Work

The work can be repetitive as general gardening tasks tend to be and most of it is outdoors. The project starts early every weekday: working hours are from 8:00 - 15:00, except on Fridays, when work finishes at 12:00 as a part of an ongoing research into shortening the working week. Volunteers have to be motivated to start work early in the morning, but in compensation they will have more free time in the afternoon. No previous experience is necessary, but the work requires patience and good physical condition as it may be tiring. As it is outdoors work, volunteers shall be ready to adapt and be flexible with the working and free-time schedule, as depending on the weather, we may not be able to perform some of the tasks or activities planned. Weather is unpredictable and it can be cold and/or rainy, be prepared to experience all kinds of weather. We recommend bringing good walking shs/boots, warm and/or waterproof clothes (underlayers, overcoats, scarves, gloves and hats).

Partner

This is the fifthteenth year in a row that SEEDS offers projects in the Botanical Gardens in ReykjavEk. The Botanical Gardens are an outdoor collection of living plants, founded in 1961 and it will celebrate its 65thanniversary in 2026. The gardens main role is to conserve plants for education, research and delight. They conserve about 5000 plant species in eight plant collections, which give an idea of the enormous diversity of vegetation in the northern temperate zone. The garden is open to the public and free of charge.SEEDS volunteers will be doing general park maintenance and assisting the horticultural staff tending to the collection of perennials, alpine trees and shrubs in the garden. The garden organises guided tours and events throughout the summer, with which the volunteers may assist in their preparation. These special events are all related to the general aim and work of the garden and some of them are carried out at short notice.

Location

ReykjavEk is a dynamic, modern city which lives in harmony with nature, using renewable energy sources. The worlds northernmost capital bridges the Atlantic, between Europe and North America. ReykjavEk is spread across a peninsula with a panoramic view of the mountains and the Atlantic. It is an international city with a lively cosmopolitan cultural scene surrounded by beautiful nature.

Accomodation

SEEDS volunteers will stay in an equipped house, in a beautiful setting in the Botanical Gardens of ReykjavEk, which are located about 4 kilometres from the centre of the city. The facilities are basic with an equipped kitchen, dining and living room, bathrooms, showers and a washing machine. As participants sleep in shared rooms with up to 6 people, everyone is expected to behave considerately. Please bring your own towel. Please note that participants from other projects will be staying in the same house.Volunteers will receive food supplies and be in charge of the cooking and cleaning activities. Note the food SEEDS provides will be vegetarian. Do not forget to bring some traditional/typical food, drinks, recipes, music or games from your country for the intercultural evening. Be aware some items or ingredients may be expensive in Iceland and you will need to buy them yourselves or bring them from your country.

Requirements

LANGUAGE: English will be the language in the camp; intermediate conversational skills are needed.

Meeting point

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Notes:

EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS: Participation fee EUR 400 (Euros), The fee can either be transferred in advance via bank transfer, or paid in cash on arrival. It includes food, accommodation, transportation from the meeting point to the camp (on the first day) and the hot river excursion. Meeting point will be at the SEEDS office in ReykjavEk at 18:00 (6:00 pm) on September 14. Volunteers that cannot arrive on time (later flights) will receive instructions on how to reach the camp location. Those arriving earlier the same day are welcome from 10:00 am in the office to drop their bags/luggage and wait for the meeting time. Additional excursions (eg. Golden Circle or the South Shore) can be arranged at discount fares depending on time availability, weather conditions, and the number of participants interested in joining them. Weather may be cold or rainy, so we recommend bringing good walking shs/boots, warm and/or waterproof clothes (underlayers, overcoats, scarves, gloves and hats) as most o

Work

You will be working on consolidating the masonry of the stone walls in the ruins of the ancient village of Arzeliers. Using plaster mortar, you'll work on the tops of stone wall slabs that are not protected from the elements by a roof. A local expert will guide you in the making of mortar, holding workshops on the preparation and firing of local plaster. Some activities involve working on scaffolding. Each day, two members of the group will take turns preparing meals for the team; the menu will be defined in advance. You'll work on-site during the morning, Monday to Friday. Generally speaking, the work involves masonry, preparing tools and meals, as well as organizing and setting up collective life.

Partner

For 20 years, volunteers from all over the world have been working to preserve the remains of an ancient ruined village. Will you be the next to join the adventure? Situated between the Alps and Provence, the ancient village of Arzeliers stands on a hill overlooking a vast panorama. Remains of 12th-century buildings can be found here: a castle, a chapel, traces of fortifications, and several houses. For several years now, in partnership with the commune of Laragne, the association Les Villages des Jeunes has been working to bring the remains of the Château d'Arzeliers to life and maintain them. The various projects we organize on this site aim to enhance and consolidate the ruins of this precious work of architecture while enriching its history through intercultural encounters typical of international work camps.

Location

The construction site is set a few kilometers from the accommodation site, which can be reached on foot or by shuttle bus. You will enjoy the natural environment of the Laragnais region and its many easily accessible bathing spots, such as the Méouge and Riou gorges, as well as the town of Sisteron. Discovering this area in the company of a group of international volunteers will enrich your experience. In fact, you'll be the protagonists of your stay: you'll organize your own free time and benefit from the support of an animation team. In the afternoons, workshops and reflections on well-being will be offered.

Accomodation

You will be hosted in individual tents on the municipal campsite. The site will be equipped with a large tent that will house the kitchen as well as the group's collective meeting place during the stay. You'll have access to sanitary facilities, and a pétanque court will be available on the campsite. Here, we take great care with our food to reduce our environmental impact: we eat locally as much as possible and reduce our meat consumption to twice a week. Daily life is organized collectively: organization of menus (vegetarian, vegan diets, etc.), shopping, activities, and so on. We organize shopping trips, if necessary, using the vehicles provided on-site.

Meeting point

Laragne Municipal camping site, 14th of October 2025 from 3 pm.

Notes:

This workcamp is funded by the European Solidarity Corps.There is no registration fee. Transport costs will be reimbursed up to a lumpsum fixed according to the travelled distance. Pocket money of €7 per day will be distributed.

Work

The main task is harvesting various berries and vegetables such as rhubarb, currants, raspberries, Japanese quince, then helping juice making and products packaging. But there is also weed control and fertilization with mulch in plantations, mowing grass, cutting branches, removal of bushes and wood chipping, assistance in the construction of various small buildings, vegetable beds and other necessary structures on the site, painting as well. And there is ongoing work of planting seeds. Working hours are 5-7 hours a day for 5 days a week. The exact work depends on season and partly on weather conditions.

Partner

For many years EstYES has been cooperating with eco-farms around Estonia demonstrating solidarity and respect to their work and supporting local people, who keep agricultural traditions and develop eco-farming in Estonia. Organic farm Kingu is one of them. This is a berry, fruit and vegetable micro-farm in the South Estonia. The main berry crops are raspberries, various currants, gooseberries, Japanese quince, garlic and rhubarb. Everything is grown in an environmentally sustainable way using straw and hay. The farm promotes sustainable lifestyle, and this camp is proposed for volunteers who appreciate and share its values, want to learn more and to help hard working people in country side.NB It is possible to stay for several shifts in a row.

Location

LocationThe farm is located in Kanepi municipality just 11 km from Otepaa and 47 km from Tartu. When coming from Tartu, choose a bus to Voru and get off at the Saverna stop. Buses stop there quite often, travel takes about 40 minutes. Also you can come through Otepaa. Knowing you arrival time and place hosts will pick you up from there. Bus information is on www.tpilet.ee or www.luxexpress.ee. The farm is located in the tiny village of Aiaste. It is important to understand that it is calm and quiet place (there are no events in the village). But with nice weather, it is possible to watch animals like deer on the field, foxes in a strawberry bed and storks. While sitting by the fire at night, enjoy stars in the sky and listen to the nature sounds by animals such as badgers or raccoons.Leisure timeIt is possible to swim, make a fire, play volleyball, disc golf and other games or go for mushroom picking if you like it. There is a swimming lake in Valgjarv 4 km away. You can use various hiking trails. If interested you can visit nearby farms where you can get to know horses, sheep and other animals and see many other interesting things. There is very nice restaurant nearby https://kodas.ee/restaurant/ and Cantervilla Castle where you can have fun in the water park. More info on www.cantervilla.ee

Accomodation

Farm life conditions are simple but decent. Sleeping is in a separate house in beds. Bed sheets, blankets and pillows are provided, so no need for sleeping bag. There is outdoor kitchen with all necessary equipment. Volunteers can make breakfast and lunch themselves, and dinner will be prepared by and taken with the family. Washing is in the sauna. There is a dry organic toilet. Volunteers have to take care of their surroundings by cleaning up after themselves.

Requirements

Special requirementsYou have to be open-minded and be ready to adapt to the simple conditions of the rural life being ready to do farm work which can be hard sometimes. The minimum age of participants is 19, no upper limit.NB It is possible to stay for several shifts in a row.Participation feeWe ask participants to contribute 50 Euro towards the costs of general administration. This fee has to be paid by bank transfer before the beginning of the camp. If you cannot make bank transfer please contact your sending organization for solution.

Meeting point

TBC

Work

The work camp will try to enhance O Grove through the following centers of interest: - Cleaning the extraction of invasive species. - Recovery of various structures in the Contorna dos Burros Fariñeiros, the Grovit Village and for ornithological observation in addition to maintenance tasks in the bird observatories and the infrastructures dedicated to the enhancement and protection of the heritage of these places. Deteriorated timbers will be replaced. - Improvements will be made to a viewpoint on Toxa Island as well as the sanding and varnishing of surfaces to conserve resources. - Parallel to these works, awareness and information tasks will be carried out "on the beach" or in the transit areas about the work that the volunteers are doing, trying to raise awareness among the local population and visitors about the importance of their tasks and to disseminate other existing environmental projects in the area (eg: Pío Project) and fauna and flora recovery programs (eg: Píllara das dunas recovery project).

Partner

The General Directorate of Youth, Participation and Volunteering (www.xuventude.xunta.es) is a department of the Xunta de Galicia (www.xunta.gal) whose priority is to meet the needs and concerns of the young population living in Galicia, firmly believing that youth has much to contribute to society as a whole. We work to improve the quality of life of young people in our autonomous community, developing actions and programs that benefit them, increase their well-being and allow them to improve their skill.

Location

This work camp`is located in O Grove, a municipality in the province of Pontevedra. O Grove is considered the jewel of O Salnés. This municipality is located in the influenza zone of the National Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia and within the Umia-O Grove Intertidal Complex, in addition to having several points recognized as ZEPA and RAMSAR zones of special protection for birds because it is a stopover zone in European and Euro-African migrations. As an area with special tourist demand, for several decades it has been threatened by a large number of invasive species that, in many cases, arrived as ornaments and that now threaten the marine, fish, avian and forest ecosystems. COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES: • Discover O Grove. • Snorkel, Canoe and bodyboard. • Construction of bivouacs. • Hiking. • Intercultural Day. • Visit to Portonovo and the National Maritime-Terrestrial Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia: Ons Island. • Evenings

Accomodation

Accommodation (in bungalows) and food will be at Camping Os Fieitás: https://bit.ly/2TJlB0d / https://www.fieitas.com/

Meeting point

The first day at the Pontevedra train station (www.renfe.es). From Santiago de Compostela by road, to Pontevedra: www.autocaresriasbaixas.com or www.monbus.com. By train: www.renfe.es. From Vigo to Pontevedra by road: www.monbus.com. You can also travel by train. The bus line that connects the airports of Peinador (Vigo) and Lavacolla (Santiago de Compostela) with their bus and train stations are www.vitrasa.es and www.tussa.org respectively.

Notes:

The incorporation to the work camp is in the afternoon of the first day and the departure the last day after breakfast. RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: • Toiletry bag and shower towel. • Sleeping bag and small backpack. • Mountain shoes and sports shoes. • Clothing: sportswear (sweatshirts...), warm clothing (suitable for working in the rain or cold weather), waterproof coat, work clothes (gloves, cap/hat, comfortable shoes,...).

Descrizione

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Work

Volunteers will engage in assisting various tasks that include: Renovation: This will include manual work (making new floors, partitioning rooms, painting, and cement mixing). Children’s games: (children’s indoor and outdoor games that will stimulate learning, team building, and activeness. Local games will be introduced as well as foreign ones from the volunteers. Please bring new games to share with kids). Nature activities: (bird watching, planting a tree, creating tree feeders, learning about various plants, birds, animals, worms, and insects available in the area). Academic development activities: (after school hour homework, various competitions aiming to motivate children’s academic development).

Partner

This project will be hosted by the Lutheran Parish in Rongai which is intending to address providing early childhood accessibility to all children in the community. Distance travelled to school every day by pupils has substantial adverse effects on attendance at school. Younger children at the age of 4-6 are often the most vulnerable to accessing early childhood educational centers. Walking several kilometers every day is more strenuous for a small child than a teenager. Schools are located further from children’s homes. These factors among many others create significant barriers preventing millions of the world’s younger children from attending school. This project is aiming to renovate an old church building into a day care center where young children from the community can access early childhood education. It is also aiming to provide extracurricular activities for students after school hours.

Location

Kamwanga is an area of Longido District, Arusha Northern Tanzania, located about 112km from Moshi town. The community is accessible via public transport starting from Moshi main bus terminal to Tarakea and then changing to Kamwanga via Lolarash. Indigenous inhabitants are from the Masai tribe, however, due to the economic activities happening in the North Kilimanjaro Forest, there is a good mixture of people from various parts of the country. The community shares a border with Kenya as well as the Kilimanjaro Forest. If you are coming from Kilimanjaro Airport (about 43km), you will need to take a shuttle to Moshi town. Possibilities and options for leisure activities are: - Wildlife safari: Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, and Tarangire National parks. There are various packages depending on the available time and budget, including mountain climbing (Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru), eco and cultural tourism.

Accomodation

Accommodation will be at a community residential house. It is basic accommodation where you should expect to use water, toilet, and have a bath. Mattresses will be provided in shared rooms. Volunteers are expected to help in meal preparation and cleaning. Vegetarian meals will be available for the entire period of the project.

Requirements

This project will appreciate having a volunteer who is interested in doing manual work, works well with children and teens, is patient and committed, interested in other cultures and local realities, creative, and easy to adapt to different situations. This person must prove to have zero criminal record related to children.

Meeting point

The nearest bus/Ferry terminal is Moshi town Central Bus station located in the capital of Kilimanjaro region.