Palombar – Associação de Conservação da Natureza e do Património Rural (Rural Heritage and Nature Conservation Association) aims at restoring traditional architectural heritage (dovecotes, watermills, stone walls) and valuing the local rural landscape; promoting traditional architecture, namely by providing training in traditional construction techniques; re-populating and maintaining traditional dovecotes; sowing traditional agricultural varieties next to dovecotes to provide sustainable food for the doves; identifying intangible heritage related to local nature and architectural heritage; promoting environmental education activities especially designed for youngsters.
Work:
The village of Uva lies in the surroundings of the International Douro Nature Park, with an impressive set of dovecotes: there are several of them, they take on various shapes, and they have an unquestionable unique heritage and architectural value. Furthermore, they are situated in an agriculturally and historically rich village which integrates the Special Protection Area of the International Douro Nature Park. This is where two dovecotes will be restored.
The main goals of this workcamp are to restore two traditional dovecotes, thus preserving architectural heritage and passing down traditional construction techniques; to enable the discovery of the Miranda Plateau, a unique rural region, rich in natural beauty, biodiversity, culture and traditions; and bringing together the young participants and the local community, therefore promoting intercultural (urban/rural, international/national) and intergenerational (youngsters/the elderly) encounters and exchanges.
The tasks planned for the dovecotes’ restoration will be cleaning it on the inside, as well as its surroundings; removing the walls’ original coating; restoring the rooftop; preparing the new limestone coating and whitewashing the outer walls.
Leisure:
As for leisure time, there are several activities planned for the participants to get to know the beautiful local landscapes, the rich cultural traditions and the local community: woodworking, helping villagers in their everyday tasks (watering the vegetable gardens, taking cattle to pasture, knitting, baking bread, etc.), trekking and hiking, bird watching, visiting the Miranda Donkey Breeding Centre, visiting the Algoso castle, visiting Vimioso and Miranda do Douro, introductory lesson on traditional music instruments (bagpipe, percussion), cinema nights, various games.
Accommodation/Food:
Basic housing with electricity, hot water, shower, WC, kitchen, dining room, bedroom (equipped with bunk beds) and barbecue area. Volunteers should bring sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Meals will be prepared by all the volunteers, taking turns, yet always accompanied by the leading monitor. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks, dinner, and night snacks will be provided.
Location:
Village of Uva, in the municipality of Vimioso. Palombar is responsible for driving the volunteers from Vimioso to Uva and back (both at arrival/departure and during the workcamp, whenever needed). Vimioso municipality will provide a bus to be at the workcamp’s disposal.
Meeting point:
Bus station at Vimioso; Palombar monitors will pick up the volunteers and drive them to Uva. We expect a phone call or email to warn us of the time of arrival.
Association Tarabelo aims to develop activities around themes such as rural development and nature conservations amongst wich we can refer the recovery of ancient structures and knowledge and promotion of workshops around biodiversity.
Tuizelo is a village that lies in a protected area called Parque Natural de Montesinho, known for its high biodiversity and cultural values. As the villages of the north of Portugal are severely abandoned and lacking cultural and refreshing activities, the Association Tarabelo aims to recovery old traditional structures that symbolize the ancient knowledge of such villages, as it still makes sense in the future to improve and use them. The village of Tuizelo lacks its old traditional communitary oven and its dissapearence dificults in great degree the continuance of certain traditions such as the making of the bread and traditional pastery such as the folares and bolas. The communitary water-mill of Tuizelo is presently working but the population as no place to call its one to make the pastery when needed (it is also difficult to take advantage of the water-mill in terms of tourism if there is no place to continue the bread cycle). In this way, certain agricultural and historical aspects can also be reforced, in terms of future plans of entrepreneurship by the few youngsters that live in the village. This recovery of the traditional oven can be, in fact, an excellent opportunity to promote cultural, natural and environmental education activities (nature trails, hanging around with people of the village, getting to know new interesting architectural, musical and other projects of the area, getting to know the natural park, between others) amongst the cti participanst and the local community promoting a trade/flux of transnational experiences, raising awareness towards the preservation of the cultural and natural heritage of the region.
Work:
The workcamp will be closely followed by 3 Tarabelo monitors and a specialized worker, responsible for sharing ancient construction techniques and for doing eventually more risky or heavy works. The monitors will assist the volunteers with all the logistics and extra activities. The restoration process will consist of...
- Clearing and cleaning the traditional oven surroundings:
with hoes and shovels, the vegetation will be cleared and the debris cleaned; - Cleaning the traditional oven house inside by cutting vegetation and eliminating debris; - Removing the wall’s cement and original tow using hammers and spikes; once the tow has been removed, cleaning the eventual debris; - Restoring the walls; - Restoring the rooftop and cleaning the old tiles; - Restore the inside of the traditional oven structure by deposing new bricks (tijolo-de-burro) and clay; - Classifying and painting the door of the oven house; - Experimenting the oven to cook.
Accommodation/Food:
The volunteers will be accommodated in a common dormitory suited with simple individual beds (without sheets) and have acesso to 2 small bathrooms and the minimal necessary conditions such as electricity, cold and hot water, kitchen, tables and chairs. The volunteers will be given 3 meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), prepared in turns by themselves in daily teams. They should bring sleeping bags, hygiene products and fresh and comfortable clothes.
Location:
Village of Tuizelo, Bragança.
Meeting point:
8th Agust, starting from 2 p.m. The meeting point will be at the bus terminal station in Bragança, given that is difficult to arrive to the village of Tuizelo by means of public transportation. After they will be transported to Tuizelo by the organization of the workcamp. We will be expecting the volunteers´ phone call or email informing us about the arrival time.
Tarabelo is responsible for the transfer of the volunteers between Bragança and Tuizelo (both at arrival and departure) and transportation during the workcamp.
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