Program: European Solidarity Corps
Countries: All EU Countries
Number of Volunteers: 1
Dates: 18/04/2023 to 17/12/2023

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
We are looking for 1 volunteer with motivation to take care of the farm members of our community and to support the work of soil rehabilitation and plant caring in our land. For now we have: 2 donkeys, 1 pony, 1 ponkey, chickens, 3 sheep and 1 pig. The volunteer will take care daily of their food, water and well being, and, together with other volunteers, will also maintain their spaces. Of course there are also the community lifestyle tasks and the sustainable and green practices of each day. With this project, we aim to promote commitment, ledearship, autonomy and resilience in order to make our daily life more ethical. The current crises (health, environmental and social) require us to think about how within our daily lives we must promote respect for the environment and living together. The team of volunteers will experience a quality intercultural learning and an openness to the world, having the chance to free themselves from judgements.
ACCOMMODATION, FOOD AND TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS
IDC is located in a small town, 20km from Carcassonne where the nearest train station and airport are (the volunteers will be picked from there and will be taken to the place). This region is rural, living mainly from wine farming and tourism. The place is surrounded by nature. Accomodation: volunteers will stay in mobile homes, in shared-rooms, usually with another volunteer of the same sex. Food will be bought twice per month, and volunteers will take turns to cook healthy and low-impact food! following the food guidelines.
TASKS DURING THE ACTIVITY
- work together with the manager to learn how to properly take care of the animals and plants, and communicate regularly of any change or situation
- monitor the well-being of all the animals of the organization (check regularly the water, the space, the health, the food…)
- Take care of the animals (prepare and give food, give water and clean the water containers, check the well-being), with the help of other volunteers
- Notify when there is not a lot of food left for the animals
- check the compost and food usage to see which things can go to animals and tell the other volunteers to keep it for animals (save as much food as we can)
- Inform other volunteers of the changes of nutrition of an animal (to avoid that other people give them things are not good for them)
- update the animal guide, with the newest information, adding new tips and tasks.
- take care of the plants and garden, together with other volunteers
- monitor the general well-being of the plants and the watering
- help in the maintenance of the animal and plants spaces, together with other volunteers
- manage the harvest of vegetables and the recollection of seeds
- update the garden guide with the newest information, adding new tips and tasks.
PARTICIPANT PROFILE
- Proactive, creative, motivated to do and learn!
- Organized and responsible with the tasks
- Interested in caring for animals and plants (taking care of other living beings!)
- the volunteer will also support the community and sustainable tasks of the organization (so she/he should be ready to also make her/his hands dirty!)
- interested in resilience and sustainability
- observative and curious
- teamwork and good communication skills (sharing observations, making questions, asking for feedback…)
- responsible and engaged
- interested in social and ecological issues
- motivated to have a farm-life experience
- aware and prepared to experiment and maybe make some mistakes
- flexibility in the schedule
COMPETENCES/REQUIREMENTS
- LOVE and engagement with animal and plants well-being
- basic knowledge about working in the garden
- motivation to work outside, and not be afraid to get a bit dirty!
If you want to live a new intercultural experience, and share your learnings with other youngsters, join us! To apply, send us an email to [email protected] 🙂, with your CV and short video-presentation.