📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
The small town of Saint Maximin, nestled in the heart of the stone quarries of the South of the Oise department, has an uncommon cultural heritage (troglodyte houses, old open-air quarries, mushroom beds, etc.) that it promotes in its museum "La Maison de la Pierre".
Today, there are still five stone quarries in operation in Saint-Maximin. The stone extracted there is mainly used for the restoration of historical monuments (e.g. Paris City Hall or the Arc de Triomphe). The quarries of Saint-Maximin also provide the clay used for the tennis courts of Roland-Garros. An initiation to stone cutting is planned during your stay!
💼 What the programme involves
Come discover and take care of a pedagogical garden in the heart of a village with an out-of-the-ordinary heritage!
After the success of the previous workcamps, the work continues in the commune of Saint Maximin. In the heart of the village, there is an open stone quarry which today houses an educational garden, called the "Jardin de la Tranchee", that exists mainly thanks to the work that previous groups of volunteers have done during several previous workcamps.
In order to continue the work that has been done for the past years, the work will consist in cleaning and taking off the remaining weeds, grasses and tree shoots from the rest of the stone quarry. We will also set up arrangements to welcome walkers and inhabitants (marking of paths, benches, …).
A nature coordinator working for the city will accompany the group in the different works.
🏠 Accommodation on site
You will be accommodated in the garden of the "Maison pour Tous Nelson-Mandela", a bourgeois house from the end of the 19th century, which hosts the municipal music workshops, exhibitions and cultural and leisure associations.
The group will have access to the kitchen of this house. You will sleep under individual tents. Big marquee tents will be installed for the collective life. The infrastructures of the municipal stadium (300 metres away) will offer access to showers with a separation between girls and boys. You will share the various collective tasks and prepare meals together, prioritising products from the market and local producers.
📍 About the location
Saint Maximin (3,000 inhabitants) is located in the department of Oise, 70km from Paris. The region has a rich historical heritage that you can discover nearby: The Chantilly Castle, the Compiegne Palace or the Pierrefonds Castle. Each year, in addition to outings, leisure activities are scheduled (Saint Leu d'Esserent water sports center, swimming pool...).
Activities are planned with the youth service of the town to associate you with the activities planned during the summer like the festivities of July 14th (national holiday) and meetings with the local population.
⚠️ Requirements
Foreigners belonging to the European Union must bring with them a personal EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), and everybody must, in any case, bring their insurance certificate. If health issues arise on the project, volunteers will have to pay for it, and will then be reimbursed once back in their home country.
ℹ️ Additional information
Remember to bring work clothes for the work site as well as closed shoes. As the accommodation is under tents, remember to bring your sleeping bag as well as a floor mat or a camping mattress for more comfort.
Don't forget your bathing suit in case you are going to swim in the pool or at the Saint Leu d'Esserent water sports center. You can also bring back specialities from your country, photos, musical instruments, in short what you like and want to share on this workcamp, either with the local population or with the group!