book, drawing, video, photo-collage, etc.).

Study part: You will have the chance to get to know a typical Bohemian village and learn a lot about local culture, history and lifestyle. There will be a possibility to visit local farmers and get a lecture of horse-riding. You can also take part in a pottery workshop or cook with locals in their home.

Leisure time: Possible free-time activities include a visit of the historical town of Tabor and other sights according to your own interest, trips in the surroundings on bikes provided by the local partner, swimming in natural quarry or a pond, etc. You can also play football or tennis in the village.

Accommodation/Food: The volunteers will be accommodated in a local football clubhouse. No beds and blankets can be provided, therefore the volunteers are asked to bring a sleeping bag. Mattresses will be provided. Please be prepared for basic living conditions. Wi-fi connection is possible. The volunteers will prepare their breakfast and dinner by themselves. Lunch will be provided in a local restaurant.

Location: Mezno is a small village (about 360 people). There is a shop, a doctor, a post office and a restaurant. There are also some sports facilities. It lies about 20 km from the historical town of Tabor.

Note: A motivation letter (A4) is required! You should be ready and willing to spend a lot of time with local people from the village, mainly with kids and teenagers who do not speak perfect English. We are especially looking for out-going and communicative volunteers who are not afraid of speaking in public and who do not mind manual work, too. It would be also very welcome if you spend time during workcamp on the creation of a small project (together with children) picturing life in the village that will stay there.

Project: The project is held in Pilsen, European Capital of Culture 2015. Public benefit organisation “Pilsen 2015” is responsible for implementing the European Capital of Culture project, which mainly consists of programme activities and cultural sustainability activities in Pilsen and Pilsen region. The organisation both supports existing projects and creates some of its own. One of these is “Foster the City” project which deals with the state of the public space and its affordable enhancement. Local people have an opportunity to demonstrate their ideas – to show what is wrong, what they miss, what they would like to participate in.

Work: Your task will be improving derelict places of Pilsen. This year we will mainly focus on the site of former public river bath. You hardly find any traces of the wharfs and bathhouses there nowadays but people still pass through the place on their walks along the river. The only larger remnant is an original bath restaurant which now serves as an accommodation for people who passed through a drug addiction treatment. They might help us at work too.

You will clean the place from shrubs and litters, restore preserved constructions, build new constructions from wood and other materials. The point is to make the place attractive for the by-passers. And you will celebrate the effort – by throwing a concert or a neighbours party.

Study part: You will have an opportunity to go for an excursion to the Pilsner Urquell Brewery and for a trip to a spectacular town in Pilsen region. You will be also invited to organize an evening or afternoon event for the public at the work site.

Leisure time: See some interesting Pilsen sights – medieval city centre, historical underground, Techmania Science Centre and do other activities such as visiting festivals, cinemas, sports facilities, restaurants, typical local pubs, cafés, tearooms and clubs, galleries, museums and ZOO woods and lakes around the city, scenic countryside.

Accommodation/Food: You will stay in a scout clubhouse. Please bring your own sleeping bag and a camping mat. The clubhouse is equipped as follows: hot and cold water, 3 toilets, 1 shower room, a kitchen with gas stove, some dishes and other cooking utensils. The clubhouse is located by the river Radbuza near the work site. Walking distance to the city centre is 2.1 km and to the nearest tram stop 650 m. Warm (vegetarian friendly) lunches will be provided at the work-site or other place in the city. Breakfast and dinner will be prepared by yourselves.

Location: City of Pilsen (www.pilsen.eu) is the capital of West Bohemia. With 167 000 inhabitants and 15 000 university students it is a significant cultural, business and industrial centre, internationally famous mostly due to the products of Pilsner Urquell and Škoda factory.

Note: Your work will be mostly hard manual labour. But don't worry - it will be worth it! We look for people who believe in improving the city by their own hands, who find fun and pleasure in doing so and who can also spice it up: if you cook, sing or can amuse others, it will be useful for the evenings… We certainly do not want any moaners!:)

Project: The workcamp will take place in Tvarozna Lhota, a small village in the White Carpathian Mountains. Here “INEX-SDA White Carpathian Mountains” supports rural development and the education towards a sustainable way of life. It offers educational free-time activities to young people and operates an ecological open-air centre called “Cottage Travicna” with an ethnographical exposition on life in the mountains. The organization also supports the production and consumption of regional goods, such as herbal teas, goat cheese, lamb meat and many more.

Work: Most of the work will take place at the ecological areal „Cottage Travicna“.During the first week the volunteers will help with manual work aiming at maintenance of the area. The work can include for example reparation of fences for animals and gardens, reparation of play structures for children, maintenance of the surrounding area (repairing tourist trails, care for an arboretum of local woods and a herbal garden, care for little orchard of traditional fruits). These tasks will vary according to the current needs. During the second week, volunteers will help to prepare the event „Ethnosalas“(a celebration for local children). During the celebration, volunteers will assist in implementing different activities for children. If the weather conditions allow, volunteers will also collect herbs in the surrounding meadows and in the nearby forest, herbs which will be used for the production of organic teas. Please note that the weather can be sometimes very hot and that you may have to work in the sun. Bring protective creams and a hat.

Study part: A guided excursion to the biosphere reserve „NPR Certoryje“, a guided tour along the nature-trail „Oskeruse“ (traditional regional fruit), a trip to the Bata Canal and sustainable tourism are planned. Learn more about local products, organic farming, the history and natural potential of the region. An international cooking evening with the local youth and workshops on pottery and batik with traditional colours are planned. The program includes a trip to Bratislava (Slovakia).

Leisure time: Trips to various sights of the regional cities of Straznice, Uherske Hradiste and Skalice; daily afternoon-program, including games and activities in the outdoor adventure park in the cottage Travicna and trips to the close-by countryside and sights; swimming in the lake.

Accommodation/Food: Volunteers will be accommodated in a building in the very centre of the village. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Two small bathrooms are available. Please be prepared for basic living conditions as the house is very small. The volunteers will prepare their meals together – a small kitchen is available in the living area. Bring your national recipes.

Location: Tvarozna Lhota (bus stop in the village, next train stop Straznice). The nearby bigger cities are Straznice (5 km distance) and Uherske Hradiste (30 km). The region is famous for its folk traditions and beautiful countryside.

Note: This project is realized with the support of Johnson Controls, Inc.

Project: The workcamp is located in the Carlsbad region, Western Bohemia, also called “region of living waters” thanks to its many water springs and spa towns. It is organized by the Association of municipalities Slavkovsky les dealing with sustainable rural development, protection of the landscape, preservation of regional cultural sights, organic farming and ecotourism. It will take place in several communities of the region depending on which municipalities of the Association will get involved. Part of the activities will take place in Becov, a beautiful historical town with a famous castle.

Work: The work will be manual: You will help to preserve the local natural and cultural heritage including the historical botanic garden in Becov. Your work includes to plant trees and other plants, cut grass, clean, help with the maintenance of the touristic infrastructure and natural trails. You will do some adjustments of sacred buildings. You could also help on an organic farm. The tasks can change according to current needs of the communities involved and the weather conditions. Take suitable working clothes, good working boots and rain-gear.

Study part: Guided tours to regional historical and cultural sights such as castles and monasteries, excursions with a lecturer to the protected countryside surrounding Becov, discovering local folkloric festivals and traditions and non-formal meetings with the locals.

Leisure time: You can visit famous spa towns in the region (e.g. Carlsbad/Karlovy Vary or Marianske lazne), do some sports and go hiking in the surrounding countryside. It is possible to have a campfire, go swimming and on bike trips, try horse riding and visit some local cultural events. Bring also some of your favourite local recipes and games.

Accommodation/Food: Premises of the local football club in a small village of Otrocin in a big room on the floor. Mattresses will be provided but please bring your own sleeping bag! There is a common room for eating (but not a kitchen!), a shower and two toilets. Please be ready for basic conditions. The food will be partly prepared by yourselves (breakfasts, snacks) and partly provided by the local partners (lunches and dinners).

Location: different communities of the microregion Slavkovsky les, Western Bohemia and a town of Becov nad Teplou (the site of the botanical garden).

Note: Bring warm clothes in case of bad weather and a swimsuit.

Project: The project takes place in Kysice, a tiny village in Western Bohemia located just 4 km from Pilsen, European Cultural Capital 2015. The municipality of Kysice supports the cultural and social life in the village and the active participation of the inhabitants into the local community. You will organize activities for the local kids and help the local community with some maintenance of public areas.

Work: During the first week, you will prepare an afternoon full of games and competitions for local children at the end of their summer holidays (it will be held on Saturday 30th August). Please bring some interesting games that are typical for your regions of origin or anything special you may need and which could be unavailable in the Czech Republic. Musical instruments are also very welcome. During the second week you will clean and cultivate an abandoned garden of a house owned by the municipality. The house is going to be transformed into a cultural and social centre of the village. Another option is that you will do some cleaning in the nearby forest. It is also planned to organize intercultural evenings of all your nationalities for the local community which will include presentation of the cultures including tasting of national food. Please take some objects, pictures and music that represent your culture and some interesting recipes with you. Do not forget some special ingredients and spices.

Study part: Learn more about the history of the village Kysice from a local historian and visit an exhibition of historical photographs. Take part in a voice-training led by a professional trainer and discover the production of animated films created by children and youth from the region (project Animania).

Leisure time: There are plenty of activities the volunteers can do during their free time: visit of Pilsen (the Brewery Museum, the Pilsen brewery itself, museum of puppets, synagogue), have a campfire or a barbeque; do sports such as volleyball, foot tennis and handball; go hiking and cycling in the surroundings (bicycles will be provided by the village). During your stay a local festival “Historical afternoon” will be held in Kysice – you can borrow some costumes and assist to the festival.

Accommodation/Food: In a small hall of the local cultural house – a common room, toilets and a small kitchen are available. Showers will be provided in the building next door. Bring your own sleeping bag and a sleeping mat! The cultural house is also the place where the intercultural evenings will be held. In the ground floor, there is a gym and a pub. Smoking in the house is prohibited. There is a rope park and multifunctional pitch located nearby.

Lunches will be provided in the local restaurant, volunteers will prepare their own breakfast and dinner.

Location: Kysice, 4 km from Pilsen.

Note: We are especially looking for volunteers with outgoing personalities who are willing to present their cultures to local people and who have a good relation to kids. It would be also convenient if you are a non-smoker.

Project: The workcamp will be held in Pilsen, European Capital of Culture 2015. Public benefit organisation “Pilsen 2015” is responsible for implementing the European Capital of Culture project, which mainly consists of programme activities and cultural sustainability activities in Pilsen and Pilsen region. The organisation both supports existing projects and creates some of its own. One of these is “The West-Bohemian Islands of Land Art” which is aimed at the unique St. George’s Park. The idea of the park in the future is to develop it with minimal interventions into landscape and with respect of the fauna and flora and of the archaeological sites in place. In 2015, the park will host residence program for young artists from all over Europe. The workcamp is organized also in cooperation with the NGO Desop (Voluntary ecological association for the protection of birds in Pilsen).

Work: The aim of the workcamp is to prepare the area of the park for the planned artistic residential program. For this reason, volunteers will remove some of the bushes and other vegetation, burn branches, collect rubbish and maintain pedestrian paths. The work will be done outdoors, in a vast park area. It will not be very physically demanding. You will do just basic maintenance work. Please bring solid shoes, long trousers and long sleeves for work in the bushes, a hat to be protected against the sun and also some warm clothes in case of bad weather (raincoat and boots).

Study part: Get to know the past, present and future of this amazing part of Pilsen where two rivers meet. You will have a guided tour of the St George’s church situated in the park and of the whole park itself, then you can visit the nearby Rescue station of animals and you can take part in a thematic program of practical nature protection including a demonstration of the capture and ringing of birds. On 19th – 20th September, there will be a volunteer’s festival in Pilsen called “Angel Fest”. You can also prepare a small neighbour’s party in the park for and with the inhabitants of the nearby houses during the second weekend of the workcamp.

Leisure time: In your free time, you can go for walks in the surroundings of the park (e.g. the hill of Chlum which is an archaeological site with a nice view of the landscape), you can go for a canoe ride on the Berounka river from the city centre to the outskirts and of course you can visit many other historical and cultural attractions of the city of Pilsen.

Accommodation/Food: You will stay in a scout clubhouse attached to the St George’s church in the park where you will work. The clubhouse is equipped as follows: a kitchen with gas stove, two common rooms and a spacious attic for sleeping (including mattresses). Please bring your own warm sleeping bag! There is a local heater (for wood) downstairs, a toilet and a well with non-drinkable water. Drinkable water will be brought by the local partner in barrels. There is no shower inside but there will be an outdoor shower arranged. Please be prepared for basic conditions! Walking distance to the city centre is over 3.4 km and the nearest bus stop is 10 min of walk away. You will prepare your own meals in the kitchen of the clubhouse.

Location: St George’s park in Pilsen

Note: We are searching for volunteers with a good relation to nature.

Поиск по сайту: