Meeting point

INFO PACK for volunteers:

Two weeks project "Meeting point" for 12 european participants

Let's turn the the yard of the traditional homestead into a welcomming place where we re-born traditional architecture and traditional materials by new ideas and world inspiration. Apart of practical activities will be international context generating discussion about the topic of selfsufficiency and environmental awareness. We will create in the programm also place for sharing individual qualities,  improvisation and creativity.

Where:  Merboltice 95, Czech Republic

When: 29th July- 11th August 2024  

Who: open-minded youth in age 18-30 years, ready for practical action 

Participants has to became members of European Solidarity Corps -  initiative of EU.

Costs and guaranty: European Solidarity Corps program  guarantee educative quality of accredited hosting organisation and cover volunteers all costs as traveling, accommodation, food and pocket money. You have to come to pleace 29st July at 12 a.m.  and leave after 11th  August 2 p.m.  according to project period. 

Transport: We give preference to overland transportation. You may travel 3 days before and 3 days after activity by shortest connection 

Hosting Organization:  Spolek Hvozd NGO - culture-educational-experimental space in countryside

Applications deadline:  1st of July 

The aim is to offer opportunity for youth to prove their solidarity with small association of people implementing sustainability in the village household and its garden, with extension to make living village. Help us to renovate a yard and renovate a wall of building, create a good navigation system in outside kitchen, make a cozy seats from the wood. Help us to motivate visitors to use a composting toilet, and rain water and stay creative in the alternative. Therefore is this project directly referring to issues of climate change. Its consequences already stroke in our region by unprecedented droughts. 

    Participants will face another cultural environment of Czech countryside. International team provides them a great opportunity for European inclusion. During the activity volunteers will be led by life-experienced members of NGO in their topics, applying their new knowledge and suggestions in direct action. 

By that the volunteers will deepen social and communication skills, their awareness of their own and other cultures. Everyone will be supported to organize activity for collective. The participants will be meeting thus experiencing a wide set of approaches and mentalities - experiencing inter-cultural learning. 

All we realize in our NGO and in this project with participants comes from principles of permaculture. Permaculture is a design system in which natural ecosystems are the model for our human habitats. Natural ecosystems are, almost by definition, sustainable, and if we can understand the way they work we can use that understanding to make our own lives more sustainable. Long-term aims are to secure the water supplies of water for our eco-farm that is needed for household use and mainly watering extensive gardens and new planted trees in orchards. 

Volunteers tasks and training activities

    Each morning will have morning activities helping to connect team and mapping mind set of group, on short meeting we will plane day schedule and divide us into teams working on different place and different crafts.

Tasks are practical, and real impact of that improves gathering capacity and technical condition of place. We will do maintenance of garden or household in the direction of sustainability

• plastering around of windows

• basic carpentery works - using hand tools or power tools

• conserve a woodstructure by burning technique, oiling

• planting of bushes and trees and propagation of bushes 

Other activities

• non-formal education and activities - leaded by main team-leader, experienced volunteer and member of Spolek Hvozd.

• Trips into region - either leaded by our friend-guides that take you into closest National park with accommodation there or you can set out on your own to Prague  or wherever during your day off.

• Inclusion with locals where we will visit their farms in village or on one of evenings where participants will introduce the place they come from and prepare their traditional food.

Daily routine tasks:

Cook food and clean dishes together: from local sources of vegetables or organic supplies for everybody with strong ethic attitude.

Grass cutting: we will need to help with the scything of the grass and afterwards it's composting, we will do it by hand instrument scythe. The advantage of this tool is that group of people can talk together meanwhile.

Fire wood: chopping of the wood for winter by axe is evergreen activity in the farms which are warmed up from local sources of wood. 

Making preserves: bounty of the summer is good to keep for winter as well. We can do jams or preserves or dry berries or fruits.

Crafting of benches from massive wood etc. 

Accommodation: Sleeping is indoor in Common room with wooden floor on matters, or outdoor in the tent or in indian Teepee tent. Shared Kitchen, outside shower, Bathroom, outside Toilet

How to apply

  To participate in this project You have to fill up our short on-line form until begining of July 2024. After that we will contact You by email. Check the SPAM, we answer to everyone, who fill up the form, lately 10 days. You should apply for project paralely by the europen solidarity corps platform.