🏢 About the local organisation
We are an Eco-Community in Bavaria, founded in 2016. We took over a former vacation village in the beautiful natural
area close to the Czech border, which used to be "the end of the world" from both sides for decades.
Currently we are approx 40 adults +15 kids, several dogs and cats.
We are trying to run a place where people develop together a field for living and working in connection with humans,
animals and the environment. By our way of living we aim to contribute an important step towards a world, where all
beings can live in peace, trust, freedom, joy and connectedness.
In detail we envision and work on :
vegan food and education in professional cooking
partilly energy and water supply
self-supply via permaculture
welcoming culture and hospitality
art & music
common and individual development
mutual support and solidarity
Trust via transparency and honesty
deep authentic partnerships and relationships
non-violent communication
gifteconomy
peace work
🎒 Leisure activities
In particular, skills are taught in activities as:
- everyday operation and use of machines (cordless screwdriver, jigsaw, etc.)
- Firewood production
- External wall insulation and cladding
- Clay construction and clay plaster
- Gardening and lawn care (brush cutter, lawn mower, etc.)
- activities such as plant based cooking in the community kitchen, sewing and creative crafts (upcycling e.g.) projects will also have their place in the program.
⚠️ Requirements
The Participant profile: We are looking for curious and enthusiastic female volunteers to join our vibrant, multi-generational community-project of about 80 permanent members, for six weeks. If you enjoy exploring new things, getting to know yourself a little better and are flexible to contribute in various areas of our community life, this is your opportunity to discover something new and expand your horizon.
We aim to maintain a safe environment, free from alcohol or substance use, throughout the volunteering period. Please note that we exclusively offer vegan meals during the stay and that only vegan food is allowed in all community areas (private rooms are exempt). We value an open mindset for personal growth, self-reflective abilities and reliability.
We truly are looking forward to welcoming you in our community and co-creating this unique space together!
Please note: we really would like to get a feeling of who is applying for this opportunity and kindly ask to refrain from using generic AI-generated applications (those might end up in the bin…). Applicants writing in their unique and authentic style will have much better chances to be accepted into the program! No need to be perfect, just be yourself and come as you are!
Another important note: Only accept an offer if you truly intend to participate in the project you are applying for! Please be aware that if you accept an ESC offer, a slot will be reserved and held for you and others might not get a chance to join therefor. Also we as an organization rely on people taking offers seriously so PLEASE only accept if you truly plan to come and ONLY consider canceling if you encounter serious trouble attending.
We want to support you as a woman in building a basis for overcoming the numerous challenges and hurdles that your everyday life presents in an empowered and self-confident manner and in developing strategies and measures that increase your level of autonomy and self-determination in your life, thus enabling you to represent your interests independently.
Far from dogmas and classic feminism, our aim is to encourage you to get in touch with your true femininity and to courageously follow your own path. Tapping into your inner landscape and the resources that lie therein and exploring those together, we support you as participant of our program, at the same time, to plant both feet firmly on the ground.
We will promote skills that are traditionally, and predominantly still, classified as classically "male", such as operating tools and machines in construction and crafts, and encourage you to apply this knowledge and the skills you will have acquired confidently and competently in everyday life and at work.
In particular, skills are taught in activities as:
- everyday operation and use of machines (cordless screwdriver, jigsaw, etc.)
- Firewood production
- External wall insulation and cladding
- Clay construction and clay plaster
- Gardening and lawn care (brush cutter, lawn mower, etc.)
- In order to impart a holistic range of skills, household-related activities will also have their place in the program, ranging from cooking in the community kitchen, sewing and handicrafts to creative crafts projects.
The framework of the program is maintained by women from the community, while both genders are involved in imparting the activities and know-how.
themes: female empowerment, women's wisdom and sisterhood, meditation, embodiment, exploring feminine and masculine principles, new womanhood, female entrepreneurship, women and power, female leadership
Together we will explore different aspects of our experience as women, using approaches such as embodiment, movement/dance, yin yoga, sharing circles and writing, aiming towards finding our voice and unique expression, personal growth, radical self-acceptance and self-responsibility.
Exploring and reinventing our role as women will be framed by living and working in a vivid multigenerational community project. Daily activities will range from creative projects, involving you in our community´s daily tasks, in the community kitchen preparing (vegan) food, helping in the garden and community´s forest, to helping with the events we host, or on our construction site working with clay and other natural materials. Also, there will be opportunities to engage in different creative activities such as up-cycling, crafts and artisan projects.
Training during the activity:
Besides learning and deepening practical skills such as everyday operation and use of machines (cordless screwdriver, jigsaw, etc.), firewood production, as well as some construction and probably clay plaster work and gardening, during regular sharing circles and group sessions we will explore modern womanhood, co-creating a space of sisterhood, solidarity and compassion. You will be guided on your own path into personal growth, self-love and stepping into full accountability for yourself. Setting clear boundaries, communication skills and true authenticity are only some of the many competences we will explore during the program.
Deadline: No application 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 ?
- 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.