Since 2023 our organization has become eligible to host volunteers in the European Solidarity Corps (ESC)program in projects of Individual Volunteering and Volunteering Teams, which we organize in our local community in Somogyvámos, Hungary.
In the team volunteering opportunities of our overall project, we offered the „Let’s Change the World Together!” entitled project as part of the European Solidarity Corps program for young volunteers from all over Europe and beyond.
The project took place in our organisation’s model eco-village community in Somogyvámos, Hungary for two weeks between 14 and 27th September.
After interested youngsters registered for our team project, we started the selection process and recruited members for named volunteering project.
In line with our project goals we have chosen 10 young people from various European countries and partner countries with an interest in topics of sustainability and self-sufficiency, who wished to gain some practical knowledge and to promote European values such as sustainability, multiculturalism, inclusion, as well as foster teamwork and expressed willingness to work with the local community. After the selection process our volunteers came from several European countries and partner countries neighboring the EU – Portugal, Slovenia, Armenia, Ukraine, and even from our own country, Hungary.
While we provided them with the opportunity to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge in the fields of regenerative gardening and organic farming, food preservation and canning, sustainable cloth production, as well as cow protection, they were also able to gain thorough in-field, practical experience during their volunteer work. Although they only spent two weeks with us, besides volunteering hours our volunteers used their free time to explore new places: they visited local sightseeing facilities, Kaposvár, Lake Balaton, as well as the capital, and spent their free time sightseeing, hiking, and exploring spa facilities.
Throughout the project we collaborated with our young volunteers in order to make this ESC Volunteering Teams project a meaningful and impactful experience for all involved. No project activities are without challenges, so we also faced ours, but in the end we may conclude that it was a successful project in which volunteers cherished the volunteering opportunity we presented. All’s well that ends well!
The team volunteering project coordinated by our foundation was supported by the Tempus Public Foundation and the European Commission’s European Solidarity Corps program through funds allocated to European Union projects.
