ESC: VILLAGE & COMMUNITY – gardening, animal keeping, playing music

Two Towers of Nagyszékely is an NGO founded in 1999. Its Hungarian name is Két Torony Nagyszékelyi Faluegylet. www.kettoronyegylet.hu Nagyszékely is a charming village with approximately 450 residents in Tolna county, 120 kms South from Budapest. The landscape is hilly, and streets are situated in valleys surrounded by green surfaces. In the heart of the settlement there are two churches built together - a small ancient in the XIIIth and a bigger one in the XIXth century. These two towers symbolize the cooperation between the old and the new. Goals of our association are: - To protect the cultural heritage and the beautiful natural view of the village, with its unique traditional architecture - To support the flourishing of the community and the sustainable development of the place For more than two decades of its existence Two Towers has been serving residents of this village by cultural and community building projects. Few years ago we have started educational and awareness raising activities as well - for visitors of the settlement. School of Village Skills (Falusi Fortélyok Iskolája, "FAFI") is an initiative embraced by our NGO. Its courses are mainly for adults, they aim to help people to get closer to natural lifestyles. FAFI has a youtube channel where everybody can get inspiration and know-how about environmental friendly lifestyles. Themes inculde gardening and animal keeping, clever hand tools, self-sufficient household. Two Towers hosts two festivals in the village: “Day of Péter Huszár“ in July is about traditional crafts and historical heritage. “Day of Fruit Gardening“ in October is a harvest feast with interesting lectures. One of the important themes of our NGO is the art of wine making. There are yearly competitions for the best homemade local wine since 1999. We are active in the cultural sphere as well. There are Drama groups for various age groups of the settlement. From time to time they present plays of self-expression for the public. Two Towers has concluded an agreement of long-term cooperation with Hungarian Permaculture Association (Magyar Permakultúra Egyesület, “MAPER“). MAPER has its headquarters in this small village as well. The mission of MAPER is to serve as a Hungarian network for those interested in permaculture. Part of their goals is to support the development of sustainable and self-sufficient agricultural ecosystems. The headquarters of MAPER is an educational center itself, hosting permaculture courses.