This project will take place in Mashmet, one of the remotest areas of the city of Voronezh. It has a reputation for being a neglected and desolate place which lacks bright colours and vibrant life. Despite these drawbacks there is a huge and green park that is said to have been a popular centre of family recreation in the Soviet period. It attracted locals of all ages and interests where everybody could find something to suit their tastes. But with time the place slowly lost its charm and became adandoned and unpopular. Recently it has received no attention from the local community or from the municipal authorities. The aim of this project is to give a new breath of life to this green oasis and help locals to see it from a different perspective.
Work:
Organising ecological and artistic workshops; cleaning the park area and placing new litter-bins on the children playground; creating fun and unusual «no-litter» signs; making a new bus-shelter nearby the park; painting graffiti on facades of buildings and on roadside barriers.
Accomnodation:
In an apartment, food prepared by volunteers in a kitchen.
Location:
Voronezh is a large and modern city (with roughly 1 million population), situated in the very heart of European Russia, in between Moscow and the Black Sea (500 km — a night on the train — from Moscow), on the Don and Voronezh rivers. The city boasts its 4 centuries history and a special charm of a typical Russian provincial city. Despite having been almost entirely wiped out during the Second World War, it still preserves some of the beautiful architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Songs by the fire gave birth to hundreds of legends. Each country has its own stories but at the same time they unite people all over the world. One can observe a nice picture of people sitting round the fire and singing songs. This project combines cleaning the festival place and direct participation in the event. We are waiting for creative individuals, nature lovers, open to communication. We are happy to exchange information about different styles of music in our countries. You are a creative person, you like music and play a musical instrument - this project is for you!
Work:
Cleaning the festival place; organising actions on cleaning the surrounding areas; installing of promotion banners; assisting in the installation of musical equipment.
Accommodation:
Volunteers will stay in tents. Meals will be provided in the canteen of the festival. Please beware that the food will most probably be non-vegetarian.
Qualifications:
Interest in music and in preserving nature. Ability to play a music instrument is very welcome.
Historical nature park "Bitsevski Les" is situated in the south-west of Moscow. It's a forest unique because of it's landscapes and interesting environment. There are ponds and springs, hills and meadows. There is a large variety of birds in the forest. The park authority is located on the edge of the forest. It's an enclosed territory where you can find squirrels, pheasants, ducks in the open-air cages, a pharmaceutical garden, an exposition of rare plants, and benches perfect for sunbathing in your free time. Work will involve taking care of the flowers and trees including some clearing and planting. There will also be opportunities to help rearrange the exhibition in the park museum. Volunteers may also spend a couple of days going to other parks in Moscow and helping out there. Volunteers normally work about 5 hours a day. There will also be basic Russian language lessons at the beginning of the project in order to make your stay more comfortable. More information and pictures from the last project (2008) are available at www.bitsevskipark.ru/camp08en.htm.
Study part:
None
Accomodation:
The group will live in a school 20-30 minutes walking distance (or 1 stop by metro) from the park authority. We will sleep on the floor on sport mats. The shower is very small with warm, though not hot, water and the bathroom is very simple. You will cook for yourselves, so don't forget recipes of your traditional food. Shopping will be done by organizers of the camp in the open-air market or a supermarket with help of the kitchen team. We have internet access in the park authority.
The national park of "Stolbi" is situation near the city of Krasnoyarsk and is famed for its natural beauty with tens of thousands of tourists each year. It is a famous hiking and climbing centre. Volunteers will be involved in cleaning up the park including litter picking and erasing graffiti and highlighting the problems of littering and misuse of the park to the visitors.
Study part:
None
Accomodation:
Volunteers will live in wooden houses in the national park and cook for themselves as a group. There will be a real Russian hot house to relax in using green birch twigs.
Location:
Central Siberia
Terminal:
Volunteers with tourism experience are especially welcome
This project is dedicated to facilitating the work of the “Nashi Droozya” (Our Friends) Animal Shelter. Their work includes the caring, training, and finding a new home for homeless, abandoned or abused animals. “Nashi Droozya” is a well established non-governmental organisation which places emphasis on animal welfare. Its key objectives include decreasing the number of stray animals on the streets of Samara and enabling rescued animals to acquire the training and skills integral to full rehabilitation, in order for the animals to be suitable for re-homing.
Work:
Manual work, such as helping to clean the animals’ cages, feeding, walking and overseeing the animals’ general health and wellbeing, including ensuring that the animals are as content as possible in their living environment. The tasks allocated to the volunteer will also involve promoting the work of the organisation and helping to engage the population of Samara in regards to the issue of animal welfare in general, and specifically the objectives of the Nashi Droozya” (Our Friends) Animal Shelter. This promotional work could take the form of designing posters, flyers and other graphic materials, or organising meetings and rallies to bolster awareness over the problem of animal homelessness and boost support for the organisation’s work.
Accommodation:
In a rented flat. Self-cooking, food products are provided. Please be aware that the food will most probably be non-vegetarian.
Qualifications:
Volunteer should ideally love animals and hold concern for animal welfare and rights. Previous experience of contact with animals is preferable.
The Karaulnaia cave is situated 6 kilometers away from the city of Krasnoyarsk and it's one of the most accessible and visited caves in Siberia. The cave is 44 metres deep and there is a system of narrow and twisting passages with big and high grottos. There are a lot of beautiful rock formations. There is also a large network of caves nearby. The work of the volunteers will involve cleaning of the cave walls and stalagmites.
Study part:
None
Accomodation:
Volunteers will live in the gamekeepers wooden house about 200m from the cave. There will also be a Russian hot house with green birch twigs.
Location:
Krasnoyarsk in Siberia
Terminal:
Volunteers with experience in tourism or speleology are welcomed
« I appreciate that constructive criticism may be more useful to you than praise but I honestly have no gripes that I could possibly mention. I can only thank you for the experience that I really enjoyed and will undoubtedly follow-up in the coming year. »
