The work will be varied and adjusted to the abilities and preferences of volunteers but also according to current needs of the partner organization. Firstly, volunteers will be helping with the preparations of a traditional event, the outdoor Holly mass (15th August), which takes place in the courtyard of the castle. The work will include cleaning and other technical and manual tasks. Secondly, volunteers will be working according to a concept of the voluntary academy i this work can range from creative and artistic activities to manual work at the castle and in the garden. Creative part can include making info panels, preparing materials and presentations, writing articles for the website or artistic activities (drawing, ceramics, etc.). The manual part will be most of the time physically demanding and can include reconstruction and renovation works (with stones, bricks and other materials) and gardening works (cutting and collecting grass, arrangement of the ground, etc.).
Accomodation & food:
The accommodation will be very basic; please don t expect any comfort You will sleep in a cottage near the castle in two common rooms. Take a sleeping bag and a sheet to cover the mattress with you. The toilet and showers will be provided in a container that is located in the courtyard. The participants will cook some meals for themselves in a small kitchen and some meals will be prepared by a cook. Bring your local recipes.
Location & leisure:
Location: The castle ruin is situated near the village Hrebeny in western Bohemia and other villages in the region.Study part: Discover the history and current intercultural atmosphere of the Hartenberg castle. It will be possible to organize intercultural evenings so please bring some materials that represent your culture (music and musical instruments, films, pictures, recipes, small objects, etc.). You can also be part of a workshop on sustainable practices.Leisure time: You can go hiking in the mountainous countryside, visit some of the famous spa-towns in the region, go canoeing, do some sport activities and play music. During the weekends there will be time to go on whole-day trips, too.
Requirements:
Note: We are looking for flexible and sociable volunteers with an interest in cultural heritage and nature. The workcamp can suit both people with artistic skills and also people who like manual work. The focus of the work will depend a lot on your own abilities and interest. Please take good walking boots, warm cloths and raingear with you.
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.
Accomodation & 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 & leisure:
Location: different communities of the microregion Slavkovsky les, Western Bohemia and a town of Becov nad Teplou (the site of the botanical garden).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.
Requirements:
Note: Bring warm clothes in case of bad weather and a swimsuit.
The workcamp will take place in the South Bohemian town of Pisek. There will be two local partners – the local primary school and the Jewish community. The first week of the workcamp, the main focus will be on the Jewish synagogue which has an important historical value and which should serve in future as an educational community centre. At the moment, it is under reconstruction after years of neglect. For the second week, the workcamp focus will be on the primary school. Volunteers will give an intercultural dimension to the the summer week-long program for children that will be organized there. The aims of the workcamp are double: to contribute to the renovation of the synagogue and to meet and exchange with the local community, mainly school children.
Work:
During the 1st week, you will help with the maintenance of the synagogue and its surroundings. The work will include tidying up and cleaning the outer surroundings. It is necessary to remove the old and worn floor and take to the dump old parquet blocks. In the 2nd week, you will take part in a local summer camp organized by the primary school. You will help to prepare program in which children will learn English. Main focus will be put on the communication with them, on helping them not to be afraid to speak in English. Bring some games from your country that can be used. You will also help with additional work tasks around school such as repairing a playground, painting fences etc.
Study part:
Lecture on the history and original function the Jewish synagogue, visit to the local Jewish cemetery and a practical demonstration of renovation by the main restorer. We will also organize an international evening for local people. Please bring something that represents you and your culture/region – e.g. clothes, music, dance, games, etc. Also please bring some ingredients that are not usually available in foreign countries to prepare some traditional meals.
Leisure time:
Excursion around Písek (oldest bridge in central Europe, etc.), smaller trips in and around Písek - brewery in the near town Protivín, hiking in Pisek forests, swimming in the Otava river. At the weekend, we can also go to Český Krumlov, Plzeň or Šumava mountains. The primary school lets you use tennis courts, volleyball and football grounds. In the school area, there is also a possibility to have a campfire.
Accommodation/Food:
In the primary school. You need to take your own sleeping bag but mattresses will be provided. It will be possible to use school computers. Meals will be prepared by the volunteers themselves in a school training kitchen. It would be nice to try new, different kinds of meals so bring your own recipes.
Location:
Historical town Písek (30 000 inhabitants) which was built in the first half of 13th century. The town is located in Southern Bohemia.
Note:
Please note that the workcamp will stay in the primary school so smoking will be forbidden in the premises. The camp is suitable for outgoing volunteers with a good attitude towards children and who have ideas for activities to be done with them. Experience with English teaching is an advantage but not a requirement.
You will perform two different kinds of work. Firstly, you will assist during a summer camp for teenagers with physical and/or mental disabilities which takes place in the village of Jizbice (even though the clients are handicapped they are able to play and enjoy their stay). You will provide general assistance, organize activities for the teens and help in the kitchen. The assistance will be done in cooperation with Czech volunteers. The camp for teens will have a theme i Wild West. Creativity and artistic skills will be very welcome as you will be asked to contribute with your own activity. Secondly, you will help to prepare the area of the camps for the winter (gardening, cleaning after the summer season). During the teens camp, you will work longer hours but it will be compensated for at the end of the workcamp when you will have more free-time.
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 special education and a workshop on methods how to work with children and youth with special needs. You will have the chance to learn some basic Czech phrases i it will be helpful during the teens camp. You will also learn about the famous Czech author Bohumil Hrabal, who was born in Nymburk. 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:
Note: Smoking is forbidden while working with the youth. 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 project takes place in a 16th century brewery situated in the small village of Chric. Beer had been produced there until the beginning of the WWII. The complex has fallen into ruin since that time. It is an inspiring and vivid area, though, which is being renovated by the local NGO Propolis with the help of workcamps. The brewery has been turned into an educational centre focused on history and local handicrafts as well as a social and cultural centre. There is also a Museum of Daily Life hosting interactive exhibition on traditional rural life. Propolis is going to establish a social enterprise producing beer and employing people with mental and physical disabilities – this venture will be officially launched at the end of this year’s workcamp in the occasion of the traditional local festival “Kric Fest”.
Work:
The work is mainly manual: you will do different renovation works in the brewery (carrying material, digging, building a stone wall, etc.) and cultivate the garden. The work will be physically very demanding. You will also help to prepare the local music and theatre festival “Kric fest” and the opening ceremony for the newly renovated brewery. You will create a performance which you will present together at the festival (the concept is up to your fantasy and ability). We are looking for motivated volunteers who are not afraid of physically demanding work and who are interested in theatre, music, dance and creative art. Bring warm and waterproof clothes and working clothes that can get dirty or damaged. You will need very good working shoes!! You will work at the weekends, but get at least two days off.
Study part:
Get some knowledge about the history of the place, the history and the future of the brewery and the way beer used to be produced here. Learn about traditional rural life from the local Museum of daily life run by Propolis. There is also a possibility to visit the Museum of beer in Pilsen. We can arrange a visit of a traditional local farmer, too. The program of the workcamp will include an intercultural evening where everybody will introduce their country and you will have a chance to see a documentary film about the history of Czech country.
Leisure time:
Trips to the surroundings: ruins of the castles Krasov, Krakovec, the nature preserve Krivoklatsko, the castle Krivoklat and the muzeum Marianska Tynice. It will be possible to use local car for trips. The village has a football ground; 5-10 km from the village there is a swimming pool and a river. As a part of the workcamp a football or volleyball match with local youth can be organized. You can also take part in local village festivities.
Accommodation/Food:
In the living area of the brewery in three separate rooms. Bring a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat. You will have at your disposal a bathroom with a shower with hot water and a washing machine. There is also a common room. The conditions are still very basic because of the reconstruction (dry toilets outside). The local partner prepares the food with occasional help of the volunteers. Take some crucial ingredients or local products to prepare your traditional food for an intercultural evening.
Location:
The village of Chric (about 200 inhabitants) in the Western part of Bohemia. It is very isolated and the connection by public transport is poor. In the village you can find a shop, a post office and a church. The locality is not very populated and has beautiful nature.
Note:
A motivation letter sent with the application form is strictly required (max. 1 page A4, please state your motivation to participate in the workcamp, your experience with manual work, what you can contribute to the festival and if you have some ideas for the performance).
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.
Accomodation & food:
In a small hall of the local cultural house i 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 & leisure:
Location: Kysice, 4 km from Pilsen.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 i you can borrow some costumes and assist to the festival.
Requirements:
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.
« 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! »
