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).
The workcamp takes place in the village of Ceske Kopisty where the local NGO Camphill Ceske Kopisty runs a family-like community centre both for people with (mental) disabilities and for those without any kind of disability who work and live together. The Camphill community in Ceske Kopisty is inspired by the Camphill movement and the ideas of anthroposophy. Besides therapeutic activities for the clients (including pottery and textile workshops), the community runs an organic farm focused on vegetable production and based on the rules of bio-dynamic farming. Camphill has recently set up a social entreprise which helps to sustain the community centre by selling agricultural products.
Work:
The organic farm of Camphill is very dependent on manual work and it would be impossible to maintain the agricultural project without the voluntary work. The volunteers will perform two different kinds of manual work. Firstly, they will be helping on the organic farm - planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, cleaning, storing. Secondly, some minor construction and renovation works will be done (e.g. building and demolishing of walls, cleaning bricks, reparations). Bring good working clothes and shoes.
Study part:
Lectures and discussions about the Camphill movement, anthroposophy and organic farming. It is possible to visit the nearby Terezin Memorial at the location of the former concentration camp for Jews – the Terezin Ghetto. Workshops on different handicraft techniques (making carpets, wooden jewellery or special natural soaps) can be organized for you.
Leisure time:
You can make trips to the surrounding towns (a historical town of Litomerice, Usti nad Labem with a brewery and a zoological garden and Zernoseky with a wine cellar) and visit some summer cultural events. Then you can go hiking in the nearby beautiful hills, swimming in the river just behind the centre, have boat trips, do some sports (football, volleyball, table tennis) and go on a cycling tour along the river...
Accommodation/Food:
In a big hall on mattresses. Bring a sleeping bag! One shower with hot water and a toilet will be available. There is also a kitchen – products for cooking will be provided by the local partner. Volunteers will prepare their breakfasts and dinners on their own, for the lunches they will assist the community cook with the preparation of the meal.
Location:
Ceske Kopisty – a small village near the historical town of Litomerice.
Note:
As you will stay in a community for people with mental health issues, smoking and the consumption of alcohol and drugs are forbidden within the community area. Please respect night-time peace and the privacy of the clients’ accommodation.
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 i 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 i 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.
Accomodation & 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 & leisure:
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.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.
Requirements:
Please note that the camp s main focus is on work in the underground of the castle i 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
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.).
Accomodation & 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 & leisure:
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.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.
Requirements:
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.
The volunteers will perform two different kinds of work: Firstly you will help with practical manual tasks indoors and outdoors: gardening, putting up tents and teepees, preparing the barn for the arrival of the clients (moving furniture, cleaning, decorating and preparing games and activities for the children and youth), who will arrive at the second week of the project. Secondly the group will work with children and youth with autism and other disabilities who spend their vacation at the village (general assistance, organization of activities for the clients, going with them on walks outside the centre, help in the kitchen, etc.). During the children s camp, volunteers will work longer hours but it will be compensated for during the first part of the workcamp when you will have more free-time. All the time, volunteers will cooperate with Czech assistants.
Accomodation & food:
Part of the time you will be accommodated in modern tents or in a barn in Jizbice (the village where the children and youth camp takes place). The rest of the time you will sleep in a house in Nymburk that serves as a centre for the organization. Please bring a sleeping bag and a headlamp. Lunches during the children s camp will be provided externally, the rest will be prepared by the volunteers. For the period of your stay in Nymburk, you will be preparing your own meals so bring some interesting recipes.
Location & leisure:
Location: Nymburk and the village of Jizbice (8 kilometres from the town Nymburk).Study part: In the first week you will get a lecture on autism and a workshop on methods how to work with children and youth affected by autism. You will have the chance to learn some basic Czech phrases i it will be helpful during the children s camp. You will also learn about the famous Czech author Bohumil Hrabal who was born in Nymburk i you can visit his birth house or see a film based on his novels.Leisure time: Tour around the spa town Pod283;brady, excursions to the complex of labyrinths and the castle of Loucen, to a local brewery and to the surrounding countryside are planned. We will also organize an intercultural day/evening in Nymburk and play bowling.
Requirements:
Notes: Smoking is forbidden while working with the children. Bring working clothes with you that can get dirty You will need clothes for all kind of weather (swimsuit, warm clothes, raingear and waterproof working boots). We are especially looking for outgoing and creative volunteers with good communication skills. A motivation letter sent with the application form is strictly required. Also we will ask you to cooperate before the workcamp and read the materials that will be sent to you.
The organic farm of Camphill is very dependent on manual work and it would be impossible to maintain the agricultural project without the voluntary work. The volunteers will perform two different kinds of manual work. Firstly, they will be helping on the organic farm - planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, cleaning, storing. Secondly, some minor construction and renovation works will be done (e.g. building and demolishing of walls, cleaning bricks, reparations). Bring good working clothes and shoes.
Accomodation & food:
In a big hall on mattresses. Bring a sleeping bag One shower with hot water and a toilet will be available. There is also a kitchen i products for cooking will be provided by the local partner. Volunteers will prepare their breakfasts and dinners on their own, for the lunches they will assist the community cook with the preparation of the meal.
Location & leisure:
Location: Ceske Kopisty i a small village near the historical town of Litomerice.Study part: Lectures and discussions about the Camphill movement, anthroposophy and or-ganic farming. It is possible to visit the nearby Terezin Memorial at the location of the former concentration camp for Jews i the Terezin Ghetto. Workshops on different handicraft tech-niques (making carpets, wooden jewellery or special natural soaps) can be organized for you.Leisure time: You can make trips to the surrounding towns (a historical town of Litomerice, Usti nad Labem with a brewery and a zoological garden and Zernoseky with a wine cellar) and visit some summer cultural events. Then you can go hiking in the nearby beautiful hills, swimming in the river just behind the centre, have boat trips, do some sports (football, volleyball, table tennis) and go on a cycling tour along the river...
Requirements:
Note: As you will stay in a community for people with mental health issues, smoking and the consumption of alcohol and drugs are forbidden within the community area. Please respect night-time peace and the privacy of the clients accommodation
The workcamp will take place in the small town Horni Marsov in the Krkonose mountains. The local partner is the Centre for environmental education called SEVER. SEVER is focused on practical nature protection and environmental education. They promote responsible behavior towards nature and the Earth and among the people themselves. They cooperate with primary and high schools and organize education camps for students and seminars for their teachers. They also organize educational and cultural events for the public. In 2013 the reconstruction of baroque parish in Horni Marsov was finished. Nowadays it hosts the eco centre called DOTEK (TOUCH – meaning Tradition, Outdoors and Culture House) which is mostly built using natural materials and where most of the educational programs are taking place.
Work:
The work will be physically demanding. Volunteers will work mainly in the eco centre TOUCH or in the surroundings and will do the following activities: e.g. preparation of woods for heating of the eco centre during winter, collecting woods from the forest, storing woods near the place of eco centre, gardening, hay harvesting and cutting the grass. They will also help with maintenance and renovation of the eco centre – cleaning and demolition work, painting the walls, etc. The area of the mountains has quite a cold climate, even in summer and it often rains so it is necessary to have good waterproof shoes, raincoat and warm clothes.
Study part:
Volunteers will have the chance to meet the local inhabitants. During the workcamp, there will be also a camp for children (age 7 till 10) taking place. Volunteers will help with cooking and preparation meals for children. It is possible to have some program together as well. We especially welcome participants who play some musical instrument or who have any other artistic skills. An international dinner with local community is also planned. It will be nice if you can bring some special ingredients from your country and cook traditional meals for them.
Leisure time:
There are many possibilities how to enjoy your free time while discovering the nature and other sights. You can try to go down an educational path and discover the plants and animals. Besides, Krkonose are very popular for mountain hiking. The highest peak of the Czech Republic, Snezka (1602 m), is situated nearby. It is possible to have an excursion into an old underground mine or to a fortress.
Accomodation/Food:
In the eco centre TOUCH. You will sleep in beds in two big rooms (each one for seven people). In case you want, you can bring your own tent and sleeping bed – it is possible to sleep outside in the garden. You will have meals with the rest of the people working in the eco centre. The local cook will prepare the meals from local supplies and every day, two different pairs of volunteers will be asked to help in the kitchen.
Location:
Horni Marsov (about 1000 inhabitants) in the Krkonose Mountains (Giant Mountains), Eastern Bohemia. It is a mountainous area with a cold climate and beautiful nature.
Note:
The workcamp is suitable for volunteers who like nature and mountains and are not afraid of manual work. Musical instrument are welcome.
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 i by throwing a concert or a neighbours party.
Accomodation & 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 & leisure:
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 koda factory. 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 i medieval city centre, historical underground, Techmania Science Centre and do other activities such as visiting festivals, cinemas, sports facilities, restaurants, typical local pubs, cafes, tearooms and clubs, galleries, museums and ZOO woods and lakes around the city, scenic countryside.
Requirements:
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 :)
« 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! »
