ESC: Community building in an eco-village
Code: 49380 Copied
Slovakia
European Voluntary Service
Environment
Education
European Voluntary Service
Environment
+1
Fixed dates
About the project
ESC: Community building in an eco-village
📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Our NGO, Pospolitost pre harmonicky zivot (PHZ – Community of Harmonious Living), disseminates ideas of sustainable life between young people for more than 20 years. We live and work in a small remote village Zajezova that we have changed into an eco-village. The community is a decentralised non hierarchical and free social network of cooperating neighbours. There are several projects which unite local people – food bank, community school, forest kids club, educational centre, common web page and email discussion groups etc. Many of them were initiated by our organisation, but there are also some other NGOs and informal groups nowadays. We are also members of the Global Ecovillage Network Europe.
The objective of our organisation is to spread and implement sustainable life. We focus on the promotion of a harmonious lifestyle that is based on three pillars - harmony with nature, support of positive trends in society, and personal development. Our target group is youth and adults that are looking for a more sustainable and ecological lifestyle.
Programmes of PHZ:
1. Educational events on traditional crafts, permaculture, sustainability... (every year approx. 12 weekend workshops, 6 volunteer weeks, 1 festival with more than 700 visitors)
2. "Zajezka" - we support the re-settlement of Zajezova and its surrounding farm settlements. We co create conditions that are attractive for other newcomers (for now we are, counted together with children, about 150 people).
3. Eco-community Sekier - the traditional farm and its surrounding property is gradually developed and transformed into a demonstrational eco farm and a centre for visitors, who would like to gain experience with the lifestyle that we are presenting.
4. Conservation of cultural heritage - the spreading of crafts, renovation of architectural folk monuments, promotion of traditional culture especially among young people.
💼 What the programme involves
During six or ten months in Eco-village Zaježová, volunteers can learn a lot of useful things about life outside the city, in modest conditions and in an atmosphere of the joys and worries of community. They will collaborate on the preparation and running of social events, such as fairs, concerts, craft workshops, various cultural and sports events, etc. They will participate in activities with children, youth, adults and seniors. You can take part in the running of several meaningful projects in Zaježová: food cooperative, community cafe, school, kindergarten, landscape cleaning... They will learn about gardening, animal husbandry and waste issues and they will also experience what it means to take care of a house, a yard and the technical background of life in the countryside. Cooperation with Sekier, our Eco-community farm, will also be part of a volunteer's stay.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Volunteers stay in the house called Kocka, which is located in the center of Zajezova. The house has shared rooms for the volunteers and all the things you might expect of a modest house. Oftentimes, they will share the main meal of the day with members of the local community, but this is not every day. There is a garden at Kocka that can supply the volunteers with much of the vegetables that they eat, as well as the option to get local food from members of the community. Outside of the season, much of the food will come from the shop or the food cooperative.
🎒 Leisure activities
We can teach a wide variety of skills to volunteers at Kocka. There are many people in our community who are skilled in arts and crafts and willing to teach. You can learn much about gardening, permaculture and animal care, both at Kocka itself and in the wider area. There are also good skills to be learnt concerning the organising of community events and activities. Through involvement in our running projects you will get to see what it takes to organise these and we can offer you the freedom and means to take your own initiative to organise your own projects as well.
⚠️ Requirements
The Participant profile: We are looking for volunteers who are interested in sustainable community life. The living conditions are simple, but you will live close to the nature and will be able to connect to year-cycle of the seasons in central Europe. You will become part of a organic group of people and families that are living in this valley permanently and you will be able to find strong and full relationships. We are looking for people that are pragmatic and that want to do things with their hands, learn how to use hand tools and develop their craftsmanship for their life. Experience is not required, but willingness to try new things and to learn is. We can offer a good amount of freedom for you to choose which topics interest you.
Deadline:
Deadline:
ℹ️ Additional information
The project is implemented under the European Solidarity Corps Programme, financed by the European Commission.
The participating organisations have to be mindful of these needs as they are responsible for providing a respectful and trusting hosting environment. At the same time, the organisations participating in the initiative devote a great deal of time, energy and resources to set up a high-quality activity; they should therefore expect that European Solidarity Corps participants show a similar level of respect for the local communities and the people that are directly concerned by the activities (https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/mission_en).
What do we provide ?
Before applying for this volunteering project, you need to enroll yourself at European Solidarity Corps Platform (https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en) and specify your European Solidarity Corps Participant Number (PRN).
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label.
Contact the ESC coordinator at +32 2 888 67 13 to get more informations.
The participating organisations have to be mindful of these needs as they are responsible for providing a respectful and trusting hosting environment. At the same time, the organisations participating in the initiative devote a great deal of time, energy and resources to set up a high-quality activity; they should therefore expect that European Solidarity Corps participants show a similar level of respect for the local communities and the people that are directly concerned by the activities (https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/mission_en).
What do we provide ?
- Training before and after the project
- Health insurance during your project
- round-trip travel reimbursement
- accommodation and food
- pocket money
- language course
- Return Week-end
- Youth Pass and SVI international Volunteer passport
Before applying for this volunteering project, you need to enroll yourself at European Solidarity Corps Platform (https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en) and specify your European Solidarity Corps Participant Number (PRN).
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label.
Contact the ESC coordinator at +32 2 888 67 13 to get more informations.
Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.
Sign in to apply📅 Available sessions
SK49380
01/02/2026 → 30/11/2026
Volunteers registered
0 / 2
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ℹ️ Key information
Age required
18–30 years old
Solidarity donation
0.00 EUR
French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).
📍 Location
962 63 Pliešovce, Slovakia
Slovakia
🌍 Location info
Local currency
Euro Member Countries (EUR / €)
Timezone
Central European Standard Time
Local time: 21:30 (12/11/2026)
🛡️ Before you leave
✅ Features
🏠 Accommodation
Collective
🗣️ Languages spoken
English
Slovak