📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Located in the Monts de la Madeleine, Arfeuilles is a small town of mountain, between 400 and 800 meters above sea level. In the South, the Barbenan creek starts, and its gradually becomes, with input streams of the nearby hills, the river running through the town of Arfeuilles. Formerly, turbines allowed to supply electricity to the village of Arfeuilles, thanks to the large flow of rivers in the municipality. The municipality would like to revive this activity and make Arfeuilles self-reliant in electricity production and consumption: it will become a positive energy territory (PET). Very enthusiastic about the project of hosting an international workcamp, the municipality would like the young volunteers to help to develop and enhance the river on which were once the turbines.
💼 What the programme involves
The goal of the project is to give a new life to the small river that runs through the village.Currently, bushes and shrubs have invaded the banks, the wall that runs along the river disappears, and the path is impracticable allows you to walk along the brook. We must therefore carry out clearance work, cleaning rivers, clearing brush the banks to highlight the wall and make accessible trail. You will participate in the work with other international volunteers and technical supervisor will teach you specific techniques. The work takes place in the morning for 5 hours maximum. Afternoons and weekends are reserved for activities.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Volunteers will be accommodated at the campsite of the town, and tents will be loaned by Jeunesse et Reconstruction. Remember to bring your sleeping bags and warm clothes. All facilities are available in the locker room (showers, toilets). You will have access to the school cafeteria to cook and eat together: you will find fridge, stove, tables and chairs. A budget will be allocated for shopping and activities, and you will cook in turn, by two. Being well accommodated within the town will give you the opportunity to connect with the people, to easily get to the market at the nearby shops (bakery, grocery) and at local producers to do your food shopping. Jeunesse et Reconstruction can t take into charge the volunteers before the start date of the workcamp.
📍 About the location
At the heart of the Bourbonnaise Mountain, Arfeuilles is located in a particularly remarkable natural setting. You can make many walks along the river and admire the waterfall of Pisserotte, tourist shrine, the Calvary and the Madonna overlooking the valley. Arfeuilles also has a particularly typical built heritage, like the dungeon of Montmorillon. Located both on the pilgrimage path Saint Jacques de Compostela and the Via Santi Martini, which crosses Europe from Hungary, many hikers and tourists are passing through the town during the summer. The life in Arfeuilles is very lively during the summer: fireworks, craft festival, festival of the Rivers, Classical Music Festival, the Great Games, which bring together all surroundings towns ... Other activities and events will also be organized with local associations (football tournament ...) and artisans of the municipality (painter, sculptor ...): the best opportunities to discover the culture of Auvergne region
⚠️ Requirements
1/ No special knowledge or competence is required for this camp, except being motivated and loving work in group You will share friendly moments with local people : be open-minded and curious.2/ Bring: sleeping bag, warm clothes and rain-coat, bathing suit (for male: short pants prohibited in the public swimming pools, please bring a bathing suit). 3/Bring for work: worn out clothes, safety shoes/boots compulsory. 4/ Bring some material from your culture (documents, pictures, postcards, little gift, musical instruments, games,...) to share with other volunteers and local population and make exchanges easier.5/ 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 on the camp, the volunteers will have to pay for it, and then get reimbursed once back in the home country. 6/ Transportation back to the train station at the end of the workcamp will be organized during your stay with the campleader.7/ More info about trains : http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ 8/ If you have a driving license, please bring it along in case of necessity