The work will be mainly physically demanding. You will participate in three activities: operation of DOTEK i preparation of wood for the winter season (collecting, cutting, storing). This part of the work will be manual and physically demanding. Natural garden - gardening (weeding, building of new flower beds, cutting and raking grass, making insect hotel). Inauguration of the church and a traditional fair celebration in Horni Marsov i you will help with preparation and realization of the event i distribution of flyers, decoration, preparing of activities for the fair. 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
Accomodation & food:
In the residential center in the building of the elementary school in Horni Marsov. There are rooms with beds, WC, bathroom, common room and a small kitchen. Please bring your own sleeping bags Food will be prepared in DOTEK i you will go there for lunch and dinner (it is approximately a 5-minute walk from the school building). You will prepare your own breakfast in the residential centre.
Location & leisure:
DOTEK eco-centre. It is located in Horni Marsov (around 1000 inhabitants) in the lower and less visited part of Giant Mountains, Eastern Bohemia. It has a good location for trips and it provides basic services (grocery stores, restaurants, doctor, pharmacy, etc.). It is a mountainous area with a cold climate and beautiful nature.Study part: Introduction of environmentally friendly operation of DOTEK - supplemented by tips on environmentally friendly operation of a household; introduction of natural garden, its components and functioning - complemented by the use of ingredients from the garden for unusual activities (butter production, processing of flax); introduction of historical and cultural development of the region. During the workcamp there will be 2 cultural events: inauguration of the church and the Fair in Horni Marsov (13th August).Leisure time: There are many possibilities how to enjoy your free time while discovering the nature and other sights. 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 a rock town or to a fortress.
For the first time, a workcamp is held on the outskirts of the city Brno (Tuřany) in cooperation with the local association Práh. Práh helps to promote and defend the rights of people with mental illness and improves the public perception of people with mental illness. It helps the clients to overcome problems related to mental illness in basic life areas: work, independent living, education, healthcare, interpersonal, family and partner relationships, leisure time etc. The aim of the workcamp is to create a cosy place in the garden of association Práh which will serve the clients and the public for therapy and relaxation. The workamp will also contribute to the project within which the garden will also be used for agriculture production (herbs, vegetables).
Work:
Work will be manual. The beginning of the workcamp will be devoted to the cultivation of the garden. We will start with removing branches from fences. We will also cut the bushes and clean the garden space. After the cleaning we will start building garden beds. In case of rain or if we have time we will put down a wall in a cellar and we will clean out the cellar. After that we will bring straw and prepare conditions for oyster mushroom cultivation. The volunteers will also get involved in social therapeutic workshops where they will work together with the clients; they will for example make labels for the trees and insect houses. Bring working clothes and solid shoes. You will also work one weekend together with Czech volunteers.
Study part:
There will be an introductory session for the volunteers introducing them with the organization, with the target group and activities that take place in the association. You will have a chance to meet the clients of the association and local people (campfire together with the Czech volunteers).
Leisure time:
Tour through the city Brno (the city centre and its surroundings, visit of the quarry Hády with the view of the whole Brno, visit to the Lama centre), cultural activities according to current offer (concerts, festivals of food, bathing at Brno Reservoir). One day before the end of the workcamp the garden will be open to the public, there will be a campfire and a concert.
Accommodation/Food:
In former school that now serves as premises of the association. There will be 1-2 rooms equipped with sleeping mattresses, big common room, showers and kitchen with basic equipment. Lunches will be provided (imported from a canteen), vegetarian variant possible. You will prepare your own breakfasts and dinners.
Location:
Tuřany - peripheral part of Brno, second largest city in the Czech Republic. The workcamp will take place in the premises of association Práh - in an old school building with a big garden and cellars. There are many workshop rooms in the old school where clients work with their hands.
Meeting point:
Brno. The meeting time is usually in the afternoon. Please note it takes at 2-3 hours to get there from Prague. The exact info will be provided in the infosheet.
Note:
Workcamp is suitable for volunteers interested in garden work, social and therapeutic work.
The work will manual and can be physically demanding. The tasks can include creating simple play structures from natural materials (digging a hole, putting logs, branches, ropes), renovating flower beds in the town, planting bushes in case of good weather (digging holes, planting, watering), creating a ponton on a local lake, maintenance of other public areas (painting of fences, repairing benches, etc.). As a lot of work will be done outside, please bring solid shoes.
Accomodation & food:
In the gym of a primary school. A kitchen and a bathroom will be available. You will sleep on mattresses in your own sleeping bags. Please, bring your sleeping bag and a light mat You will cook your own meals, some meals will be provided in the local restaurant.
Location & leisure:
A small town of Odolena Voda (population of 6500), at approximately half an hour from the outskirts of Prague by bus.Study part: Meet the locals, get to know the local culture. During the workcamp, an international literary evening Meeting of Languages will be organized in a house where a significant Czech poet Vit283;zslav Halek was born. You can get involved in the program by reciting shorts extracts of your favourite book or poem to the other volunteers and the public (in English or even in your native language). Please bring your favourite novel or book of poems, preferably in hard copies, that you would like to present at the event. There will be some activities for and with local kids.Leisure time: Visiting a local church and a fortress, hiking trip to close-by volcanoes, a trip to Prague, to the Veltrusy castle or a cycling trip to the town of Melnik. There is a possibility to use the community sports facilities i a hall for basketball, voleyball, tennis and beachvoleyball courts.
The workcamp is organized in cooperation with the local NGO Cmelak - Friends of Nature Society whose activities are focused on the support of a sustainable way of life, practical nature protection and environmental education. They restore the natural woods on specific pieces of land and try to save endangered tree species. They also maintain wetlands. The goal of the workcamp is to help with practical nature protection in several different locations that Cmelak is in charge of. Cmelak has organized so far 12 adult workcamps.
Work:
There are 2 types of work to be done
1) work in the tree nurseries and in forestlands (weeding small trees in the forest, planting of seedlings, building of small fences, work in the tree nurseries, incl. preparation and weeding of beds and grass mowing in Temna street. The main part of the work will take place in tree nurseries where at this time of the year the most work is needed; 2) Maintenance of the wetlands (cutting grass, cutting reed followed by raking, removing reed and other plants from water pools, cutting out wood, and garbage collection as needed). The work will be manual and physically demanding. Be ready to work outdoors, in wet areas, under all types of weather (rain, wind). Waterproof clothes with long sleeves and long trousers, a raincoat and rubber boots are necessary.
Study part:
Educational aspects of the camp will focus on forms of forest management, development of forests after the arrival of men, current problems in the management of nature protection areas or the topic of water containment in nature and the prevention of floods. Excursions to the New Virgin Forest and the wetlands are also planned. You will also prepare activities with/for the local community such as international breakfast on a Sunday morning.
Leisure time:
You can go hiking in the beautiful surrounding landscape, visit castles and climb the Jested – the highest peak in the region. The city of Liberec, where you will be accommodated, offers many possibilities to enjoy culture.
Accommodation/Food:
1st week - castle Novy Falkenburk in Jablonne v Podjestedi. 2nd week - Scout house in Liberec. Both accommodations have bathroom with showers, kitchen, dining room. They are clean but with basic conditions (no washing mashine). Bring a sleeping bag! You will prepare meals on your own. You can prepare traditional meals from your country. Bring special ingredients that may be hard to get.
Location:
Liberec and other areas of the Jizerske Mountains in the north of Bohemia. You will use mini-buses to get to the place of work in the surrounding forests and on foot to get to the wetlands.
Meeting point:
Liberec
Note:
We are looking for volunteers who like nature and are eager to learn new thing about nature protection. This project is realized with the support of Johnson Controls.
This is the first time that the workcamp takes place in the village Veselí nad Úhlavou in Western Bohemia in cooperation with the local association Tvrz Veselí. This association was founded with the aim of restoration of a ruin of a castle in Veselí nad Úhlavou and its utilization in future as a place for cultural and social purposes. Its activities involve preparatory maintaining works and fundraising to repair the castle. The castle has a disturbed past and is now in a very bad state. The aim of the workcamp is to clean an overgrown castle park from self-seeding plants and fallen trees and clean up a castle fountain.
Work:
Work will be manual and will be done in an overgrown and a much neglected park. The tasks will include: removing self-seeding woody plants, shrubs and fallen trees (with scissors, a hatchet and a handsaw), cleaning an old fountain. Bring working clothes which can get dirty, sturdy shoes and waterproof jacket or raincoat (in case of bad weather). There is not any work to be done indoors so be prepared for all kinds of weather. We will not work inside of the castle as it is not allowed to enter for safety reasons.
Study part:
Presentation of the castle and its troubled history, excursion to a selected sight (according to the agreement) with the Club of Friends of History, cultural afternoon with the Pioneers from Klatovy.
Leisure time:
Trip to Šumava- the Black lake which is related to one of the legends of Veselí; volleyball tournament with local players, trip to Dobrá Voda (5km by forest road) with young volunteer firemen, trip to Castle Klenová.
Accommodation/Food:
In the privacy at one of the association’s member in the village Pocinovice (about 10 km from the workplace). Sleeping on borrowed mattresses in your own sleeping bags. There are two big rooms, WC, a bathroom and a kitchenette with a cooker and jug kettle. Hot lunches will be brought to the work place every day. You will prepare other meals by yourselves.
Location:
Veselí - a small village (about 58 inhabitants) which is a part of the municipality Janovice nad Úhlavou, and a village of Pocinovice (around 548 inhabitants). Both are located at the foothills of Šumava National Park, close to Klatovy. From the place of accommodation (Pocinovice) to the workplace (Veselí) you will go every morning by train (20 min). The train station is near the castle. The village of Pocinovice has bakery, pub, library, some small shops and sports grounds.
Meeting point:
Pocinovice. The meeting time is usually in the afternoon. Please note it takes at least 3-4 hours to get there from Prague. The exact info will be provided in the infosheet.
Note:
Workcamp is suitable for history lovers. Due to living in a house with a host you will have a unique opportunity to experience local culture and customs, at the same time we ask you for respectful behavior.
The volunteers will perform different tasks of practical nature protection or other related tasks. You will either work in a nature reserve about 4 km from the camping place or in other nearby nature. The main work can consist of cutting grass on protected meadows, raking grass, collecting biomass and building of a protective fence. You will also work directly on the site where you will be lodged. The maintenance works on the camping place can include preparing wood, cleaning the surrounding area, liquidating invasive plants, packaging of a camp and similar manual work. As the meadows can be very wet, bring waterproof working shoes (or rubber boots) and rain-gear.
Accomodation & food:
: In tee-pees (Indian tents with a fire place in the middle) on wooden pads. You will cook for yourself on fireplace. The food is ONLY vegetarian. The nights in the forest are very cold even frosty, so bring a very warm sleeping bag, a sleeping mat and an extra blanket or a cover for a hey-mattress. You will wash yourself in a small stream with cold water which flows through the camp.
Location & leisure:
Stoupa, an isolated part of the village of Lesna in the Czech forest. The nearest town is Tachov.Study part: Evening discussions about ecological topics. A visit of nature reservations in the neighbourhood is planned. As you are living in close contact with the nature you will improve your camping skills as well. The first weekend of the workcamp, you will have a chance to get involved in a dancing workshop ( circle dances from different European nations).Leisure time: Hiking in the surrounding nature. Trips to Czech towns in the neighbourhood and as the project is situated directly at the boarder to Germany, a trip to Germany can be included as well. In the free afternoons, you can play games, have indian sauna, try out artistic work with wood and archery.
The work will be mainly manual. You will do different gardening works (cutting bushes and grass, raking etc.) and some other renovation and maintenance tasks (around the local kindergarten and primary school). You will also help with a preparation of a cultural event (beer festival). At the beginning of the second week of the project, new school year will start. The local partner would like you to meet local school children for one day and prepare some presentations about your country of origin and your culture. Bring something special from home which could be suitable for such an activity (games, music, pictures, etc.).
Accomodation & food:
In a local community centre on mattresses. Bring a sleeping bag. Please be ready for basic conditions i the showers are in cabins of the football pitch about 10 mins walk from the accommodation. Some of the meals will be served in the local school canteen and some will be prepared by the group. Vegetarian diet is possible.
Location & leisure:
Dysina (about 1500 inhabitants) is located at about 10 km from Pilsen.Study part: Get familiar with the local history (guided tour of the local church) and visit some local craftsmen. The village will arrange some activities with the local population. You will also have a chance to learn some basics of golf, there will be a two-hour lesson of golf provided for the volunteers in the golf terrain nearby.Leisure time: Excursion to Pilsen (European Cultural Capital 2015), trips to the surrounding countryside, visit of cultural and historical sights, campfire, etc. You will also have a chance to organize a film evening in the attic of the local church and spend time with local youth.
« The outside world did not interfere, because it seemed so distant, and so we spent our spare time getting to know each other and learning about each other countries', languages and cultures. Everyone was completely relaxed. This simply would not have been possible on any other type of holiday. VAP enabled me to have a truly memorable experience. »
