Work

The work will take place at Oosterhouw in Leens (province Groningen). It is a beautiful monumental manor house surrounded by a garden divided into four different styles. Many parts of these gardens have been neglected over the past decades. Volunteers will be cleaning up and helping restore the gardens to their former glory. Activities range from groundwork like digging and levelling to gardening such as weeding and pruning to wood shredding and splitting. The volunteers will work in the gardens five days a week. This excludes the weekends.

Partner

The mansion Oosterhouw in Leens is located in the north of the Netherlands in the province of Groningen. The estate is surrounded by a flat agricultural landscape approximately 10 km from the Wadden Sea UNESCO heritage. Oosterhouw was built in 1868. The last time the building was renovated was in 1912-1913. After that, there weren’t any significant developments. The former owners of the mansion were C.o Jellema and Klaas Noordhuis. Co. Jellema is a semi-known poet in the Netherlands, and his current library is still in the house. Klaas Noordhuis was a garden architect and has added essential aspects to the garden. The current owners bought the house a few years ago and want to open the house more to the public. The house, the garden and the surrounding landscape are unique in this area and must be protected and taken care of.

Location

You will have leisure time after work (work ends at 4 p.m.). The Oosterhouw area mainly consists of small villages with Leens as the main village. You will have bikes at your disposal to explore the surrounding area. During the weekend you can enjoy your free time. There are plenty of nice places to visit, for example the beautiful and vibrant city of Groningen or take a ferry boat and visit the peninsula of Schiermonnikoog.

Accomodation

During the two weeks, the volunteers will be staying at Wongema. It’s a working café located in the small village of Hornhuizen. The whole group will be staying in the residential barn besides the main building. There’s a dorm where everybody will be staying. Clean towels will be provided. Sheets for the beds won’t be provided. (Make sure you bring a sleeping bag or your own sheets!) Downstairs is a kitchen which we can use. Bicycles will be provided for transportation between the accommodation and the gardens of Oosterhouw. The bike ride from and to the accommodation is approximately 15 minutes. You will cook together in teams, taking turns and having the opportunity to cook meals from your home countries. You have a kitchen at your disposal. Self-organisation is also a vital point during your daily camp routines. Cooking and cleaning are planned and done independently within the group. Each participant is expected to take part in the CCC (cooking-cleaning-crew).

Requirements

In The Netherlands the weather is unpredictable. So it’s really important to bring clothes for different types of weather (a rain jacket, hat or sun lotion). We will be working primarily outside in the gardens, where it’s essential to have a safe and secure work environment. Safety glasses and hearing protection will be provided. But there are other important things to think about such as: Strong safety shoes, good fitting working gloves. Make sure you bring a sleeping bag or your own sheets! Take the following documents with you: Passport, Health Insurance Card, Student ID (might be useful in your free time), Debit/Credit card. Especially if you’re from outside Europe, check with your bank if debit or credit card actually works in The Netherlands.(Note: We do not insure your personal items! So please avoid bringing unnecessary expensive electronic items!! Also, make sure to get yourself valid travel insurance!!) Participation fee: €50,- in cash to be paid upon arrival (so please bring this with you!)*

Meeting point

Arrival by plane at Schiphol airport & travel by public transportation: you can travel by train to Winsum station from Schiphol airport. For the train schedules please check the website: https://www.ns.nl/en/journeyplanner/#/ or call us if you need any assistance. We will pick you up at the train station Winsum. Arrival by car: you can go straight ahead to the accommodation Wongema in Hornhuizen. We wil meet you there.

Notes:

Note: There is no student discount for this project. The participation fee for this project is €50 for foreign volunteers and €225 for participants living in the Netherlands. No preparation training is required for the participants.

Work

The project activities will be in and around the museum. There are three type of activities: 1. Renovation and redecoration of the museum building and its surroundings. Examples are: painting, renovating of stairs and terraces and picknick places. 2. Development of new biodiversity opportunities. Examples are: developing new breeding grounds for birds, building insect hotels, developing vegetable gardens. 3. Improvement of marketing and publicity. Examples are: translating guided tours, making website vlogs, creating attractive marketing materials to attract new young volunteers.

Partner

The Flood Museum in Ouwerkerk is where you can learn all about the 1953 North Sea flood and Zeeland’s battle against the tide. The museum was built after the flood. It consists of phoenix caissons, which were used to seal the dikes. These are enormous concrete structures (62 x 20 x 18 meters wide) that sealed the largest breaches in the dikes. Four of these gigantic structures were placed to seal the last breach in the dike at Ouwerkerk, serving as a memorial to the region’s and the country’s historic struggle against the sea. Linked by underground passages, these four caissons house the Flood museum. In 2023 it will be 70 years ago that the flood disaster took place. The museum keeps the memories alive, learning from the past but also looking forward. In the year of remembrance, the museum is not only looking back 70 years, but also 70 years ahead. The project is about supporting the museum to accomplish this in many different ways.

Location

The campingsite is close to a national Park, which is famous for the plants, birds and fishes. There is a special place Plan Tuureluur, where you can spot birds. Of course there are also possibilities for other activities like swimming, diving, surfing and sailing in the river Osterschelde. The village Ouwerkerk is on 15 minutes walk. In Ouwerkerk you can do shopping and there are some terraces and restaurants. Next to that, the partipants can organise, with the support of their campleaders, a seals safari, boat trip and trips to beautiful old towns as Zierikzee and MIddelburg. So more than enough to enjoy in your freetime!

Accomodation

You will stay in tents on the beautiful nature campingsite "de Vierbannen". This campingsite is on a 5 minutes walk from the museum. Tents will be provided by the organisation. You need to bring your sleeping mattress/mat and sleeping bag with you. Of course you can also bring your own tent with you.

Requirements

Note: There is no student discount for this project. The participation fee* for this project is €50 for foreign volunteers and €225 for participants living in the Netherlands. The participation fee should be paid in cash upon arrival. No preparation training is required for the participants. What to bring: Must bring (obligated): 1)Sleeping mattress / sleeping mat, sleeping bag 2)Old working clothes 3)Rain is spread out over the year, so bring warm clothes, a raincoat and a swimming suit 4)Soap, toiletries and a towel(s) Wise to bring: 1)Recipes from your own country 2)Driver’s license that is valid in Holland, in case you have one 3)Sunglasses and something on your head against the sun! Nice to bring 1)Musical instruments, ideas for games/activities 2)Energy, enthusiasm and an open mind! 3)A sense of humor

Meeting point

Nearest airport: Schiphol Nearest terminal: Bus staƟon Zierikzee The Flood museum is located in Ouwerkerk. This is a small town on the beautiful nature North Sea island Schouwen-Duiveland in the South West of the Netherlands