Summer Workcamps 2018

TM 2018

Zoodohou Pigis 31, 10681 GR ATHENS, Tel. +30 210 3801881

e-mail:

“Citizens in Action” is a non-profit, non-governmental, voluntary youth organisation based in Athens. From 2016 we also have an office in Thessaloniki. The workcamp section of CiA is based 100% on voluntary work.

The aims of C.i.A are:

  • To support and promote the idea of active citizenship to young people, through new forms of social commitment and participation, for a democratic and open society.
  • To encourage the mobility of people and ideas through international exchanges, with the aim of the enhancement of knowledge, mutual understanding and peace.
  • To contribute to community and local development through the participation of local and international volunteers in projects of benefit to all, with an emphasis on rural areas.
  • To promote people's participation to defend and define their quality of life, aiming at the protection of the human dignity and the environment.

To achieve its aims, C.i.A invites its members to practical action, mainly youth voluntary work, youth mobility and communication, international exchanges and non-formal education activities.

Activities

Volunteer projects

  • Workcamps: C.i.A is organising workcamps in different parts of Greece, with the participation of young people from Greece and abroad.

The aim of this activity is to promote the idea of voluntary work for supporting local development and cover needs related to the protection of the environment and cultural heritage. On the other hand workamps are a unique learning experience of the young people involved and an expression of international solidarity and peace.

For the realisation of these projects C.i.A is closely co-operating with local authorities, other NGO’s and local groups.

  • European Voluntary Service

C.i.A is also involved in the European Voluntary Service (E.V.S.) programme, both as sending and hosting organisation.

Local groups

  • Support of local groups, active in different areas according to local realities (e.g. environmental protection, youth expression, youth mobility, training etc). Training of young people in project planning and management; counselling of the group, till they become independent actors in local social life.
  • Networking of the different local groups on a national and international level.
  • Promoting the dissemination of information.

Networks

  • Exchange of experiences and good practices.
  • Platforms for open dialogue and exchange of information.
  • Meetings (national and international) seminars, symposia and campaigns on different themes, such us democracy and youth participation, human rights, peace, quality of life etc.

Training - education

Seminars and workshops, in a theoretical and experiential way on:

  • Intercultural learning
  • Active citizenship
  • Volunteerism

Citizens in Action Workcamps

Volunteers are working 30 hours per week (Monday to Saturday).

The language spoken in our workcamps is English

Every day life: the group organises home duty teams, so that everybody can participate in the cleaning, tidying up and preparation of the meals.

Leader team: Camp leaders are volunteers too. They are not there to manage everything alone but to advice volunteers and suggest various activities. They are a link between the different actors of the workcamp: the organising association, the project host, the local community and the volunteers.

Age Limit: 18 years old minimum – no maximum limit

Insurance: Volunteers are insured against accident, only within the specific dates of each project. First aid is provided on site or at the nearest public health center.

Our insurance does not cover loss or stolen objects, or illness (except those due to accident).

Volunteers from the EU countries must bring the European Health Insurance Card or EHIC (formerly the E111 form - medical, pharmaceutical and hospitalisation cover).

Accessibility: CiA camps are accessible to A4A volunteers. For people with physical disability we need to talk in advance in order to see if the conditions can support or not accessibility. For people using wheelchair, accessibility is unfortunately very limited.

Food: Vegetarian/vegan food is available. Prior notice is needed

Volunteers cover free time activities costs on their own.

In all Camps volunteers should bring: sleeping bag, working clothes, walking shoes, a torch and any special medication they need to take.

C.i.A Workcamps 2018

Code / Name / Location / Dates / Type / Age / Vols / A4A
Start / - / End
C.i.A 01 / Koutsouras / Crete / 16/07 / 31/07 / Envi / 18+ / 15 / 2
C.i.A 02 / The Land of Centaurs / Pelion / 18/08 / 02/09 / Reno / 18+ / 7 / 2

CiA01 KoutsourasCrete 16/07-31/07Envi 18+15 Vols

LOCAL PARTNER:Municipality of Ierapetra (Department of Environment), communities of Koutsoura–Stavrohoriou and Oreino, cultural associations of Koutsoura-Stavrohoriou and Oreino. Local partners believe that international volunteers are an incentive to the whole local community to get involved in the solution of local problems. In the last three years, because of continuous International workcamps in the area, a very vast network of local people has been mobilised and have been involved in all phases of the camp life. This involvement has a positive impact not only in terms of work but also in the community cohesion and develops an interesting dynamic.

WORK: Volunteers will be involved in forestry work. In cooperation with local environmental groups and communities, they will work at creating a hiking route, connecting the area of Koutsoura to the monastery of Zoodohou Pigis Ligia (“the life-giving fountain of Ligia”) that hosts a church of archaeological interest. More specifically volunteers will:

  • Clean the route from old trees and other materials, as a fire protection measure.
  • Create and place sign posts and information panels along the path.
  • Create wooden fences in exposed parts of the path and wooden steps if and where needed.

Volunteers will also help in the maintenance of the “gorge of butterflies” hiking route, that was created by volunteering workcamps during the past three years.

The workcamp takes place in the framework of NOMADS project, aiming to promote the common values of IVS and sports for all. In addition to enriching the hiking routes of the area, the volunteers are encouraged to participate and organize sport activities with the local community. In that spirit, at the end of the camp, the volunteers will prepare a “youth sport day”, in cooperation with the “Parents – Teachers Association” of the community of “Kato horio”.

Volunteers will work 5 hours per day, 6 days per week. We might need to adapt the daily schedule (e.g start working at 6 in the morning or work in the morning and afternoon) in order to avoid the hottest hours of the day. Any changes in the working schedule and/or type of work will be discussed and decided as a group and in close cooperation with the local host.

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD: Volunteers will be hosted at the high school near Koutsouras village, by the seaside. They will sleep on the floor, on mattresses provided by the local host. Toilets and showers with warm water are provided at the gym, within the school complex. Volunteers will be given all necessary equipment and materials from the local host and they will prepare their meals in shifts. We will cook using local products and donated row or cooked supplies and we will adapt our menu to the supplies we receive.

LOCATION AND LEISURE: Ierapetra, the closest town to Koutsoura, is in the south east of Crete Island. There is the possibility to organize visits and excursions to the most important sites of the area. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to visit and participate in some of the cultural events organised in different parts of the area. Camp-leaders will organise free time activities in co-operation with the volunteers and the local partner. The host organization does not cover free time activities expenses.

TERMINAL: Heraklion (HER) or Sitia (JSH) airports. Heraklion port (if coming from Piraeus or other island by ferry). Ierapetra Bus Station.

ACCESSIBILITY:This workcamp is accessible to A4A volunteers (inaccessible for wheelchair users).

NOTES: The work will be physically demanding mainly because of the weather conditions (sun, high temperatures and wind). The recommended travel option is to arrive in Heraklion (either ariport or port) before 12:00 on the 16th of July and depart from Heraklion after 12:00 on the 31st of July. Please try to arrange your travel according to the above mentioned dates as we will be not able to help you reach the camp side otherwise.

Out of the 15 available places, 8 are reserved for volunteers from Spain, France, Estonia and Italy, sent by the official partner organisations of the European project NOMADs.

SUMMARY (This description can be used for promotion of the project by the sending partners on their social media channels):

Two communities of Ierapetra region in Southern Crete are looking forward to host the international volunteers for the 4th year in a row, to help them enrich the hiking routes map of the area and create a new path leading to the monastery of Zoodohou Pigis. Part of NOMADS project.

CiA02 The Land of Centaurs Pelion 18/08-02/09Reno 18+7 Vols

LOCAL PARTNER: Community Development Association and Traders' association of Aghios Lavrentios (Saint Laurence) village, Orthodox dioceses of Dimitriados. After more than 10 years since the last workcamp, the inhabitants of Ag. Lavrentios invite the international volunteers in their beautiful stone-built village to help revive and give visibility to the water fountains, scattered all around the village, and their significance for the local identity and history of Ag. Lavrentios.

WORK: Volunteers will work to preserve and restore the 14 old fountains scattered throughout all the village, in order to highlight the importance of water as common natural good and the historical significance of the fountains for the village of Aghios Lavrentios. Renovation work will affect the fountains that are not labeled as historical protected heritage, and it may imply:

  • cleaning the fountain stone from grass and musk,
  • replacing old plaster and broken stones,
  • renovating the wooden roofs protecting the fountain,
  • painting,
  • creating labels with the historical names of each fountain.

At the same time, the volunteers will record the progress of their work through video and photographic material, by interviewing the inhabitants on the origins of the fountains and recovering the roots of their names and history.

Volunteers will work 5 hours per day, 6 days per week. Any changes in the working schedule and/or type of work will be discussed and decided as a group and in close cooperation with the local host.

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD: Volunteers will be hosted in the premises of the youth camp site of Ag. Lavrentios, in small houses equipped with bunk beds and mattresses. Toilet and showers with warm water, are provided in the camp site location. The site is located within the area of the village. Volunteers will be given all necessary equipment and materials from the local host and they will prepare their meals in shifts: the cooking area is not located in the camp site but in another facility within the village. We will cook using local products and donated row or cooked supplies and we will adapt our menu to the supplies we receive.

LOCATION AND LEISURE:

Aghios Lavrentios village lies at 600 m altitude on the slopes of Pelion Mountain, birthplace of the mythical centaurs. Maintaining its traditional architecture that goes back to 14thcentury AD and surrounded by a lush forest, it is located in one of the most beautiful regions of mainland Greece, combining both mountain and sea areas. The village is solely built of local stone, including its characteristic cobbled streets that can be crossed only on foot or by horse and donkey.

Visits and environmental excursions to the nearby historical villages can be organised as well as daily excursions to the river running at the bottom of the valley and to the beaches of the Pagasetic Gulf of Volos (the town is 19 km away). Volunteers will also have the opportunity to attend the open public events of the Music Village, a renowned international festival that will take place in the village on the same days on the workcamp, and that will bring together an international music community of teachers and students that organize and participate in workshops and open concerts (the teachers of the festival will also be hosted at the same camp site of the volunteers). Camp leaders will organise free time activities in co-operation with the volunteers and the local partner. The host organization does not cover free time activities expenses.

TERMINAL: Volos (VOL), Thessaloniki (SKG) or Athens (ATH) airports. Volos bus and train stations (train and bus connections from Thessaloniki and Athens).Aghios Lavrentios bus stop (buses from Volos) in the morning and noon.

ACCESSIBILITY:This workcamp is accessible to A4A volunteers (inaccessible for wheelchair users or volunteers with limited mobility, due to the cobbled streets of the village).

NOTES: We highly recommend to arrive in Volos before 13:00 on the 18th of August, so to catch the last bus leaving for the village at 13:45.

Another project (Bilateral between Greece and Germany) will take place together with this workcamp, therefore the overall number of volunteers who will live and work together will be 16.

SUMMARY (This description can be used for promotion of the project by the sending partners on their social media channels):

Says the myth that centaurs were the first beings to inhabit the forests of Mount Pelion and enjoy its fresh water and wild nature. Nowadays, water keeps flowing abundant in Ag. Lavrentios village, but the traditional fountains that enrich the beauty of the village are mostly abandonded: the volunteers will work side by side with the local community in recovering and renovating this precious cultural and natural heritage.