Volunteers' stories
The Re-Generation of Calme Garden by Yared and Sarah
Yared (29) and Sarah (27) are a couple from Belgium who decided to travel and volunteer together. They journeyed to Greece to join the Calme Garden project. Here they spent four months in an Eco Cultural Community Center working on rebuilding the ecosystem of the place, ruined by the violent wildfires that took place in Greece.
"Our focus was on regenerating the soil and planting perennials that were heat- and drought-resistant."
This project focused on regeneration of the land. Establishing more resilient land organism, building natural infrastructure, food foraging and processing, community building workshops and running the kids Nature School were only some of the tasks that the volunteers had the chance to partake in.
“…there was also plenty of time to experiment in the kitchen: vegan cooking, fermenting, baking. This helped us build confidence in cooking for large groups.”
“We also had regular days off, of course, and then we went out to explore Greece.”
“Calme Garden is run by and for volunteers, travelers, parents… That's what makes this place so interesting: it's a mix of different people with the same goal in mind: to make Calme Garden a green oasis where young and old can find a place to relax.”
Marketing and PR in an experimental art center by Joey
“Hi, my name is Joey, and I'm a European Solidarity Corps’ volunteer at A4 in Bratislava.”
A4-Space for Contemporary Culture is an experimental art centre, whose mission is to promote emerging artists and non-mainstream culture.
Every year, international volunteers go to A4 for a long-term stay (usually 1 year) and learn about the processes in their cultural centre: production, marketing, programming, organizing concerts, festivals and workshops.
Joey’s main focus was on PR and media, tackling tasks like creating small ads, preparing posts for Instagram and Facebook or putting up posters. He worked and lived with another three volunteers.
"There were four of us volunteers in total: I handled PR and media, there was a videographer, a photographer, and someone who helped with technology."
This project gave him and the others an opportunity, among other things, to work with experts in the arts and entertainment field, to learn the functioning of a non-profit organisation, and develop creative projects.
“The four of us also worked on a joint project. We created a small magazine to promote emerging Slovak artists, primarily in the experimental art world.”
