My year as a 2023′ Boodaville volunteer 🌞
It’s difficult to capture my year in Boodaville in one article… This year has been so rich in projects, encounters, learning and, above all, personal development!
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I started volunteering in Boodaville in January and very quickly met Sara, the Italian volunteer at the finca, who has been incredibly supportive throughout the year. The first few weeks enabled me to understand Boodaville’s missions, discover my role and also meet the stakeholders and associations in Poble Sec, such as Cooperasec and espigadoras! Little by little I managed to build up my routine, with Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays dedicated to working online, with administrative tasks, communications, social networking and event planning! On Tuesdays I spent the day with Anna and we reviewed the job list and current projects. On Thursdays I had more freedom to visit other projects, which is how I came to volunteer at Can Masdeu and espigoladors on several occasions! Fridays always began with a silent walk with Anna to Montjuic. Afterwards, we’d do a bit of yoga and meditation and finish by taking a look at the day and the tasks ahead. In the afternoon, I went to the Francesc Boix library in Poble Sec to help take down the barter market, ‘trocasec’. I then watered the plants in the patio and ended up helping espigoladors by collecting unsold food from a bakery.
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This year has also been filled with many projects! February marked the first tree-planting event with Life Terra, which we organised at Boodaville finca. It was my first opportunity to go to Caseres and discover the area. In 2 days we planted 100 trees! A little later, I had a stand to present Boodaville at an event on renewable energy organised by the aula ambiantal in Poble Sec. We also organised a workshop on permaculture and the use of biochar with Anna at Hort de la Font Trobada. Shortly afterwards, with one of the members of the vegetable garden, we created a spiral of aromatic herbs on one of the plots, to demonstrate the benefits of this permaculture design. At the same time, I had to take on tasks related to the Erasmus + programme and the organisation of Youth exchanges in Mas-Les-Vinyes and Sanilles.Â
In July I went to Boodaville finca for a few days to see the other volunteers, who showed me the magnificent rivers around! Sara and I also went to Malaga for the mid-term evaluation.
August brought a slowdown of activities and the beginning of the writing of my internship report, which took me until the end of September. At the same time, we started planning the BiorNe, which took up a lot of our time until it took place in October. It was a very stressful event to organise, but I’m very proud and satisfied that it took place! I think it had a very positive effect, strengthening the bonds within the community and sharing knowledge about permaculture.Â
Finally, November marked my last trip to Boodaville finca for the second tree-planting event. This time we planted 930 trees! There were lots of us and the atmosphere was excellent! The last few weeks of 2023 were then dedicated to the final evaluation and closure of certain projects.
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Looking at it from a personal point of view, this year has been an opportunity for me to develop a great deal of knowledge about permaculture, thanks in particular to studying Looby Macnamara’s book, “People and Permaculture”, every Friday with Anna. The permaculture approach has profoundly transformed my vision of life, human relationships and ways of building a sustainable society.Â
It would be impossible to sum up this year without also mentioning the opportunities I have benefited from by living in Barcelona. I’ve taken full advantage of all the city has to offer, whether it’s by taking up new activities such as acroyoga, samba, beach volleyball or juggling; or by joining groups such as la murga or even setting up my own band to make music in a park! And, of course, exploring every corner of the city on foot or by bike, from Bogatell beach to the bumker, via the Sagrada Familia, el born and Glories! Barcelona is a vibrant, sun-filled city, full of surprises full of surprises and encounters with people from all over the world around every corner! I was able to immerse myself in Catalan culture through all the festivities celebrated throughout the year, such as Epiphany, San Jordi, San Joan, La Mercé, or the festivals celebrated by each district, which are an opportunity to dance to the rhythm of street concerts!
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This year has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone on a number of occasions, both personally and professionally. I learnt to try, even if it meant making mistakes, to know how to communicate and manage conflict, and to set limits. This ESC was challenging and not always easy, but I came out of it satisfied and grown, with more self-confidence, more trust in others, but above all, optimism about the solutions for shaping a sustainable tomorrow! 🌱
