Skip to main content

ESC: Ecology and education for change. Community building.

Code: 42675 Copied

Bulgaria European Voluntary Service Environment Education Culture European Voluntary Service Environment +2 Fixed dates

About the project

ESC: Ecology and education for change. Community building.

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

OPEN MIND was created in 1998 in Sofia. Main objectives: - To promote skills and inspiration for sustainable and ecological lifestyle, building a community, sharing these values and inspired by nature. - To apply and promote innovative methods and practices for education in the sphere of formal and non formal education - To safeguard Bulgarian historical, cultural and spritual values, traditions and crafts. - To assist the creation of European cultural identity. - To promote volunteering . Since 2008 OPEN MIND has started a Permaculture demonstration center in the town of Shipka where educational activities are organized, in 2011 a book on permaculture has been translated into Bulgarian and published. Since 2014 OPEN MIND is cooperating with the local Community center and other institutions for the attraction of young people to Shipka, improvement of bonds between people, for building a community of aware people and organizing activities for preservation of the authentic skills, crafts, traditions; In 2019 OPEN MIND has created and educational center , named Golden Apple for children aged 5 to 11 years at the town of Kazanlak. Target groups 1 - children and youth (4-18), in their role of future citizens, who are to develop and add for the global good. Together with them are their parents (18+), who take care for the (conscious or unconscious) for the acquired knowledge of their children to remain permanent and developing. - target group 2 - older citizens above 50

💼 What the programme involves

Join our community of people, striving for an environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyle. Using permaculure as an inspiration, we experiment with avoiding and reducing waste, production of food in permaculture gardens and orchard, natural building, waste management on a small town level. Come and assist us to preserve and live in harmony with nature, to preserve and develop cultural heritage, the authentic crafts and old traditions. Help us spread the word about permaculture, low waste management, natural building, culture and Erasmus+. Get involved in the organization of Shipka Fest. Come and meet like-minded people and be the change in the world

🏠 Accommodation on site

Shared bedroom. Indoor bathroom for the winter and autumn months. Summer bathroom. Both with hot water. Outdoor compost toilet (preferrable to use, weather permitting). Indoor toilet available. Cooking and meals are arranged on a communal basis with taking turns for cooking. Communal meals are vegetarian. Wood stove heating. Meeting/library/yoga room and a meditation hall 2 dogs and cats. Old bikes available for local transport, bus every one hour to Kazanlak

🎒 Leisure activities

- Permaculture design - (building raised beds, perennial plants, observation skills, worm farm, mulching, composting, -Healthy and non-violent living; - Planting endemic and imported plants - nutritional, medicinal, ecological; - Maintenance of eco-farms; - Non-dogmatic spirituality, - Natural living, natural birth

⚠️ Requirements

The Participant profile: No previous experience needed. You need strong motivation and willpower to live the values and principles of the project, to practice it's lifestyle and wanting to learn. To be open and implement the desired habits, regarding food, daily regime and program. To be ready to handle responsibilities. For this, you need to be listening, flexible, hardworking and willing to persevere. The specific knowledge, skills and attitudes transmitted, are demanding openness and respect toward our experience in the last 20 years.
Deadline: 20/10/2024 23:59

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 ?
  • 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

BG42675

01/11/2024 → 21/09/2025

Closed
Volunteers registered 0 / 2
♂ 0/1 ♀ 0/1
Deadline: 20/10/2024

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

Tsentar, ul. "Dobri Kartalov", 5300 Gabrovo, Bulgaria

Bulgaria

🌍 Location info

Local currency

Bulgaria Lev (BGN / лв)

Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.515905 EUR

Rate as of 31/05/2026

Timezone

Eastern European Standard Time

Local time: 21:25 (12/11/2026)

✅ Features

🏠 Accommodation

Collective

🗣️ Languages spoken

English Bulgarian