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Czech Republic: Volunteers for Porta Coeli(SDA203)

DATES

01/08/2022   -   14/08/2022

TAGS

Renovation

Environmental

AGE

18 - 99

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

English

VEGETARIAN FOOD

Yes

ACCESS WITH DISABILITY

Yes

NEAREST AIRPORT

Praha (Prague) (PRG)

NEAREST BUS/TRAIN STATION

Bus station "Predklasteri".

Work

You will work mainly in the monastery complex and prepare some parts of it for reconstruction (for example removing old plaster or pulling out old floors). You will also help in the monastery orchards (removing invasive plants, piling up hay, landscaping, gardening, etc.). The work will be varied and adjusted to the physical abilities of the volunteers. The place of work will always be within 15 minutes walk from the accommodation. You will work about 6 hours a day, depending on the weather from 9 am to 4 pm, with an hour-long lunch break. If it gets too hot, a longer lunch break or the earlier start of the work might be arranged in agreement with other volunteers.

Accomodation and food

You will be accommodated in the monastery on mattresses but you can bring your own hammock/camping mat and sleep outside. Everyone is required to bring a sleeping bag! There is a shower and a toilet inside the building and two more showers and four dry toilets outside. Wifi is available. Because of environmental and ethical reasons this workcamp is vegetarian/vegan. Usually, two volunteers from the team cook a meal for others. Bring your favorite recipes.

Location and leisure

Predklasteri. A small village (1,400 inhabitants) about 30 km from Brno. It is situated in a picturesque landscape and it is considered to be the gateway to the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. The monastery is located in the middle of the village of Předklášteří, there is also a shop, a post office, a bus stop, a 20-minute walk away is the Tišnov train station, where some express trains stop on the Prague-Brno line. GSM signal and Wifi available.
Leisure : Village game - discovering the surroundings of the monastery, board games, themed games created for educational programs in the monastery, hiking in Loučka Valley. We will also organize a guided tour of Brno or a visit to Pernštějn Castle (you should be ready to pay a small entrance fee).

Project hosted by

The workcamp is organized in cooperation with the association Hojnost strives for more affordable local, healthy food and supports local farmers and small producers in the area. From 2019, Hojnost cooperates with the Cistercian monastery Porta Coeli in Předklášteří where the workcamp takes place. You will work in the monastery complex and the monastery orchards, and help the village with some landscaping activities, you will also help the local farmers and florists. During communism, the building served as an agricultural cooperative and as a storehouse for books. In this workcamp, you are actively contributing toward the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Sustainable Cities and Communities (UN SDG11).

Directions to meeting point

Porta Coeli 1001, 666 02 Předklášteří. The meeting time is between 4 PM and 8 PM. The easiest way to reach the meeting point from Prague is to take a train or bus from Prague to Brno, where you have to change and take another train from Brno to Tišnov. In Tišnov you can take a local bus that takes you to Předkláštěří (in front of the monastery) or you can walk to Předklašteří (cca 25 min). Please, have in mind that the journey from Prague can take you around 4 hours. Detailed travel information will be provided in the infosheet.

Additional comments

The workcamp takes place in the area of the monastery with a community of nuns still living there, so it is obligatory to behave respectfully, respect the quiet hours at night, and not consume alcohol. You will have an opportunity to enjoy the nightlife during your trip to Brno.
Only vegetarian/vegan cuisine.

Study part : The Feast of Cultures will be organized during the second week of the workcamp. You will have an opportunity to present the culture and cuisine of your country. You will also go on a guided tour of the monastery and see parts of the monastery where the public is not allowed! You will learn a lot about the history of the monastery, which also represents the history of Moravia and the Czech Republic.

Please bring clothes suitable for work, a hat, sunscreen, and suitable shoes.

Requirements

The workcamp takes place in the area of the monastery with a community of nuns still living there, so it is obligatory to behave respectfully, respect the quiet hours at night, and not consume alcohol. You will have an opportunity to enjoy the nightlife during your trip to Brno. Only vegetarian/vegan cuisine.

This workcamp is suitable, for volunteers with hearing impairments/deafness, mental health issues or other lighter type of disadvantage.

EXTRA FEE: EUR 10 is to be paid after acceptance.