📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
The workcamp is held for the 5th time in a little village of Skalka u Doks in Northern Bohemia in cooperation with a local NGO The Friendly Hospitality House. Its name refers to the ancient tradition of mutual help of pilgrims. They focus on revival of natural, cultural and spiritual heritage and on personal and community development. They own and renovate a traditional rural house which will one day become a facility for pilgrims, neighbours and volunteers. The intention is to create a welcoming cultural and crafts centre. This workcamp aims to restore relations between the place and its inhabitants, both of today and the past, mutual understanding and respect. You have an opportunity to learn about each others perspectives and to help renovate several culturally significant buildings. In this workcamp, you are actively working for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Sustainable Cities and Communities (UN SDG11).
💼 What the programme involves
Work: The work will be manual and sometimes demanding, it will take place at several locations. In Skalka u Doks, the tasks can include renovation and cleaning of the house, working in a permacultural garden, and renovation of the municipal fire station. In the nearby village of Borejov, you will clean interior of a church and prepare it for a special St. Jacobs pilgrim mass, clean the cemetery surrounding the church and renovate its wall. In Bela pod Bezdezem, you will clean the interior of St. Giless church, its parish and the parish garden. Bring solid work shs, clothes that can get dirty and a raincoat. All the tasks will depend on the current needs and weather.Study part: Getting to know the history of the region from old photos, film screenings and lectures, an organ recital in the Bela church (July 28th), attending a special Roman Catholic Pilgrim Mass (July 25th) in Borejov, meeting the local permaculture community, learning about farming in harmony with nature ( it will be possible to spend one day with the community and take part in their daily program (work activities, discovering their lifestyle). It is possible to organize an international evening with presentations about different countries.
🏠 Accommodation on site
In the main building of the traditional house that is under reconstruction, so the conditions are basic. You will sleep on mattresses with bedsheets, but you need to bring your own sleeping bag. There are 2 showers, a washbasin, toilets and an equipped kitchen. You will prepare your own meals as a group; you are invited to prepare a traditional dish from your country when its your turn in the kitchen. Bring simple recipes from home. For cooking, its also possible to use the outdoor fireplace.
📍 About the location
GPS Coordinates: 50.5649748 - 14.6209198. Address: Skalka u Doks 1, 472 01 Skalka u Doks. A small village of Skalka u Doks (170 inhabitants) and its neighbourhood. The village is located in a Protected Landscape Area near the Macha Lake which is a popular tourist attraction. When we work at more distant places, transport by car will be arranged. Meeting point: Duba. The meeting time is usually in the afternoon. Please note it takes at least 1 hour to get there from Prague-Holesovice station. The exact info will be provided in the infosheet.Leisure time: Visiting beaches of the Macha Lake, evening activities on the beaches and in the town of Doksy, visiting the Houska and Bezdez castles, hiking in the countryside, mushroom and blueberry picking, a barbecue, a party at a fishermans cottage on the banks of the Macha Lake with a steamboat cruise at sunset. There will be 2 free days (July 26th, August 1st) available for one-day trips.