Work: The volunteers will perform two different kinds of manual work. Firstly they will be helping on the organic farm (f.e. planting, watering, weeding, harvesting potatoes-) and care for a garden. Secondly they will maintain the area of the community and do some minor construction and renovation works (f.e. building a wall, cleaning, cutting grass). Bring good working gear and boots. Study part: Lectures about the Camphill movement, anthroposophy and organic farming. Visit to the nearby Terezin Memorial at the sight of the former concentration camp for Jews i the Terezin Ghetto. Workshops on different handicraft techniques will be organized for you.
Accomodation & food:
In a big hall on mattresses. Bring a sleeping bag. One shower with hot water will be available. The volunteers will prepare their meals on their own.
Location & leisure:
You can make trips to the surrounding towns, go hiking in the nearby hills, swim in the river just behind the centre, have boat trips, do sport activities, visit cultural events in the near by cities-and much more
You will work in two different socially excluded communities in Usti nad Labem: in a centre for mothers with children (community Predlice) and the Drop-In Club New World you stay at (community Krasne Brezno). About 70 of your work will consist of organizing activities for the local population, mainly free time activities for kids (making music, painting, sport, games-) and activities concerning intercultural exchange. 30 of the work will be the reconstruction of the Drop-In Club and the centre for mothers with children. Study part: Lecture and seminar about social exclusion in the Czech Republic and about specific problems concerning work with youth from socially excluded areas.
Accomodation & food:
At the Drop-In Club New World in one socially excluded neighbourhood. The volunteers prepare their own meals. Bring a sleeping bag, a light-mat, good boots for hiking, working cloths and raingear.
Location & leisure:
Location: Usti nad Labem Leisure time: Trips to the surrounding countryside (nature-parks, castles, close-by mountains and historical cities). Visit concerts and tea-clubs.
Requirements:
Note: A motivation letter sent with the application form is strictly required Special fee 8 EUR to be paid on arrival (The money directly supports your stay at the project).
The volunteers will work mainly in the park of the Svojsin castle: they will help to renew the park and some of its buildings and maintain those parts, which are already restored. In case of bad weather conditions you will work inside the various castle buildings, performing maintaining tasks.Study part: Learn more about the preservation of historical sites.
Accomodation & food:
In one of the buildings belonging to the castle. Meals will be partly prepared by the participants, partly served in a restaurant in the village.
Location & leisure:
Location: SvojsinLeisure time: Trips to the surrounding countryside and to some historical towns near by.
During the summer season, the help of volunteers is very appreciated due to the large facilities and many activities of the ashram. The volunteers will help with simple everyday tasks i they will work in the garden, in the park, in the kitchen (dish-washing, cutting vegetables), do construction work and help with cleaning of the building.Study part: There will be seminars or meetings for those who are interested in Yoga and in the system Yoga in Daily Life .
Accomodation & food:
In a separate building opposite the castle, the meals are provided in the castle. Girls and boys have separate rooms. The food is vegetarian only (often Indian type). Please, bring your own sleeping bag if possible.
Location & leisure:
Leisure time: Trips to the surroundings, walks, swimming in a nearby pool, singing, camp fires.Leisure time: Trips to the surroundings, walks, swimming in a nearby pool, singing, camp fires.
Work: The volunteers will prepare firewood (experience with work with a motor saw is welcome), further more they will help to build an ecological house from straw and clay (making clay plaster, building walls from straw parcels) Additional tasks will be gardening, cutting grass, building a playground. The work will be very hard i we are looking for volunteers with a good physical condition. Study part: If you are interested in yoga, you can take part in daily lectures on yoga-practices (e.g. morning lectures, afternoon relaxation, seminar on system Yoga in Daily Life , evening meditation).
Accomodation & food:
You will sleep in the common room of the Ashram on foam mattresses. Please take your sleeping bag There will be ONLY vegetarian food.
Location & leisure:
Location: Yoga centre Zdarec u Skutce (1km from the town Skutec with 3000 inhabitants)Leisure time: You can swim in the river, which flows right through the area of the centre or in the stone quarries close-by. Take trips to the surrounding countryside, have a campfire, make music or visit sites of interest in the surroundings.
The project takes place already for the fifth time. In the last years volunteers renovated local monuments, a bus station and a school and helped with the documentation of a Jewish cemetery. This year the volunteers will assist with the renovations of the courtyard of the local elementary school. This involves preparing an area where an outbuilding has been demolished, so that the free space can be used for other purposes. The group will also do other renovation works in and around the school. You will use bicycles to move from the accommodation to the workplace. So you should know how to ride a bikeStudy part: Get to know the local folk traditions. The dance club of Hastera will teach you some dances and songs, which you can try during visits of some folklore celebrations or at an evening with traditional cymbal music. Excursion to a wine cellar.
Accomodation & food:
: In the former kindergarten of the city. The volunteers will sleep in one big hall on the floor on mattresses. Bring a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat. In the building there are reconstructed showers and toilets and a kitchen. The lunch will be served in a factory canteen. Breakfast and dinner will be prepared by the volunteers at the accommodation.
Location & leisure:
Leisure time: There is much to see in the region: The open-air museum in Straznice, a place of Pilgrimage in Velehrad, castles, the Batuv canal, a big lake for swimming and other sites of interest. During the project a film festival will take place in a neighbouring town. You can also go cycling or do sports at the courtyard of the school. Location: Uhersky Ostroh (a city with 4500 inhabitants), situated at the river Morava in a beautiful area of Southern Moravia, known for its wine. 2 hours by train from Brno, 3 hours from Vienna and Bratislava.
The work is manual and you will perform different tasks according to the current needs and to your abilities You will help in the park of the castle, do some simple construction works, remove invasive vegetation, cut wood and move materials. Your tasks may include some manual work in the castle itself. Learn more about the castle and get access to the parts, which are normally not open to the public.
Accomodation & food:
On wooden floors in one room of the castle. The facilities and living conditions are basic and a bit dusty. Bring a sleeping bag, sleeping mat and your own eating set The volunteers will cook for themselves.
Location & leisure:
Castle Grabstejn near Chotyne in Northern Bohemia. Public transport is rather limited in the area. There is only one local train, so the main means of transportation will be your feet :-). Be prepared to walk about 30 to 45 minutes to buy food in the nearest townLeisure time: It is possible to go swimming in a near-by lake, to go hiking in the local mountains, visit Liberec, several castles and other interesting sights of the region.
Requirements:
On the weekend after the project finishes, a cultural event will take place at the castle. If you wish, you can prolong your stay on your own expenses.
The volunteers will work in the castle park and in the surrounding forest park. They will mainly perform maintenance and gardening tasks such as cleaning paths, weeding, removing fallen branches and leaves, making wood etc. Bring good working clothes, rain-gear and boots.Study part: Guided tour through the castle Kynzvart.
Accomodation & food:
In the castle area in a house. Take your sleeping bag and sleeping mat. A bathroom and a small kitchen are available. The volunteers will prepare their meals on their own.
Location & leisure:
Lazne Kynzvart (area of castle Kynzvart), about 11 km from Marianske Lazne.
« I would recommend participating in a workcamp, especially with VAP, who ensured that I found a project to suit me and provided essential training for me in preparation for my trip. Being part of a workcamp really is a life-changing experience, oh, and it looks great on your CV! »
