The main works will be done in the wood. The volunteers will do various environmental works as well as renovation and construction works on the island and in the forests around the island. Possible tasks are removing bushes and invasive small tree species, collecting rubbish and wood, repairing works and so on. Volunteers should be prepared to be flexible and take part in any work that will support the foresters.
Accomodation & food:
Your accommodation will be very basic. You will sleep in three large tents on camp beds. The infrastructure on the island is very basic without electricity and warm water, not even a warm shower. There is no heating in the tents and on the island you have to use compost toilets. The accommodation is quite isolated so volunteers should come with ideas about how to entertain themselves in the evenings! The foresters of the project have built a nice and comfortable block house where the group will meet and eat.
Location & leisure:
The workcamp is situated 25 km north of Berlin in a landscape consisting of woods and surrounded by several lakes. Volunteers can go swimming in one of the lakes. There are lots of opportunities for outdoor sport activities like soccer, table-tennis and volleyball.Please be prepared not to be able to visit Berlin very often. This is a camp for Nature Lovers!!!!!!
The topic of this workcamp is to protect its unique flora and fauna. Volunteer should come prepared to take part in a range of outdoor environmental activities in the Green Belt. This is a project for nature lovers. You will work all the time outside from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. (with breaks)!
Location & leisure:
You will sleep in a building. Sanitary facilities including showers are available.
The city forest at Wolfsburg enjoys huge popularity amongst joggers, cyclists, hikers and people who enjoy walking. Besides this, it is a habitat for many i even rare i species of plants and animals, such as orchids, for example. The park will also become your operation site, as you ll be supporting the district forest service in many different ways, such as taking care of the forest, repairing recreational facilities, removing non-native plants (neophytes), which could displace local species. Of course, during this time you will also get a great insight into the work of a district forest service employee and into the ecosystem of a forest. Your accommodation is not so far away from the forest, so you can easily get there on foot.
Accomodation & food:
You ll be staying in rooms for young people at the Saint Stephen s Community Building in the Detmerode district of Wolfsburg. You ll cook your own meals together.
Location & leisure:
The best known attractions in Wolfsburg are the castle, the art museum, the Autostadt (car city) and the Volkswagen Musem, the VfL Wolfsburg football team and the Phaeno experiment landscape. The VW-Pool is the most beautiful outdoor swimming pool in the region. In the Saint Stephen s Community Building, there is a youth club every Thursday. You can also enjoy all of the activities on offer at the nearby Detmerode leisure centre.
Requirements:
You need to be physically fit for the demanding work.
You ll be helping the surrounding communities with mowing fields and collecting hay. Sometimes, the fields are on a slope and are difficult to reach with machines. In nearby orchards, you ll be repairing fences and protecting trees from being gnawed away by sheep. You ll take care of rough grazing land, in order to conserve the habitats of endangered plants and animals. You ll also be pulling out small tree saplings from the meadow in order to prevent them spreading in this particular habitat i therefore learning a lot about conservation in the process. For one week you ll be at the Domberg Hill at Freising, where you ll be working on paths to protect them from erosion and repairing sheep shelters and fences around the meadow. The work assignment will be led by specialist Tobias Oehmen, who will be able to share his knowledge about nature and the benefits of your contribution. An absolute highlight for nature lovers is a 4-day trip to the Alps, where you can go hiking, so bring your hiking bootsNote about the project: If you are someone who wants to spend time amongst nature, enjoys walking, hiking and can ride a bike, then we can t wait to work with you When working amongst nature, some resistance to weather conditions is necessary. The desire to cook is also an advantage when applying to this camp, because you ll be cooking your own meals and shopping for your own ingredients, including some free packages from certain shops in Freising.
Accomodation & food:
Cosy, self-catering house for nature lovers, 7km outside of Freising in an idyllic hillside location. You will cook your own meals together.
Location & leisure:
You can reach Freising by bike along the river Isar. From there, the S-Bahn train travels to Munich. In Munich you have the opportunity to visit many museums, the English Garden or the famous Munich Hofbrauhaus. In the area surrounding Munich and in the Alps, you can go hiking and enjoy nature. Due to the close proximity to Hallertau, the largest hop-growing region in the world, there are many typical beer gardens around. It s also possible to go on hiking tours with the river Amper tour guides of the Friesing district.
Requirements:
You must be able to ride a bike. Ankle-high hiking boots and warm, waterproof clothing are absolutely necessary, since you ll need them for not only working, but also hiking
The Museum Island Hombroich is an art museum. It distinguishes itself through its free-standing exhibition pavilions and renovated buildings, which are located in a restored park on the bank of the River Erft. In the style of Paul Cezanne, the museum s motto is Art is parallel with Nature . You ll be revitalising the course of a river in the park grounds. To do this, you ll need to remove sludge from ditches, get rid of branches in the water and also build small ramps and steps so that the water can flow again. In addition to this, you ll build 2 weirs. If there s still time, you ll be building fences around the horse paddock, or carry out maintenance work around the park.
Accomodation & food:
You ll be staying in the guest house, which is in a remote location (the next town is 25 minute away on foot). You ll cook your own meals together.
Location & leisure:
From the museum grounds you can reach the train station in 25 minutes on foot. From here you can go on many different trips: you can visit Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, the Ruhr area or even the Netherlands. You ll receive a guided tour of the museum park. You ll be staying in a remote, but comfortable guest house. Neuss is the nearest town, which has cafes, swimming pools and shopping centres.
Together with the Wesel Biological Station, you ll be undertaking many different conservation tasks. You ll be helping on a project which is supported by the LIFE European Conservation Fund, by preserving historical oak forests, moors, heaths and sand grassland. Amongst other things, this project is about removing invasive, non-resident plant species so that the natural community of species can be restored. Depending on your interests, the Biological Station can organise guided nature tours such as a boat trip or an observation of bats.
Accomodation & food:
You ll be staying in a simple house which is in an idyllic, but remote, location in the forest. You ll cook your own meals together.
Location & leisure:
You ll be living in the middle of the forest, where you ll be able to sit together around a camp fire in the evenings and have a barbecue. The nearest town (Schermbeck) is about 25 minutes away on foot (1.5km). From there you can go on hikes, bicycles tours or canoeing on the Lippe river. In the surrounding areas you could visit the Colonia Ulpia Traiana i the third-biggest Roman town north of the Alps and Germany s largest archaeological outdoor museum. You can go on day-trips to the cities of Essen, Dortmund, Cologne, Dusseldorf or Munster. The Hanseatic town of Wesel also offers many free-time opportunities. In the first weekend of August there is a large city festival with a lot of live music and fairs taking place.
Together with the Ruhr regional association, you ll be completing various conservation work projects in the Ufter Mark area. You ll be working in different areas of forestry for 5 hours a day from Monday to Friday. You ll build cultivation fences, in order to later sow acorns there, mark out riding paths and clean other existing signs. As well as this, you ll be making protective baskets for some of the larger plants so that they don t get bitten off by wild animals, and also taking care of existing growing plants. Further tasks are the taking down of protective fences and the repairing of leisure facilities. From spending time with the forester, you will learn many things about the forest and its inhabitants.
Accomodation & food:
You ll be staying in small cabins in Schermbeck. You ll cook your own meals together.
Location & leisure:
Schermbeck is in a very rural area, you therefore need to be well-organised in order to plan your excursions. Your project partner will support you with this and put on free-time activities. In the surrounding areas you could visit the Colonia Ulpia Traiana i the third-biggest Roman town north of the Alps and Germany s largest archaeological outdoor museum. You can go on day-trips to the cities of Essen, Dortmund, Cologne, Dusseldorf or Munster. The Hanseatic town of Wesel also offers many free-time opportunities. In the first weekend of August there is a large city festival with a lot of live music and fairs taking place.
Requirements:
Strong shoes and waterproof clothing are absolutely necessary and must be brought with you
In Burscheid there are 2 projects for which we need your help. Firstly, a festival will be put on in the evangelical retirement centre i you will help to prepare decorations for the festival and organise the programme. For this, we ask you to bring music to sing and dance to, songs, pictures, folklore clothes, costumes and other garments that are typical in your country s culture, as well as recipes for special dishes from your country. Your second project takes place along the historical cycle path. With your help, the existing tracks along the cycle path will be cleaned. Old milestones and former telephone boxes will be cleared and cut free, put up and given a new coat of paint. During the second project, it is also planned for the former telephone boxes to be transformed into insect hotels or notice boards. Sometimes, children from the local holiday camp will help you with your work.
Accomodation & food:
You will be staying in a vacant apartment. You ll cook your own meals together
Location & leisure:
In Burscheid there is an indoor swimming pool with a sunbathing area, in which you can cool off on hot days. There are also possibilities for excursions i for example to Koln, Dusseldorf or Bonn i and opportunities to go hiking in the mountainous countryside.
Requirements:
Knowledge of German would be an advantage in this project, but is not an official requirement. Building work could sometimes be physically demanding. Bring enough spare clothes, since you will get dirty
« The most beautiful thing about volunteering obviously is the people you meet… the helpfulness the understanding…there is always someone who puts a plate of food in front of you if you say you are not hungry and not in the mood, or gives you a pep talk or simply a hug. »
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