This year we have some very interesting and diverse workcamps for people interested to volunteer in Kosovo, as well as youth exchanges for those who want to learn more and to experience local culture and challenges people face here.
All programs are for free and accommodation and food are provided.
Additionally, travel costs for 3 workcamps will be covered for volunteers from Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro and Bulgaria will be reimbursed, while travel costs for participants for Youth Exchange are covered for all. Keep in mind that participants of YE can come only from Kosovo, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Macedonia and Croatia.
For any additional information on how to apply, please contact us to: [email protected]
We have 3 workcamps and Youth Exchange ahead of us and we invite you to join us! You won’t regret 🙂
- Preserve what we have (Novo Brdo), 18th – 30th of July
- Be water (Gračanica), 25th of July – 6th of August
- We can do it! (Štrpce), 14th – 26th of August
- Youth Exchange: Nature connecting us (Brezovica), 15th – 26th August
For more information on how to apply, please contacts us by e-mail: [email protected]
PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS
WORKCAMP: PRESERVE WHAT WE HAVE (NOVO BRDO)
From 18th till 30th of July 2016
Topic: Art, culture and local history
Work Types: Environment / Cultural heritage / Restoration, renovation
Number of volunteers: 10
Required Language: English
Extra Costs: 0.00
Travel costs for volunteers from Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro and Bulgaria will be reimbursed.
Description: Association of women returnees called Naš dom (Our home) was registered in 2006. In the beginning, we did just some humanitarian work, but after some time we started with non-formal educational activities, related to women empowerment. Another local partner on this workcamp is association Moravski biser, from municipality of Parteš. Its main field of work is on gender equality issues. Almost half (47%) of people in Novo Brdo municipality are youth, there is very high unemployment rate and lack of possibilities to spend quality free time, we think that workcamp could be a very useful thing to motivate people to do something for their local society, as well as to connect them, so they can work together in solving local problems.
Type of Work: Volunteers will be working on two sites. Firstly, they will help the work of Monastery Draganac, mostly in cleaning and helping in renovation work in different properties. They will also work in a wood, which is nearby the monastery, clearing walking path and possibly helping to arrange monastery library. Secondly, volunteers will be helping public people’s kitchen and work on their farm.
Study Theme: Volunteers can learn about history of the monastery and woodcut art from monks. They can visit a fortress in Novo Brdo, which has been renovated, archaeological site Glavicica in municipality of Parteš and to learn about our local customs.
Accommodation: Volunteers will be in a village house, with toilets and showers provided. Volunteers should bring sleeping bags and carry-mats. Meals will be prepared by volunteers and women from our associations.
Approximate Location: Municipality of Novo Brdo is in a beautiful hilly area, near Pristina. It was a very important mining centre in medieval period of history. Nowadays it has around 10.000 citizens and it’s a very multicultural area. Novo Brdo fortress was built in the early 14th century to protect gold, silver, iron and lead mines which were abundant throughout the area.
WORKCAMP: BE WATER (GRACANICA)
from 25th of July till 6th of August 2016
Topic: Environment protection
Work Types: Environment / Manual
Number of volunteers: 12
Required language: English
Extra Costs: 0.00
Travel costs for volunteers from Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro and Bulgaria will be reimbursed.
Description: Young Active Gracanica is an organisation that supports young people in the municipality of Gracanica, through a variety of workshops, different events and activism. Our vision is to create an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding between different cultures, to develop young peoples’ potentials and to act responsibly in the local community. The community is dealing with different environmental issues, which has been neglected, so youth want to take initiative and to raise awareness of the importance of natural resources upon which everybody depends. With this workcamp we would like to raise awareness among local people about the importance of water, sustainability and environmental issues.
Type of Work: Volunteers will work around water spring and river area, which should be cleaned up and arranged. They will make messages from recycled materials about the importance of water and other environmental issues. Volunteers will also build up a benches and tables from recycled materials such as pallets. Besides, volunteers will organize public events such as movie screening, street action etc. There will be additional tasks such as collecting herbs, workshops of organic agriculture, making ponds for watering animals.
Study Theme: There is an archaeological site Ulpiana, what was an ancient Roman, nearby, so, volunteers can spend one day with researchers there and get some useful information about this site, as well as about archaeology in general. Volunteers can visit monastery Gracanica, Gracanica lake and Bear Sanctuary which is nearby the lake. They will also have an opportunity to learn something about self-defence art of ninjiutsu.
Accommodation: Volunteers will sleep in a rented house, on the floor, so they should bring their sleeping bags. Mattresses will be provided. Toilets, showers and kitchen will be provided. Volunteers will cook for themselves, in kitchen teams, local and seasonal products.
Requirements: Volunteers should be prepared for water and electricity cuts.
Approximate Location: Gracanica is a municipality near Prishtina, on the river Gracanka, in Gracanica lake valley. The place is famous about monastery Gracanica from 14th century. There is also very popular archaeological site Ulpiana from Roman period.
WORKCAMP: WE CAN DO IT! (SHTRPCE)
From 14th of August till 26th of August 2016
Topic: Art / Work with the disabled / Teaching
Number of volunteers: 10
Required language: English
Extra Costs: 0.00
Travel costs for volunteers from Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro and Bulgaria will be reimbursed.
Motivation letter: This camp requires an additional motivation letter to explain in more detail why you would like to atten
Description: Shtrpce is a small town situated at the south of Kosovo, on the Mountain of Sharr. There is around 3000 inhabitants in the town, while in the municipality lives around 13000 people of different ethnic background. Biodiversity of the Sharr Mountain is rich and endemic, why in 1993 it has been proclaimed as National park. The local partner, CIPOS, is a young organization which is dealing with problems of people with disabilities and protection of their rights. This is the first workcamp in Shtrpce and on this topic, since people with disabilities has been rather neglected and discriminated. Therefore, the idea of this workcamp is to raise awareness of the issues people with disabilities are dealing with, as well as their way of living. Also, we want to make to inform people about the issues, but also about the solutions and different ways how we can support people with disabilities and how to include them in development of their local community.
Type of Work: During the workcamp, volunteers will organize different empowerment workshops for people with disabilities, so they can gain new skills such as handicrafts, in order to produce items for sustainable fundraising of the workshops/program. Volunteers can organize other creative workshops such as recycleArt, music, drawing, movie screening etc.
Study Theme: Human rights, local cultural and natural heritage. During free time, we will be visiting natural and cultural places in the surrounding.
Accommodation: Volunteers will be accommodated in a private house with necessary facilities (kitchen, bathroom). Volunteers will cook for themselves, mostly local and seasonal food. You will need to bring sleeping bags.
Language: Serbian, English, knowledge of Slavic languages can be an advantage
Requirements: Volunteers should be able to teach some creative and useful skills and also to be sensitive in work with people with disability.
