International Volunteering Activity
Eco Heroes
(15th – 27th June 2020, Italy) postponed to 2021
Join our activity and learn how to run and maintain an eco-friendly facility and facilitate workshops on sustainable living on the beautiful Elba island in Italy!
Covid-19 Update
Dear interested parties and applicants,
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we postpone Eco Heroes to 2021. All who applied will get notified about the new date later this year. If you wish to be notified when the call reopens, please subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
Stay safe and healthy!
Learning experiences
You will learn about sustainability and eco-friendly behavior through non-formal education methods while staying on a beautiful island, in Sassi Turchini house, 600m from the beach! You will get to experience different outdoor education activities and learn how to organize a workshop connected to these topics. You will gain significant knowledge about the aspects and rules of sustainable and responsible tourism and sustainable communities, neighbourhoods, villages, etc. You will be able to reflect on this knowledge and will be able to apply it in your local communities back home.
In this international volunteering activity you will experience living with the local community that runs the house and helping with the daily tasks connected to the eco-friendly tourism facility and its renovation. These practical activities include cooking, gardening, maintenance of hiking trails, etc. These practical tasks will be combined with learning the basics of Italian language that will help you to communicate with the locals on the island. Besides these activities, you will also participate in community activities, like beach cleaning and other activities in cooperation with the city council.
You will be able to:
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- Gain knowledge and experience in outdoor education and non-formal education methods
- Gain skills in eco-friendly living for your personal life and community
- Use the tools and methods of community-building and volunteering projects
- Encourage young people to volunteer and play an active part in their local realities
- Organise a short-term sustainable eco event in your local reality
- Learn some Italian :)
Who?
The main target group of the activity are young people living and working in rural areas who are either already acting as community leaders and need to improve their skills or newcomers who are only planning to start their first volunteering community project.
This activity is open for representatives and volunteers from these countries:
- Azerbaijan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Czech Republic
- Germany
- Italy
- Portugal
- Republic of North Macedonia
- Romania
- Turkey
Where and when?
The activity will take place from 15th to 27th June 2020 (prosponed to 2021 due to Covid-19, see the update above) in Porto Azzurro on Elba Island, Italy. We will be accommodated in the Naturefriends house Sassi Turchini and among the community members of the local Naturefriends.
The Sassi Turchini project was developed within the AVGE (Volunteer Association of the Elba Group) in Bagno a Ripoli. They have been operating in the Elba area for years, organizing experiences of community life between young and disabled people. The holiday home in Sassi Turchini was founded in 2001.
How much does it cost?
- Voluntary participation fee of 0-50 EUR
- Food and accommodation are 100% covered
- 100% of the travel costs covered (up to a limit of 290 EUR).
Participation rules
- Participants are expected to organise one local short-term activity in their local community and share the results via online platforms.
- IYNF expects you to choose the most sustainable way of transportation, e.g. only 2nd/economy class tickets can be reimbursed. For flights and travelling by car prior approval of the Secretariat will be needed.
- Participants are expected to be present at least 80% of the working time. If you are not able to fulfil this condition, please discuss it with the Secretariat prior to your application. Not following this rule might result in IYNF not being able to accept your application.
How to apply?
Please fill in and submit the APPLICATION FORM, until 18th of March 23:59 CET. The selected participants will be informed via email by the end of March.
If you have any questions, please contact the coordinator of the project, Viktor Koren (viktor@iynf.org)!
