Setkávání v krajině

22/04 – 07/05
RENO/ENVI
Vols: 9+2
Age: 18+

Project: The NGO “Horse Farm Chmelistna” is located in a small village at the foot of the Doupovske Mountains in environmentally important countryside. The main activities of the local partner are: Restoration and improvement of the village, breeding of horses and other domestic animals, management of the farm with respect for environmental principles and rural traditions, usage of horses in various fields (sport, medieval theatre and "Natural Horsemanship"), organising activities and events for children, especially children at risk of social exclusion. For more information, see: (www.chmelistna.eu) - on the web site you can find photographs and other information regarding the workcamp.

Work: You will prepare the pasture for the horses and build fences around it. The work is manual and will include especially: cleaning the area, the disposal of brushes, making fires and putting up posts.

Study part: During the workcamp plenty of non-formal educational activities will be planned, e.g. excursions, lectures, trips, workshops, international evenings and events with local children. An international evening with a press conference will be held in one of the surrounding communities, during which you will have the opportunity to present your culture and your reasons for volunteering. You will be able to meet with children and young people from the local partner’s target group (children from the neighbourhood, from children’s homes, from a nearby Roma community and the inmates of an educational institution for young people). You will be able to do activities together with the children and possibly prepare a joint presentation. You will also have the opportunity to join a workshop on communicating with horses, horse training, and horse riding.

Leisure time: Horseback riding, hiking in the countryside, making music and other activities around a campfire. For those interested, a two-day overnight hiking expedition in the countryside could be organised. (As the transport possibilities in the region are very limited, please note, that it will most likely not be possible to visit bigger cities during the workcamp).

Accommodation/Food: In a simple brick house. The building has hot water, a shower and a kitchen. Bring your own sleeping bag with you! You will cook together with the group using common resources in your lodgings.

Location: The tiny village of Chmelistna (near Nepomysl), in the district of Louny, in the north-western part of the Czech Republic

Note: Smoking is forbidden in the project’s buildings, vegetarians are very welcome. The project is not suitable for volunteers with allergies (pollen, animal dander, insect stings ...).

15/04– 02/05
RENO/AGRI
Vols: 8 + 2
Age: 18+

Project: The workcamp will take place in the small Moravian village of Tvarozna Lhota, situated in the White Carpathian Mountains, near to the Slovakian border. The region is famous for its folk traditions and its beautiful countryside. In the middle of the village, the local NGO “INEX-SDA Bile Karpaty” runs a centre for rural development and sustainability. It also has a farm with old agricultural lands, which are now beginning to be used again for breeding sheep and for growing herbs and traditional fruit trees. The area is currently being turned into a retreat for children and tourists. There is a small museum about traditional rural architecture, where every year several events take place.

Work: The work will be manual. The volunteers will work on the farm, mainly repairing fences, making hay, cleaning, and weeding the herb garden. The volunteers will collect herbs from the surrounding meadows, which will then be used for the production of herbal teas. On April 30th a small festival of typical fruit products, “Oskeruše”, will take place. The volunteers will help with the technical preparations of the event (I.E., putting up stands, cleaning up afterwards).

Leisure time: Trips to the countryside and to folklore events, visits to touristic sights in the surrounding towns and villages, and an educational cycling trip around the region will take place. The volunteers will experience Easter time in the Czech Republic.

Study part: The volunteers will have the opportunity to learn more about local products, local farming, the history and natural potential of the region. They will participate in the “Oskeruše” festival.

Accommodation/Food: You will be accommodated in the “In-Klub”-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. Volunteers will prepare their meals together – a small kitchen is available in the living area. Bring your national recipes.

Location: Tvarozna Lhota (bus stop in the village, next train stop Straznice)

01/07 – 14/07
ENVI/RENO
Vols: 11 + 2
Age: 18+

Project: The workcamp takes place in Broumovsko – an East Bohemian region near the Polish border, which is suffering from structural weakness since the 2nd World War. The local “Agency for the Development of Broumovsko” is trying supports various forms of regional development, such as tourism and cultural events. Their objective is to transform the region into a place, were people want to stay, return or move to.

Work: The volunteers work in the amazing monastery of Broumov and in its garden (repairing a wall, maintaining the area, cleaning, gardening etc.). They will also help to document the state of signs on a natural trail and do manual nature protection works in a protected forest. Finally the group will help to prepare and clean several churches in the region for a series of classical concerts, which are going to take place there during the whole summer.

Study part: Learn more about the past and present development of the region. Visit the monastery and its garden. A guided tour through the local brewery is possible.

Leisure time: There is really a lot to do and see in Broumovsko. You can go swimming, make trips to the famous sandstone rocks of Adrspassko-Teplice and visit one of the many caves and other natural sites there. Broumov and the surrounding cities are worth a visit as well (museums, historical sits). You are also invited to visit a “Beatles-Revival” and other cultural events in the monastery garden.

Accommodation/Food: In a house belonging to the local theatre in Broumov. There are beds and blankets, no sleeping bag or sleeping mat is needed. A common room, a shower, a small kitchen and several toilets are available. The groups preparestheir own meals from common resources. If you wish, you can sleep one day in the romantic garden of the monastery – please bring a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat.

Location: In and around the town Broumov – the centre of the Broumovsko region.

17/07– 01/08
ENVI/CULT
Vols: 13+2
Age: 18-26

Project: The workcamp will take place in Tvarozna Lhota, a small village in the White Carpathian Mountains. Here “INEX-SDA White Carpathian Mountains” supports rural development and the education towards a sustainable way of life. It offers educational free-time activities to young people and operates an ecological open-air centre called “Cottage Travicna” with an ethnographical exposition on life in the mountains. The organization also supports the production and consumption of regional goods, such as herbal teas, goat cheeses, sheep meat any many more.

Work: Most of the work will take place at the ecological areal „Cottage Travicna“. During the first week the volunteers will help to set up egresses, needed for the planned extension of the number of domestic animals breed in the centre. Furthermore, they will help to maintain the area (mountain trail, interactive statues, care for an arboretum of local woods and a herbal garden). During the second week, the volunteers will help to prepare the event „Ethnosalas“(a celebration for local children). During the celebration, the volunteers will assist in implementing the activities. If the weather conditions allow, the volunteers will also collect herbs on the surrounding meadows and in the nearby forest, which will be used for the production of organic teas.

Study part: Guided excursion to the biosphere reserve „NPR Certorye“, guided tour along the nature-trail „Oskoruse“ (traditional regional fruit), trip to the Bata Canal and sustainable tourism are planned. Learn more about local products, local farming, the history and natural potential of the region.

Leisure time: Trips to various sights of the regional cities of Straznice and Skalice plus a daily afternoon-program, including games and trips to the close-by countryside and sights will be offered.

Accommodation/Food: The volunteers will be accommodated in a building in the very centre of the village. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Two small bathrooms are available. The volunteers will prepare their meals together – a small kitchen is available in the living area. Bring your national recipes.

Location: Tvarozna Lhota (bus stop in the village, next train stop Straznice). The nearby bigger cities are Straznice (5 km distance) and Uherske Hradiste (30 km). The region is famous for its folk traditions and beautiful countryside.

Note: This project is realized with the support of Johnson Controls.

17/07 – 31/07
RENO
Vols: 10+2
Age: 18+

Project: The project is organized by the local non-governmental organization Hastera, which organizes and supports cultural and educational activities for the general public as well as for kids and the youth (f.e. traditional folk culture, music, dances).

Work: 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 bike!

Study 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 vwne 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 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.

Accommodation/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: 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.

24/07 – 07/08
RENO/ENVI
Vols: 13+2 (CZECH-SPANISH-GERMAN Project)
Age: 18+

Project: The workcamp is organized by two West Bohemian NGOs dealing with sustainable rural development, protection of the landscape and preservation of regional cultural sights. It will take place in two communities of the region, which lay just a few kilometres apart: During the first week you will live and work in the tiny village of Nezichov. The second week’s activities will take place in Becov, a beautiful historical town with a famous castle.

Work: The work will be manual: In the first week, the group conserves the remains of a church, works on a natural track and does other environmental work. In the second week you will do gardening and maintenance works in a botanic garden, help to build a panoramic track and work on other places in the city. The tasks can change according to current needs and the weather conditions. Take good working boots and rain-gear.

Study part: Meet representatives of the NGOs and the villages, learn more about ecological farming (as you will live on an organic farm during the first week), guided tours to local historical and cultural sights.

Leisure time: You can visit famous spa towns in the region (i.e. Karlovy Vary), make sports and go hiking in the surrounding countryside. Bring also some of your favourite local recipes and typical games.

Accommodation/Food: During the first week you will sleep in a pension on an organic farm. The local partner will prepare the food. In the second week the living conditions will be basic – you will sleep in a pension in Becov. Please bring your own sleeping bag! The food will be partly prepared by you and partly provided by the local partners.

Location: Becov and Nezichov in Western Bohemia.

Note: Special Czech-German-Spanish project  (5 vols from each country). Camp language is English!

04/08 – 15/08
RENO/CULT
Vols: 10+2
Age: 18+

Project: The old brewery is situated in the small village of Chric. Its history dates back to the14th century and the brewery was built two centuries later. The production of beer had to be stopped with the beginning of the Second World War. The complex has fallen into ruin since that time. But it is an inspiring area, which the NGO Propolis wants to change into a vivid place, serving as cultural and community centre. Step by step working rooms for handicapped people and an educational centre offering courses for the public should be build up. The organization would also like to support the reactivation of traditional handcrafts. Sometimes in the future the production of beer should be restored, too!

Work: The main part of the work consists of manual tasks: The group will do renovation and demolition works in the brewery, cultivate the garden, clean a river and help to prepare the local music and theatre festival “Křič fest”, which will take place on the 13.8. The work will be physically very demanding. Additionally the volunteers will create a performance or a cultural program, which they will present together during the festival (the concept is just up to the fantasy and ability of the volunteers). We are looking for motivated volunteers, who are not afraid of physically demanding work and who have an interest in theatre, music, dance and creative art. Bring working clothes that can get dirty or damaged. You will need very good working shoes!! You will work on the weekends, but get at least one day off.

Study part: Get some knowledge about the history of the place, the brewery and the way beer was produced. We inform you as well about our plans to the future and depending on your interest it is possible to visit a nearby museum, where you learn more about local traditions. We can also arrange a visit of a bee-keeper and of other traditional local producers.

Leisure time: Trips to the surroundings: ruins of the castles Krasov, Krakovec, the nature preserve Krivoklatsko, the castle Krivoklat and the muzeum Marianska Tynice. There will be some bikes at your disposal. The village has a football ground; 5-10 km from the village there is a swimming pool and a river.

Accommodation/Food: In the living area of the brewery in two separate rooms. Bring a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat. In case of interest you can sleep in tents in the garden (bring your own tent). 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. The living conditions will be very basic (outside showers, dry toilets, not much comfort or privacy in the sleeping rooms)

Location: The village of Chric (about 200 inhabitants, with a church and a castle in its centre), located in the Western part of Bohemia.

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).

22/08 – 10/09
RENO/ENVI
Vols: 8+2
Age: 18 - 35

Project: The project is organized with the municipality of Dysina, a small village in Western Bohemia not far from Pilsen. You will support the community to care for the local green in parks, a bio corridor and in other public places.

Work: The work will be manual. You will take care of the community green areas - so you should be fond of gardening works (cutting bushes and grass, painting works, raking etc.).

Study part: In the last week of the project the local school starts its new term. Prepare some activities for the local school-kids on one the first school day.

Leisure time: Excursion to Plzen (visit of the world-famous brewery, the zoo and the underground of the city). Trips to the surrounding countryside and nearby towns, horse riding and a campfire.

Accommodation/Food: In the local school on mattresses – please bring a sleeping bag. Some of the meals will be served in the school canteen, some will be prepared by the group.

Location: Dysina (if you arrive by train – get out at the station Chrást u Plzně!!)

17/07 – 29/07
RENO/YOGA
Vols: 10 + 2
Age 18+

Project: The workcamp will take place in the Sri Devpuriji Ashram. The ashram serves as a place for yoga, meditation and other techniques. It is situated in Zdarec u Skutce, a small village at the foot of the Ceskomoravska vrchovina hills in the center of the Czech Republic.

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 – 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).

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.

Accommodation/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: Yoga centre Zdarec u Skutce (1km from the town Skutec with 3000 inhabitants).

Note: The yoga centre is a place where no alcohol, drugs or meat are consumed. You can smoke only in a certain area of the centre. Bring good working clothes, working boots and raingear! After the end of the project, you have the possibility to stay at the centre for some more days for a fee of 150 Czech crowns per day.

17/07 – 30/07
RENO/YOGA
Vols: 12+2
Age: 18+

Project: The Mahaprabhudeep ashram is a spiritual centre of the organization “Yoga in Daily Life”. It is situated in the small village of Strilky, in the compound of an old village castle with a large park, an orchard, a vegetable and herbal garden. The ashram organizes various seminars about yoga and a healthy way of life as well as camps for children.

Work: 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 – 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.

Accommodation/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.

Study part: There will be seminars or meetings for those who are interested in Yoga and in the system „Yoga in Daily Life“.

Leisure time: Trips to the surroundings, walks, swimming in a nearby pool, singing, camp fires.

Location: The ashram is situated in a small peaceful Moravian village Strilky at the foot of the hills of Chriby (25 km south-west from the town Kromeriz, 55 km east from Brno).

Note: There are rules that need to be followed: no drugs, alcohol and smoking, no meat and eggs consumption in the ashram area. A motivation letter sent with the application form is required (we are looking for flexibility, activity - interest in yoga and vegetarian lifestyle are crucial). Please hand in a medical certificate stating you have no infectious diseases

3 months during 01/04 – 30/10
AGRI/YOGA
Vols: 1 – 2 
Age:18+

Project: The project is focused on organic gardening, as our farm is a certified farm following the principles of organic gardening, partly also biodynamic gardening and permaculture. Organic farming means, that we use environment friendly practices, support biodiversity and protect the landscape. We do not use synthetic fertilisers to enhance our production and chemical substances to protect our crop from diseases and pests. Instead we use natural principles to increase the yields and resistance to pests and diseases as well. Fruits and vegetables produced in our garden are mostly used in our ashram kitchen. The volunteers will have opportunity to see the production from the field to the table. The goal of the project is enabling young people learn about healthier and sustainable way of farming (and living), give them opportunity to live in the countryside and perhaps motivate them for living a rural/more natural life. It offers the possibility of inter-cultural exchange and participation in organic movement. In addition our project gives the chance to spend some time in the spiritual environment of our ashram.

Work: Our farm has 3 employees. The volunteers will help mainly in the vegetable garden and in the orchard. The volunteers will work 7 hours per day. The weekends will be free. Be prepared for sometimes demanding work outside (weather changes, sun, …).

Leisure time: After work and on weekends the volunteers will have the opportunity to go for walks, visit sights or take trips to the surrounding countryside. In the Chriby hills it is possible to see ruins of the old Strilky castle and ruins of Cimburk castle (near Korycany), where some cultural events take place. The town Kromeriz with historical monuments on the UNESCO list is 25 km far away.

Accommodation/Food: In a room (usually multiple-bed room) in the castle or in a building opposite the castle. The meals are provided in the castle (at the moment we have an Indian cook). The food is vegetarian only. 

Location: The farm is located in the Mahaprabhudeep ashram – a spiritual center of the organization “Yoga in Daily Life” with around 15 permanent inhabitants. It is situated in the small peaceful Moravian village Strilky, in the compound of an old village castle with a large park, an orchard, a vegetable and herbal garden. The ashram organizes various seminars about yoga and healthy lifestyle and camps for children. The village is located at the foot of the hills of Chriby, 25 km south-west from the town Kromeriz and is surrounded by forests. The nearest town Korycany (3 000 inhabitants) is 6 km from Strilky.

Note: There are rules that need to be followed: no drugs, alcohol and smoking, no meat and eggs consumption in the ashram area.

Requirements:
1    Flexibility, responsibility, sociability, patience and maturity
2    Interest in working in the garden, desire to gain experience; experience with gardening is an advantage
3    Good physical condition
4    Letter of motivation
5    Medical note stating the volunteers has no infectious diseases
6    Good knowledge of English
7    Acceptance of our spiritual environment and vegetarian lifestyle (see the Note)
8    Interest in yoga is an advantage

Language: English
Pocket money: 50 EURO/month