Short-term (2 to 4 weeks) "construction" projects in Italy

Tramonti (Salerno)

This workcamp is organized in cooperation with ACARBIO (Associazione Costiera Amalfitana Riserva Biosfera), 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 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. Most of the activities are held in the village of Tramonti which is part of the beautiful Amalfi Coast. Tramonti s name comes from the fact it is surrounded by mountains (Intra Montes = among mountains), which makes it a village with plenty of green nature and with agriculture traditions. This is the context in which ACARBIO is promoting actions for a more sustainable approach towards mother nature, one example being the project to build an eco-center for youth activities and workshops about eco-buildings and healthy life styles. This project, that falls within the Make it Green initiatives, already started on September 2015 when over 30 international participants of an Erasmus training, worked to renew an abandoned barn using eco-friendly techniques such as straw-bales, clay, rocks, lime, bamboos and works are still in process. A bio-gas system was also installed. The video of the previous project is available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEOVudjFCwQ.

The activities of this work camp will focus on the continuation of the insulating of and old barn from the inside, taking care of the plastering of the straw bales attached to the walls (covering them with layers of clay, lime, volcanic ash). The volunteers will be involved in the preparation of the mixture with various techniques (with a mixer or using their feet), cutting and sewing of straw bales, clearing of the outside area next to the bio-digester. The volunteers will also work on some maintenance work around the building. There will also be some theoretical presentation to discover more about eco-friendly building techniques and the eco-building world as a whole. International volunteers will work under the supervision of an expert in the field of eco-building. Volunteers will be engaged in work for 6-7 hours a day, for 6 days a week. The hosting organization will also contribute for the free time activities, organizing parties with pizza and traditional music or participating in other local traditional events happening during the Easter holidays or with an excursion.

Board and lodging are guaranteed for all participants. Volunteers will stay at ACARBIO’s headquarter, where they will find camp beds or air mattresses, bathrooms, a shower and a kitchen. The place has also free wifi. 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.

Tramonti counts about 4.000 inhabitants and it s divided in 13 small villages, each of them with at least one church. Tramonti is surrounded by mountains and forests, but the coast is only 5 km away. Tramonti played an important role in the history of the Maritime Republic of Amalfi between the IX and XII century. Thanks to its position, Tramonti protected the coast from any enemy attack coming from the mountains behind. Famous places like Amalfi, Ravello and Positano can be visited nearby. Naples and Salerno are about 1 hour away. During the Easter holidays there are several events related to local traditions, both in Tramonti and along the coast.

The nearest airport is the 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. Specific instruction on how to reach us will be provided in the infosheet.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. Specific instruction on how to reach us will be provided in the infosheet.

A project-related motivation letter is required. This workcamp is recommended for people who love the nature, who are interested in the topic of sustainable development and want to learn more about eco-buildings, committing themselves directly in the creation of something with their hands, keeping a positive attitude towards interculturalism. No specific experience is required for the project, only a lot of motivation and desire to explore new places and get more in touch with healthy life styles.

18-40

Parkambiente association is in charge of environment protection. It organizes trekking, orienteering competitions and cultural paths, enhancing the natural resources, but mainly it is engaged in the construction of a natural Park, involving disabled people and volunteers in construction, maintanance and management, together with the volunteers.

Volunteers will be engaged in the work of paths, replacement of stockade and park maintenance, especially the care of green in the park.
We organized this field to enable the disabled people to take advantage of a green space fitted for them.We will work 5 days a week; in the morning: from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m.; in the afternoon: from 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. except Saturday and Sunday.

To sleep we will be guests of a school structure with division of rooms for men and rooms for women. We will make sure to prepare on networks beds and mattresses. The bathrooms will be those of the students.
There are no washing machines.

We will be independent, meaning that a shift system will organize groups for cooking and cleaning. For the evening we will invite volunteers to prepare the recipes of their own Nations.

Sannio is located 40 km from Naples with 9000 inhabitants.

Cultural tours will be organized as sightseeing in Naples, Caserta e Benevento. During the evenings we will partecipate in fairs and festivals organized to nearby towns.

Internationa Airport is «Napoli Capodichino» With shuttle one can go to the train station «NAPOLI CENTRALE» (Naples Central).
To reach Airola you have to take the train to Arpaia - Line METROCAMPANIANORD. From Naples Central Station, you could also take a Bus to Benevento and get off at Arpaia.

The kindergarten “Anzio 4”, that adresses 3-5 yo kids, is starting the pilot project “The School in the Rabbits’ wood”, introducing a learning methodology involving the outdoor education. The fist “school in the wood “ was created in the 1950s in Denmark to increase the pupils’ happiness while learning. The motto is “you will find more in the woods rather than in the books. Trees and rocks will teach you things that no teacher could.” The approach is discover-know-learn, where the experience is the pillar of the learning.
The pilot project involves a large coalition of associations and the Anzio municiplaity to support the School in this innovative initiative and the international workcamps are important to prepare the settings and to do intercultural activities with the kids.

The volunteers will work in organizing workshops with the children, and will build a playground (a tree house, a sandpit, a hut). Another important task is the mainteinance and cleaning of green areas of the Nature Reserve "Tor Caldara", where the wood is located. The different tasks will be organized in shifts - from Monday to Friday, from 10.00 to 15.00h.
The three types of work (with kids - Renovation - Construction) can be alternated during the day on the basis of an organized calendar with volunteers.

Volunteers will sleep in camp bed inside the school gym. Bathrooms and showers will be available. Sleeping bags are needed. They will have bicycles with which will move to reach the reserve where they will work, they can also use them for leisure trips. Lunch from Monday to Friday will be organized by the school canteen, while dinner will be prepared by volunteers (a camp kitchen will be in the school) and sometime by the project partners. Vegetarian lunches or celiac recipes can be done, but you will need to know prior to arrival in order to organize.

The reserve is in front of a beautiful beach, where volunteers can go after 15.00 or on weekends. The reserve is very close to Anzio, a pretty seaside town about 55 kilometers south of Rome with a long history to the time of ancient Rome. It has a marina and fishing spot from which you can reach the island of Ponza, and is 2 hours from Naples. Rome can be reached by train with one hour. The group will organize autonomously their free time.