Empowered by Nature – a short-term group volunteering project – 30 days in Hungary

We are looking for young people from Erasmus+ program countries for a short-term group volunteering to help the work of the Bird Hospital Foundation in Hortobagy.

Dates: 2-31 May 2019

Venue: Hortobágy, Hungary (a village in the middle of the Hortobágy National Park)

Age of participants: 18-30 years

Number of participants: 12 volunteers

Profile of the volunteers: This project is planed for young people with fewer opportunities, who are facing different difficulties in their lives (social, economic, educational, territorial), NEET unemployed, minorities, low-level or unfinished education, family or economic problems, etc. There is no need for a good or any command of English.

Volunteering activities:

The following works will be done on location in smaller groups – following a preparation:

Maintaining the Bird Park resort: cutting grass (huge territory), painting the wooden gates, the fences, the bike stands, re-painting some of the recovery rooms, building the walking-path of the park.

Helping with the recovery of the injured birds: feeding 4-times a day the little birds, helping with the preparation for examination, moving birds from cages to other cages (because of cleaning or examination), releasing birds back to nature

Other trainings and activities:

The coordinating organisation is the Hang-Kép Kulturális Egyesület (Sound-Picture Cultural Association), the hosting organization is the Madárkórház Alapítvány (Bird Hospital Foundation). The organisations will provide the following trainings for the volunteers:

– on-arrival training with professional external trainers, 5 days after arrival (international and intercultural communication and acceptance, team-working and team-roles, rights and responsibilities, cultural input on Hungary, cultural adaption, Youthpass and insurance matters, conflict management, self-awareness, goal setting, mini project planning, basics of English and Hungarian language)

– English language course: non-formal language animations will be available in English every week

– mentoring: at the beginning daily meetings (days: 1-7), later weekly meetings with the mentors

– community activities: workshops on photography, treasure-hunting in the pusta, rowing on Hortobagy river, horse riding, carriage-ride at the nature protected areas, traditional handcrafts in practice, 1 trip to Debrecen (40kms away, the second biggest town in Hungary).

Accommodation: stone house, shared rooms for volunteers of the same gender (2-3 volunteers share a room – depending on the gender balance), fully equipped kitchen, 2 bathrooms + 6 separate toilets, the house uses solar energy, equipped with air-conditioning in each room. The house has a big training room for meetings and gatherings + a big garden. The house is just 5 minutes walk from the Bird Park, the venue of the volunteer activities.

Food: 6 EUR/ day – transferred to the bank account of the volunteer on the first working-day after arrival (180 EUR for 30 days)

Pocket money: it it 5EUR/day in Hungary (150 EUR for 30 days), transferred to the bank account of the volunteer on the first working-day after arrival

Free days: 2 days/ week + 2 extra days off/ month (for 30 days: 10 days off).

Application procedure: Please send CV with a short motivation letter to Andrea Keresztesi to hangkepe@gmail.com till 1st April 2019.

The project is also in the European Solidarity Database.