Johanna Luhn, 18 years old, Germany. ESC Short term volunteer at IDC, autumn 2025.
My name is Johanna, and I am an 18-year old high-school graduate from Cologne in Germany. For me, volunteering in an ecological project provided an opportunity to get to know a lifestyle that is totally different from what I was used to at home, studying in school and living in one of Germany’s biggest cities. I chose the IDC project in Gardie, France because I was very intrigued by the aim to create an ecologically self-sustaining place where people can live autonomously. Here in Gardie, I live with three other volunteers in a mobile home and have a lot of different tasks: On the one hand, we are responsible for taking care of the house and ourselves by cleaning, cooking and looking after the structures. For me, this is a great opportunity to learn how to live on my own and I am really grateful that I get to grow into this ability in a supportive environment. So far, I have learned how to effectively use the ingredients we have on hand and cook mostly with regional and seasonal products, as well as long-lasting staple ingredients. On the other hand, we are helping the coordinators build the necessary structures to house animals, help move things from the former site to here and basically get this place started. The physical labour with the other volunteers is fun, despite being a little exhausting at times, and really takes my mind off things like homesickness or FOMO. Also it just feels good seeing something come together that you built with your hands 🙂 Because everything is still developing, we are lacking some things like a shower or a washing machine, so we have to substitute for that by using these appliances in other places, which is a little annoying, but everyone tries to make it possible for us.
Furthermore, we have workshops and lessons on how to lead an ecofriendly lifestyle and increase sustainability that are intended to help us improve our carbon footprint and reduce waste.
In general the organisation here is very spontaneous which can be both a good and a bad thing, but it’s certainly a new way of working for me, as I am more used to a structured schedule from school days.
On the weekends and in our free time, we have the opportunity to visit Carcassonne or do something with the long-term volunteers, because there is not much to do in Gardie, which is a pretty small village without shops or restaurants. From Carcassonne you could also take a train to Toulouse or Narbonne for a weekend trip, although I haven’t done that just yet.
In the future I expect to see the results of our efforts show and to take away knowledge I can incorporate into my lifestyle back home. Personally, I am convinced this project will make me step out of my comfort zone, because life here is so entirely different from what I am used to. Learning how to live with people from different backgrounds, to manage work and household tasks and to find time for myself despite it all are most certainly qualities I can use later in life to cope with new situations.
