Project summary: in an area rich of historical and natural witnesses , the volunteers will be engaged in maintenance and cleaning work along Olona river, in the framework of recovery project for the safety of the Valley.DescriptionProject: Legambeinte Varese has been collaborating with the Park Valle del Lanza since 2007, with the aim of protecting and promoting an area important for nature and for green tourism. The park was born with the aim of safeguarding the valley from the expansion of the urban areas and to improve sustainable tourism. The paths' net of the area is very important because is part of the "greenway" that connect Milano's area with Switzerland. www.parcovallelanza.comLegambiente local group: Legambiente Varese Onlus, besides giving contributions to main Legambiente national campaigns, cares about the environment of the district of Varese since the eighties. Legambiente Varese coordinates 14 local groups of Legambiente volunteers and is the connection between local, regional and national offices of the association. It carries out several activities such as the management of natural areas, the organization of workcamps, environmental education addressed to youngest generations and promotion of environmentally friendly lifestyles.Work: in the first part of the camp the volunteers work in collaboration with local volunteers and citizens, that are taking care of an important area near the river. In the second part the technical staff of the park will support the group in the maintenance of the bike road that crosses the park.The work will be: footpaths cleaning and maintenance, removing weeds and rubbish, paint little bridges. On Sunday 10th July the volunteers will participate in "Big jump", the international campaign for living rivers.Study part: Part of the time will be dedicated to study the natural characteristic of the Park focusing in the difficult relationship between man and nature near the river. Accommodation and food: Volunteers will be hosted in tent (provided) with camp-beds and they'll use a common kitchen with canteen. There will be an environmental friendly diet with local and seasonal products and little meat.Location and leisure: The Park is located between the provinces of Como and Varese, immersed in the green of the first Prealpine foothills, in the lakes' region and at the beginning of the great plan of the Po river.The park surface follows the river Lanza till it reaches its end in the River Olona; the valley is covered with several kinds of vegetation and rich of animals' presences. The Park is crossed by the old "Valmorea" railroad, now used for tourism with little steam trains.Language: English will be the official language in the camp. Italian speakers are welcome.Terminal: Milano Malpensa, Malnate train station
Very small uninhabited island in front of Palermo known as a natural reserve since over 15 years. Volunteers will help in cleaning it, building stone paths, label and number rabbits burrows. In the afternoon they ll work on rocky shores (not on the island) to clean them and will distribute leaflets on environmental protection to local citizens and turist. Work can be tiring and hard due to hot temperature and Sicilian sun. (hat and sunblock are compulsory).The volunteers will support some environmental activities with local volunteers.
Accommodation and food:
In a small house in the village (not on the island). All volunteers will stay in the same room equipped with bunk beds. Food to be cooked by volunteers.
Special requirements:
Being able to swim is compulsory.
Location and free time:
Isola is close to Palermo and connected with regular bus.
The work camp is organized by YAP (Youth Action for Peace) in cooperation with ACARBIO (Associazione Costiera Amalfitana Riserva Biosfera) and the local municipality of Minori. ACARBIO is an NGO engaged in the candidature of the Amalfi Coast as Biosphere Reserve within the MAB-UNESCO programme. Its activities focus on the conservation and safeguard of the natural and historical-cultural heritage of the Amalfi Coast, by promoting any kind of sustainable development with projects regarding the environment, biodiversity, tourism, local tradition, mobility, green energy. Among the many activities of the organization, international workcamps are becoming more and more important. In the past 2 years YAP organized with ACARBIO 7 workcamps about cleaning of green areas, the beach, workshops for kids on recycling and upcycling, building of natural houses, etc.. These projects were organized under the name of Make it Green and Make it Blue. As ACARBIO has worked these years promoting a more sustainable approach towards mother nature, we believe this project represents an opportunity to raise awareness about environmental protection at local level, and at the same time promoting volunteering, international cooperation and the involvement of local youth. More information about our previous workcamps can be found here http://goo.gl/HPSXGO
WORK:
International volunteers will work together with local volunteers from the civil service and they will give their contribution to the achievement of the objectives. The main activities will be focused on supervising the public beach, providing assistance to the bathers by keeping the beach clean from garbage, cleaning the sea with a paddle boat (pedalo), empty the trash bins, coordinate the usage of the umbrella-beach holders and make sure they are in their places , clean the main dock of the city from the sand, check the id cards of local people accessing to the “resident beach”, warn people not to play with the ball on the public beach or on the dock. The volunteers will also be engaged in the organization of activities for children aimed to raise awareness about the protection of the sea side and the environment as a whole. They will be protagonists in the communication activities and will send an important message in favour of the environment. Volunteers will be engaged in work for 6-7 hours a day, for 6 days a week. Only for the first workcamp of “Make it Blue”, volunteers will have free tickets for a trip in the beautiful isle of Capri. Participants will also have the unique chance to live the traditional celebrations for Saint Trofimena that will be held in Minori on 13th July.
ACCOMMODATION:
Board and lodging are guaranteed for all participants. Volunteers will stay at one of the local schools, where there will be bathrooms, showers and a kitchen. Participants will be asked to take their sleeping bag with them. The group will be responsible for preparing meals and cleaning the place. The organization will provide all the food that is needed. Public transportations are available for every days movements.
LOCATION:
Minori is a prestigious tourist destination in the Amalfi Coast. It is a small town that counts around 2.800 inhabitants and it is famous for being an ancient vacation destination for Romans. In fact a well preserved roman Villa was found in 1932 and now it’s one of the main attraction of the place. This town is also very famous for its gastronomic tradition, being the place where the production of pasta was born and became an art. Of course Minori offers also a beautiful seaside, beaches, nice promenade, stunning landscapes, one of the biggest Basilicas of the area and its bell tower. Other famous places like Amalfi, Ravello and Positano can be visited nearby. Naples and Salerno are about 1 hour away. In this period of the year there are several events related to local traditions, art and music all along the coast.
TERMINAL:
Airport of Naples. There are public busses that will allow participants to reach the place where they will be staying in Tramonti. The nearest train stations are Nocera Inferiore, Salerno and Naples in this order. From the train station you can take a bus to the Amalfi Coast, stopping at Minori. Specific instruction on how to reach us will be provided in the infosheet.
SPECIAL REMARKS:
A project-related motivation letter is required. This workcamp is recommended for people who love the sea and the nature, who are interested in the topic of sustainable development and protection of biodiversity, who are ready to have a positive attitude towards interculturalism. No specific experience is required for the project, only a lot of motivation, responsibility during the activities and desire to explore new places and help the nature and the local community.
Project summary: conservation and restoration of the environment and the landscapes in Dolomiti mountains, through hiking, public activities and workshops.DescriptionProject: Legambiente Dolomiti has been running the Environmental Education Centre in Lamon since 10 years ago. The Centre hosted several workcamps and summer camp every years, involving child, youth and families. Aims of the educational project are the protection, conservation and restoration of the environment and the landscapes through hiking, public activities and workshops. Volunteers will join these activities and they will take care of the territory and of the footpaths of the area in collaboration with the local population. Beyond that, the local group of Legambiente is doing educational campaigns about life style, Mediterranean diet and GMO's product. For these reasons, during workcamps, volunteers will discover local farmer's productions and the biodiversity of the areas. Legambiente local group: For 10 years Legambiente Dolomiti has been organising workcamps and educational activities inside an outside the Environmental Education Centre, in order to increase the active participation of young people and citizens and to increase the awareness about environmental issues concerning mountains environment. Moreover the club is concerned with some global-local environmental issues like sustainable agriculture, GMO's dangerousness, eco-life style and hand-made productions.Work: Volunteers will be involved in footpaths' maintenance and cleaning around the Centre, in order to make the way clean and safe. Furthermore, volunteers will organise public activities and meetings about the topic, in conjunction with the Legambiente local group, in order to involve the community. Accommodation and food: Volunteers will be hosted in a building, former primary school of Lamon. The place are set with slepping-rooms, a common living-room and kitchen. A low-flesh diet, according to the global environmental problems, will be a commitment for volunteers during workcamps.Location and leisure: The Lamon plateau is placed nearby the Primiero Dolomites and the Belluno Dolomites National Park. It is located about 80km northwest of Venice and about 35 km west of Belluno. During free time, excursions as well as meetings with the local population will be organised, in order to get in touch with local culture and former crafts. Volunteers will have the possibility to visit ancient places and to participate at some demonstrations of former crafts.Specific requirements: good attitude to walk in mountains environmentParticipation fee: 95 EuroLanguage: English will be the official language in the camp.Terminal: Airport: Venezia Airport – Treviso Airport ; Train station: Feltre train station
The work camp is organized by YAP (Youth Action for Peace) in cooperation with ACARBIO (Associazione Costiera Amalfitana Riserva Biosfera) and the local municipality of Minori. ACARBIO is an NGO engaged in the candidature of the Amalfi Coast as Biosphere Reserve within the MAB-UNESCO programme. Its activities focus on the conservation and safeguard of the natural and historical-cultural heritage of the Amalfi Coast, by promoting any kind of sustainable development with projects regarding the environment, biodiversity, tourism, local tradition, mobility, green energy. Among the many activities of the organization, international workcamps are becoming more and more important. In the past 2 years YAP organized with ACARBIO 7 workcamps about cleaning of green areas, the beach, workshops for kids on recycling and upcycling, building of natural houses, etc.. These projects were organized under the name of Make it Green and Make it Blue. As ACARBIO has worked these years promoting a more sustainable approach towards mother nature, we believe this project represents an opportunity to raise awareness about environmental protection at local level, and at the same time promoting volunteering, international cooperation and the involvement of local youth.
WORK:
International volunteers will work at the archaeological site of Villa Romana in Minori, which is a roman noble residence that has been discovered 50 years ago and it is quite well preserved. Volunteers will be engaged in the production of materials that can help have better accessibility to the archaeological site. The main activities will be to translate the descriptions and other materials in their own language, take pictures that will be used in a future exhibition to be organized in the center of the town, prepare a video book that will be available on the internet and smartphones for the visitors of the site. In this period the volunteers sometimes might also be involved in other volunteering activities that are happening in the town, working together with the participants of Make It Blue workcamp for the cleaning of the public beach or in worshops with kids in the topic of recycling. Volunteers will be engaged in work for 6-7 hours a day, for 6 days a week. For this workcamp volunteers will have free tickets for a trip in the beautiful isle of Capri. Participants will also have the unique chance to live the traditional celebrations for Saint Trofimena that will be held in Minori on 13 July.
ACCOMMODATION:
Board and lodging are guaranteed for all participants. Volunteers will stay at one of the local schools, where there will be bathrooms, showers and a kitchen. Participants will be asked to take their sleeping bag with them. The group will be responsible for preparing meals and cleaning the place. The organization will provide all the food that is needed. Public transportations are available for every days movements. Participants will be leaving together with other 6 volunteers of another workcamp called Make It Blue on the topic of environmental protection and that will take place in the same town.
LOCATION:
Minori is a prestigious tourist destination in the Amalfi Coast. It is a small town that counts around 2.800 inhabitants and it is famous for being an ancient vacation destination for Romans. In fact a well preserved roman Villa was found in 1932 and now it’s one of the main attraction of the place. This town is also very famous for its gastronomic tradition, being the place where the production of pasta was born and became an art. Of course Minori offers also a beautiful seaside, beaches, nice promenade, stunning landscapes, one of the biggest Basilicas of the area and its bell tower. Other famous places like Amalfi, Ravello and Positano can be visited nearby. Naples and Salerno are about 1 hour away. In this period of the year there are several events related to local traditions, art and music all along the coast.
TERMINAL:
Airport of Naples. There are public busses that will allow participants to reach the place where they will be staying in Tramonti. The nearest train stations are Nocera Inferiore, Salerno and Naples in this order. From the train station you can take a bus to the Amalfi Coast, stopping at Minori. Specific instruction on how to reach us will be provided in the infosheet.
SPECIAL REMARKS:
A project-related motivation letter + CV is required. This workcamp is recommended for people who love history and want to give their contribution on the promotion of the historical heritage worldwide. We are looking for participants with strong motivation, who are able to translate text from English to their mother language or others, who have experience in photography. One of the participant should also have some basic IT competences to handle digital material.
Project summary: Ostana is a laboratory for a new way of mountain life style. Alpine architecture preservation, identity and community are the basis for its sustainable development. DescriptionProject: Ostana is a small Occitan village located in the upper Po Valley ( 1300 mt) in front of the Monviso peak (3841 mt). In the last decades a careful work has moved Ostana into a small laboratory for a new way of mountain life style, focusing on architectural quality, identity and community, environmental and tourism sustainability. For these reasons the village has been awarded with the 2015 "Premio Vassallo" for its good political practices. These practices have also the aim of enhancing the value of the little alpine village with its peculiar and traditional community. Legambiente local group: Legambiente Barge is active in several environmental fields. Its proximity to the Monviso group gives a special focus to mountain topics such as offer of sustainable tourism and mobility, promotion of local culture, tradition and food. The association is involved in several campaigns on water and wood management, waste disposal.Work: The volunteers will help in the maintenance of mountain paths and public green areas. They will collaborate with some works in a hamlet under restoration, future site of a School of Sustainability. The volunteers will contribute to translate some promotional materials in foreign languages and help the running of the Cultural Centre Lou Pourtoun. Study part: The project of a Sustainibility School will be illustrated; young farmers and shepards will explain mountain agriculture and pasture; the volunteers will also meet with experts of the Po Natural park. Accommodation and food: The volunteers will be hosted in the Foresteria (hostel) built by the municipality beside the new cultural centre Lou Pourtoun in Sant'Antonio hamlet. The structure is run by young people who decided to build their future in the mountain. The Foresteria includes two rooms of 6 beds each and a common kitchen and dining room. Location and leisure: Ostana is a small village in the upper part of Po Valley (1300 mt) with an extraordinary view on the Monviso group. The participants will be surrounded by Occitan culture, with some artistic events, as Lanterna Digital, movie Occitan festival, gastronomic and dancing festivals.Possible activities during free time: trekking in Ostana paths and/or toward Monviso group and the spring of Po river; visiting of Saluzzo area with its medieval history.Specific Requirements: The volunteers should be prepared to live in a mountain environment, willing to walk and with appropriate clothes and equipment.Language: English will be the official language in the camp. Rudimental Italian or French is recommended.Terminal: The nearest airport is Turin while the nearest railway station is Savigliano.
We welcome help in the work of the hazelnuts, the garden, the renovation of the house, the daily duties of care and maintenance, and help is appreciated at home and in the kitchen.There is also the possibility to spend some time helping in biological wine production.In particular tasks of the volunteers will consist of:-Helping with Eco project: volunteers will work on eco construction inside the house which is on renovation, building tasks and working with wood-Farming: volunteers will prepare the harvesting of hazelnuts with sustainable methods-General Maintenance-Gardening- Help in the vineyards and canteen
Accomodation & food:
Volunteers will be hosted in a house in beds. They will cook their own meals all together using the products of the farm. They will share the same house as the owner so it is like being hosted in a home.
Location & leisure:
Volunteers will organize their free time with the group, there is the possibility to hike in the mountains and to visit local town or visit with the Cellar or local wine producers.
Requirements:
Active people interest in outdoor activities, outside-work lovers and interested in organic farming and environment. Bring rain coat, working clothes to work in the field and comfortable shoes as well as a warm sleeping bag.
Project summary: The Orobie Valtellinesi Mountains Park (http://www.parcorobievalt.com/) is a particular natural area which needs maintenance and cures in order to keep it the beautiful and biodiverse place that it is today. Volunteers will be involved in different tasks, such as the maintenance of woods and pathways.DescriptionProject: Legambiente Lecco, in collaboration with the Orobie Valtellinesi Mountains Park and the cooperative Montagna Viva, is in charge of the periodic maintenance of the natural area in Alpe Dosso.Legambiente local group: Legambiente Lecco is made of young and dinamic people, mostly under 30. The main activity of this Legambiente group is the management of an hostel; moreover, it has campaigned against food waste and for the correct waste management. Take a look at https://it-it.facebook.com/legambiente.lecco for details. Work: Volunteers will clean pathways, eliminate infested plants and take care of the woods. They will be working with the constant help of experienced voluntary people (Consorzio Montagna Viva - http://www.cmviva.it) that will provide all the necessary tools. Accommodation and food: Volunteers will be hosted in an alpine hut at 1600 meters over sea level. The place is quite isolated and has bad line reception. It takes 2 hours on foot to reach the alpine hut, which is provided of a kitchen, beds and toilets. No wi-fi provided.Location and leisure: Orobie is the first alpine chain in the north of Lombardia plain and pre-alpine reliefs.Since the alpine hut is quite isolated, leisure trips will be arranged inside the park itself, who has breathtaking landscapes and lots of pathways.Specific Requirements: past experience in living in mountains environment. Ability to walk and work in high mountains is necessary.Language: English will be the official language in the camp. Terminal: Nearest airports: Orio al serio/ Milano Malpensa Nearest train station: Colico
« 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! »
