📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
The Mas Les Vinyes Cooperative was born with the aim of creating a system that would allow a more sustainable way of living that respects nature and, at the same time, be a formative and demonstrative space of an ecological and regenerative system. The Cooperative manages a farm and a training center in the center of Catalonia (Lluçanès) following the principles of permaculture to design the farm where food production (biodynamic agriculture, food forests and integrated livestock) coexists with the community life, regenerative forest management and resilience.
The short and long term objectives can be summarized in working to reduce our needs, to be less and less dependent on external energy (fossil energy, nutrients, etc.) moving towards a greater resilience,closing cycles, greater production, more nutrients .
For this we have planned, And have in progress the following actions or systems: stabilize the productive organic Orchard getting reduce the energy provided, transform cereal fields into food forests or similar forestry, establish rational integrated grazing for soil regeneration, continue working to close cycles (water purification ponds, compost creation, vermiculture, etc.), design the management of the 20 forest hectares , rebuild the hoy se spaces with bioconstruction principles, among others.
All our team is constantly Increasing Their knowledge in topics related to permaculture, agriculture, bioconstruction, PRV, organic beekeeping, phytotherapy, etc.
We are part of the Woofing and Workaway volunteer networks from the beginning of the project and we value very positively the exchange of energy and knowledge that we are having with the volunteers.
Being a holistic project which includes projects of different characteristics, allows people with different concerns and profiles to approach to the project where they can learn and contribute the most.
The principles of Permaculture talk about taking care of the earth, the people and sharing knowledge and surpluses. transmitting these values to people who collaborate with the project is an opportunity to share the social, economic and environmental changes that we propose and carry out to practice.
Sharing our experiences we feel that we are giving new tools to young people to change their view on food production, their relationship with nature and the many possibilities they have to satisfy their needs.
💼 What the programme involves
Les Vinyes is a communitary life project in a 25 hectares farm which follows the permaculture and biodynamic agriculture guidelines.
The main building is from the XIV century and it’s located in Sant Martí d’Albars, in Lluçanès (between Vic and Berga).
The project emerges in 2013 following the willingness of a group of people to foment health by taking care of people, land and living creatures. Nowadays, 4 families and voluntary people temporarily live in the house.
The main objective of the project is to collaborate with the cooperative members in the realisation of a study of a forest garden. It’s an opportunity to participate in the realisation of a project from it’s beginning to the end.
🏠 Accommodation on site
The volunteers will live in Mas les Vinyes, together with the community. However there is a private space for
the volunteers with a shared bedroom and bathroom. They will be able to use the common kitchen but normally
volunteers will eat together with the community.
🎒 Leisure activities
The project aims to reach the following goals:
- Raise capacity of the volunteers so at the end of the stay they can develop their own permaculture project.
- Explain the basis of permaculture and the practical aspects in life (social and economic parts…)
- Promote critical awareness giving to know an alternative way of living and the management of a farm.
- Create synergies between projects and volunteers so in the future they have a solidnetwork to develop their own project.
- Gain new tools to change the view on food production.
⚠️ Requirements
The Participant profil: We are looking for people who speak English, who like working outside (nearly all the tasks are outdoors), who are willing to work with ecological fruit, animals (chickens, sheep, goats) and vegetable gardens.
It’s important that they don’t smoke and that they have an omnivorous diet (because of communitary decision, as we eat all together) and who want to live the experience of communitary living. Knowledge about plants, vegetable gardens and spanish will be taken into account.
Deadline: Application deadline: 01/01/2022
ℹ️ Additional information
Participants are entitled to receive a Youthpass certificate from the organiser, for recognition of their competence development during the activity. Read more about Youthpass:https://www.youthpass.eu/en/
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label. The Quality Label certifies that the organisation is able to run projects in compliance with the principles and objectives of the European Solidarity Corps.