📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Trinational (French, German, Italian).
Valserine is a river of great quality which has obtained the "Wild River" label. It flows from the slopes of the Jura to the Rhone. In the heart of the Gex region, come discover it by volunteering in an environmental project!
This first project is organized with many partners including the association Louis Marchand (which manages a holiday center) and the town of Lelex. The Regional Nature Park of Haut-Jura is also mobilized. The Valserine River, first Wild River of France, flows across the town of Lelex. To preserve the quality of the water and to discover and show the richness of biodiversity, you will work on the cleaning of a source and on the banks of the Valserine in Lelex. You will help us save the local natural heritage while discovering a region at the crossroads of the Jura and the Alps only a few kilometers away from Switzerland!
💼 What the programme involves
You will clean small woodland to allow and help the flow of a spring. You will work with small tools under the supervision of a technical leader who will share with you his/her skills in management and protection of nature. You will also participate to the development of Valserine river banks in cooperation with the Regional Nature Park of Haut-Jura.
This camp does not require any specific skills. If you are sensitive to the protection of nature and water management this project is for you!
🏠 Accommodation on site
You will be accommodated in Louis Marchand Chalet in Lelex. You will have access to the bathrooms and showers inside the building.
The group will be accompanied by two camp leaders, a group leader and a technical leader. Together you will participate to the organization of collective life: cleaning, preparing meals in turns using the products bought nearby, organising activities etc. We will favour local products and short supply circuits. Tastings of local specialties may also be organised with local producers.
📍 About the location
Lelex (around 220 inhabitants) is a touristic village in the Monts Jura resort in the heart of the Valserine valley, at the foot of the Cret de la Neige and about 23 km from Switzerland. The town is a starting point for excursions and obtained in 2012 the Green Station tourist label. The closest cities are Geneva (18 km), Besançon and Lyon (around 100 km).
ℹ️ Additional information
Open to German and Italian volunteers only. This project is supported by the OFAJ, the French-German Youth Office. Some volunteers from France, Germany and Italy may be eligible for reimbursement of their travel costs upon the presentation of original tickets.
Remember to bring gloves as well as working clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. In the mountains, nights may be chilly. Remember to bring a warm sleeping bag and warm clothes, also appropriate clothing in case of rain (polar sleeve jacket, raincoat ...). Do not forget sun protection as well (hat, sunglasses and sunscreen) and your swimsuit! Convivial activities will be programmed together with your camp leaders and according to your suggestions! If you would like to share a bit of your culture (cooking recipes, traditional stories, peculiar objects, dances), do not hesitate to bring a piece of your own country in your backpack!
Foreigners belonging to the European Union must bring with them a personal EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), and everybody must, in any case, bring their insurance certificate. If health issues happen on the project, volunteers will have to pay for it, and will then be reimbursed once back in their home country.