ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
The volunteers will be stationed at the farm Hamster Mieden which is located in the small village of Drogeham, in the countryside of the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the very north of the Netherlands. The daily life at the farm is centered around educating children and adults to become more involved in the sustainable management of the natural environment and to develop leisure activities in the region of Drogeham. During this project, activities include standard farm related work -involving, among other things, common care for animals, gardening or harvesting nuts and fruits, and maintenance of farmland; educational programming -in which participants are encouraged to share their working knowledge, help facilitate meaningful activities and tours, and develop projects based on their own interests-; small constructions tasks in the village, and cultural activities -such as participating in local events.
ACCOMMODATION, FOOD AND TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS
For accommodation, there is a guest house on the farm where volunteers will have a living space, toilet, basic kitchen, and room to sleep. If additional resources are needed, they can use the main farm’s utilities. In terms of safety, volunteers sleep in a safe place with their own separate lodging with keys on every door. As for transport, there are bikes available on site. Volunteers will live in a very bikeable and walkable area, with multiple bus stops only a few minutes walk away. A 30-minute bus ride is leading to a larger network of trains linking throughout the Netherlands.
TRAINING DURING THE ACTIVITY
Upon arrival in the Netherlands volunteers will receive a training from the National Agency. They will receive further assistance from a mentor. Regarding training for specific project activities, volunteers will be offered instructions on how to safely move around the farm, safety instructions related to manual labor on the farm, and regarding farm equipment; also thorough explanations, and supervision where needed. Furthermore, they will get Online Linguistic Support (OLS) to help with learning some Dutch, and Youthpass will be used as a tool to help record learning process.
PARTICIPANT PROFILE
You are interested in farming, working with animals, sustainable lifestyles, and education. You don’t mind rolling up your sleeves and doing physical work. You take initiative and are able to work independently, you help where needed. You have preferably proven experience in organising. Because you will be living on the farm that is integrated into the small town, it is preferred for participants who enjoys rural countryside lifestyle, have a passion for personal projects and projects within the community, and are independently minded and able to entertain themselves in their spare time.
APPLY
ACTIVITY DATES
A total of 52 week(s) during the period 01/09/2020 to 31/12/2021
ACTIVITY LOCATION
De Buorren 66, 9289 HH Drogeham Netherlands
LOOKING FOR PARTICIPANTS FROM
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden, Norway, Malta
ACTIVITY TOPICS
Environment and natural protection
Education and training
Creativity and culture
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
No application deadline