ESC: Women's Empowerment - Volunteering Team Winter/Spring '25

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. (Please note: our community is an all gender community, both women and men live here) 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! 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 your everyday life and at work. Being part of the volunteering team you will assist community members in our present projects: those may be both, individual community members’ smaller scale projects, and/or bigger community projects. During winter/spring ‘25 our main project will be remodeling a large building that will be turned into a house for self catering groups. Working on the project you will become familiarized with skills such as everyday operation and use of machines (cordless screwdriver, jigsaw, etc.). Introductory workshops will be held to support you in learning those skills and feel comfortable in the operation. Work on the project will involve: general renovation/remodeling work, basic electric installations, plumbing/sanitary installation, painting, flooring, wood working. Other potential activities during the activity might be: firewood production - external wall insulation and cladding - clay construction and clay plaster - possibly some gardening (preparing the garden for planting season, tilling or preparing no-till beds, lawn mowing, etc.). Everyday activities will also have their place in the program, ranging from cooking in the community kitchen, cleaning and tidying communal spaces and possibly some sewing and handicrafts/ 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. During regular group times we will reflect on the things learnt, your experiences during your days, as well as challenges you may encounter. Also we will focus on and explore different aspects of our experience as woman in general, using approaches such as embodiment, movement/dance, sharing circles and writing, aiming towards finding our voice and unique expression, personal growth, radical self-acceptance and self-responsibility. Themes we can explore together: female empowerment, women's wisdom and sisterhood, meditation, embodiment, exploring feminine and masculine principles, new womanhood, female entrepreneurship, women and power, female leadership. 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 and time spent with children living in the community, involving you in our community´s daily tasks, in the community kitchen preparing (vegan) food, cleaning, helping in the garden and community´s forest, to helping with the events we host, or on our construction site working with natural/sustainable 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 some of the competences and soft skills we will explore during the program. 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.
Deadline: No application deadline