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Growing seeds

Growing seeds

Volunteers diary in Barcelona, growing seeds and yourself, taking responsibility

Today marks the beginning of something new in —a change that I’ve often shied away from but now feel compelled to embrace. I’ve noticed a pattern within myself: I usually get really excited when life presents a new opportunity at me, I feel the urgent need to participate, to be part of a group, a project or do a task and I instantly start to imagine myself doing it. It’s like I create a new version of myself that I like, thinking about the new skills that I might acquire, the new fun memories I’m going to make. But the initial excitement and enthusiasm is swiftly followed by a gradual retreat as challenges emerge, a routine and repetition are established. Now it starts to get an arduous task that I have to take on, something I try to push to the back of my mind. At the end of the long to-do list. I find excuses not to do it or convince myself otherwise. I start subconsciously looking for a substitute, something else to get lost in.  It’s a cycle I’ve grown accustomed to, a familiar dance of anticipation and avoidance.  

Is it perhaps the fear of failure, the fear that expectations will not be met, that reality will not match the perfect image? Why do I have these mechanisms, how can I change them? As I find myself in unfamiliar surroundings, I’m confronted with questions that demand answers. Who am I? What do I want to become? And perhaps most importantly, how do I navigate the path to get there?

In this moment of introspection, I realize that I am my own permaculture project—a garden of potential waiting to be cultivated. And just as a gardener, I must observe my patterns, nurture what needs attention, and let go of what no longer helps me. I want to stop making false promises to myself and the people around me and start to only take responsibility for the thing I have the ability to take care of. And I think I have an idea of where to start.

Really small, with tiny seeds that hold the promise of growth. Back home the only plant that could survive my neglect was cactus, a sturdy plant that can withstand heat and drought. In this new environment I am in right now, I am determined to do things differently. Inspired by someone whose meticulous care, passion and attention to detail I deeply admire, I am taking on the responsibility of nurturing these seeds.

Today, I carefully tucked them into their earth beds in the nursery, ensuring they were well-watered and labelled. It’s just the first step in a journey that will require dedication and commitment. I’ll need to return regularly to water and tend to them, ensuring their survival until it’s time to plant them.

But the process doesn’t end there, his is the first step of many steps I’m committed to seeing it through—to caring for these seeds as they grow, to harvesting their fruits, and to witnessing the cycle of growth first hand. In doing so I hope to learn a lot about myself and my capabilities.

So, here’s to new beginnings and the potential they hold—starting with a few tiny seeds with the power to grow into something beautiful.

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VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES – SEPT 2024

Boodaville volunteers

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES – SEPT 2024

Check out all our permaculture opportunities for Boodaville 2024 and participate in Erasmus+ and other projects!
1 SEPTEMBER 2024 – ESC VOLUNTEERING “PERMACULTURE BOODAVILLE ARENS”
APPLY HERE!

Application deadline : 30th July 2024

Interviews by Zoom : 29 – 31st July 2024

WHO?

This is a placement for participants with a maximum age of 30 as it is funded by the European Solidarity Corps. We are looking for people who are highly motivated to learn and apply Permaculture, who are responsible and have an interest in nature and outdoor activities and education projects with young children. Applicants should have good communication skills and be ready to live in a small community. They should be prepared for quiet village life, and be ready to explore the area by bicycle.

We also invite participants with fewer opportunities.

WHERE?

This ESC project is for 2 international volunteers, lasting 6 months. You will live together and work separately in each of the projects L’Espiral (with Roser) and Mas La Llum (with Marta).

You will live together in the flat in Caseres village, and have 2 days a week for participating in activities at Boodaville, online tasks, and personal projects. 

For the first 5 days we will follow an introduction program to get you settled into the Caseres flat, the projects in Arens and Boodaville. During the first week you will be working closely with the coordinators and mentors so you can really learn about village life, the rural projects and permaculture. 

There will be time for learning and sharing experiences and knowledge, to introduce our countries and learn about other cultures. 

Caseres is a rural village about 3 km from the demonstration site of Boodaville, and 6km from the family permaculture site. It is a small village of about 300 people located next to the Algars River where you can bathe. 

See more about Caseres here : http://www.caseres.altanet.org/

WHAT?

Learn practical permaculture skills, communication, group cohesion, sharing ideas, facilitation and developing self-confidence.

At L’Espiral (with Roser) and Mas La Llum (with Marta) you will work on on bioconstruction, site maintenance, and environmental education.

You will have 2 days a week for participating in activities at Boodaville, (such as regenerative agriculture) online tasks, and visiting and networking with other permaculture projects.

There will also be time for reflection, writing blog posts, posting photos.

WHY?

This European Solidarity Corps program is an opportunity to make something for you and for the world. All basic living expenses are covered as well as the expenses to travel to Caseres, and you receive monthly pocket money. 

You will be living and learning ethical design, as well as experiencing life in a rural Spanish village. There are all sorts of possible day to day activities, please read the infopack for more information  and if you are eligible you can start the application process by filling in this form.

APPLY HERE!

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ODE TO MORNING CIRCLES

ODE TO MORNING CIRCLES

Our volunteer Sara's guide of "how to-morning circles"

“Tomorrow 9:30 morning circle?” was the goodbye formula that announced the end of each volunteering day. Our morning circles spread their magic in all different locations: at Boodaville finca in the dome area or in the tiled area on the toolshed terrace; with the chickens within their fence or in the new house; at the bridge spot between the farm and Caseres, or at the river Algars, up until the top floor of Casa Palla.

While talking to a friend, I found myself praising about the morning circles I used to do in Boodaville. I found myself preaching that they should be the staple of all teams’ routines, whether be them of a vertically organised company or of an intentional ecological community. The red thread of morning circles is their organizational goal, daily équipe meetings, as my friend put it while trying to understand me. This is true as they helped us to divide tasks and get ready for a productive day, however, it would be reductionist and unrealistic to enclose them in such tight definition. In fact, our morning circles captured the three ethical statements of permaculture. In a team, we would connect with the Earth, stretching in silence while listening to the wind brushing the trees and feeling insects tickling our noses. We would enact People Care by asking how we were feeling that day through the means of a metaphor and by asking to share any important personal information in the announcements. Moreover, to connect with each other, we would play a funny silly game at the end of each morning circle. Finally, we would Fairly Share the daily tasks and duties, through the co-creation of the plan of the day.

All morning circles were special to me. They were moments of coordination and empathy, synchronization of moods, dance of energies and of co-creation of ideas. They laid the foundation for the creation of a space where team members could feel free to express their artistic talents:  I sweetly remember when Gaius majestically rapped a song for us about his journey at Boodaville, and when Tabea showcased her yoga expertise as she mastered a yoga session guiding Klif and me through balance-oriented poses.

I was lucky enough to witness a great evolution of morning circles throughout my year of stay at Boodaville. They were first led by Jessica who introduced us to Mindfulness activities. When Anna stayed over at the farm, she would lead the morning circles, teaching me the secrets behind the making of silly games. I experimented a lot with the structure and the meaning of our círculos de la mañana, to the point where I even proposed to try evening circles instead of morning ones: “huh, weird”. Now, looking back, I can picture the spectrum of the multifaceted nature of the morning circles: it ranges from spiritual to full of silliness. The peak of spirituality was reached when I incorporated the sound of the Tibetan bell, as suggested by our emotional mentor, Roser. Cherry on top was cleansing our feet in water before accessing the circle – though I recommended this because it was 40 °C in those days.

The best recipe was achieved when we became a team of five: morning circles evolved into a key step of our daily community life. Every morning circle started with the coordinated stretching (unless we decided to do it in reverse, making it start from the end) followed by the question “How would you feel if you were a…?”. Then came the step of the announcements, which was enriched by the “Offering & Joining” method brought in by Klif after his trip to Sunseed. This method made us take initiative in offering to lead activities while others could join. Afterwards came the most practical step, i.e., the plan of the day. All was finalised with a healthy laughter during the silly game. Oh, and I forgot to mention the amazing jingle that was co-created to be chanted at the beginning of each morning circle! As I said before: how magical!

Slow and caring wishes,

Sara

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People care

People care

How the permacultural principle of people care is lived in everyday life. From the diary of a Boodaville volunteer in Barcelona.

There are resources that increase with use, and one of them is friendship. This message from Looby Macnamara’s book “Permaculture and People” stuck with me and echoed through my head long after I finished reading it. There is a great deal of truth in this: with each interaction, kind word, or attention we give, friendship grows deeper and richer. When we invest time, energy, and genuine care, it becomes an invaluable resource in our lives, providing us with love, support, and acceptance.

And the last few days I have been living the permacultural principle of “people care,” when four friends visited me in Barcelona. We spent a wonderful and intense time together, strolling around the city, hiking in the mountains, and just cuddling and sharing what is currently happening in our lives and what is on our minds. What remains now that they’ve gone is a lot of gratitude is a lot of gratitude, energy, and warmth, and the sudden feeling of needing some space for myself again. And that’s what I’m doing now: finding some silence, breathing consciously, and taking care of myself.

Hasta luego!

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My composting journey

My composting journey

Our volunteer Gaius shares his journey at Boodaville, focusing on community, learning, and his project of creating sustainable compost bins in the permaculture garden.

Hi, I am Gaius, and I will tell you about my time at Boodaville and the compost bins I made.

It’s been a great three months that I got to spend here in Boodaville. Everything revolved around our community here, which was great. Everyone was so kind, and we all worked together very well. In my first month here, I learned how to take part in this community. The various practices of Boodaville, like the morning circle, where we get together and discuss how we are and what our day will look like, and another practice that I had to get used to was the concept of cooking with what you have instead of with what the shop has. Then, in my second month, I was busy with my own things. My mother came here, and I got to show her this place. And I had the ESC training, where I met loads of interesting people who were also doing an ESC job. In this month, I also made a bird house. Then my third month was focused on the theme of the tree planting event. We had a very big event in which we were going to plant 1500 trees, and I was part of the team that got to organize the experience.

Apart from all these great community experiences, I also wanted to do something on my own.

I wanted to leave my special stamp on Boodaville. A bit of my personal touch. Boodaville is an interesting project because so many people are involved with it. Every year, new people come and go, so this place is a combination of all the different personalities and cultures of the people who spend time here. I also wanted to make something that would be useful to the project in the long term. Because people don’t stay for a long time, sometimes a project you have can be neglected after you leave. Because other people could see it as less important to finish or don’t know what to do with it. Some people had started making a compost pile, but nobody regulated it after they left. Perhaps because they did not know of its existence. And other people might have wanted to start a pile, but they did not know how to make one. So a project that I think will help Boodaville out a lot is to make a clear plan for compost. It will definitely be useful because compost is always very important in the garden. And if there is a clear plan and location for compost, people will also continue making compost after I leave.

Compost is one of the most important things in a permaculture garden.

In simple terms, some compost in the ground will make sure that plants are able to grow better because it allows the microorganisms in the compost to spread to the rest of the land. And there are also a lot of good nutrients for plants in compost. Therefore, a nice rule of thumb is that when planting anything, put some compost in the ground to help it grow. Compost is made by throwing some organic material in a pile and letting it be processed by microorganisms. What is also very nice is that it is made from materials that are considered to be waste by many other people. 

 

For making compost, a few things are important to make the process go well.

I like to explain how to make it with the elements:

  • First of all, the pile should consist of only small pieces. That means no big logs of wood. Just little sticks. This is mostly because a larger surface area means that the reaction goes quicker. Also, the microorganisms can spread more easily; additionally, big chunks take way too long, and it insulates the heat a bit better.
  • Earth. The pile should consist of a good balance between carbon and nitrogen. Carbon is represented by wood and straw, and nitrogen is represented by kitchen scraps and manure. This balance is important to make the composting go faster. This site explains it in more detail:                               https://www.lowimpact.org/posts/composting-explaining-the-carbon-nitrogen-ratio
  • Fire. The reaction to composting works better when it is warmer. Which works out well because composting in itself releases heat. This means that the composting needs some time to start up. But after a while, you should feel some heat when next to the pile. It can reach temperatures of up to 60 degrees C
  • Water. The process works a lot better if there is water in the pile. This is why it is important in hot and dry climates like Spain to cover the pile so the water does not evaporate. But it is also nice to take the cover off during rainy times so the water can get in.
  • Wind. The reaction to composting needs oxygen. This is why it is very important that the pile get enough air. Especially the center of the pile.

Also, it is important to start off with microorganisms already in your pile, so if you already have some, you can add some finished compost to the pile at the start.

 

My process for making the bins was based on what would work well, but it also needed to be easy and adaptable. I decided to use pallets to make the bin. It makes the process of making a bin a lot simpler, and we recycle used products. You simply put four, or three in this case, pallets next to each other and combine them, and then you have a big box where you can put your stuff. I had used this technique before, and it works very well in keeping everything in a pile while still letting through air, and they are plenty resistant to the elements. The question of where to put the bin was also important. I chose to put it close to the house because important things should be closer to where you live and your zone. And we also need to bring things there from our kitchen scraps. Another important thing is for new people to know when the pile was made, so they know in what state the pile is and when it is done. So I drilled 12 holes in each bin, and we can put a screw in the subsequent hole where the pile was made. Additionally, for the people coming to Boodaville, I made a document that explains the intricacies of making compost so they can continue making compost after I have left. Finally, I made my own pile of compost in the bins, mostly using the kitchen scraps from the tree planting event.

 

Now that my time at Boodaville is almost finished, I am left wondering what my eventual impact on Boodaville will be. Will the trees I planted still stand in ten years, will the compost bins be filled after I leave, and will a bird at some point inhabit my bird house? I don’t know. But what I don’t know is that there are things that will always stick with me. The things I learned and the memories I made here will be with me forever.

So thank you, Boodaville.

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Boodaville & Sunseed Desert Technology – our 2023 volunteer Klif

Boodaville & Sunseed Desert Technology – our 2023 volunteer Klif

Our volunteer Klif reflects on his experience as a Boodaville volunteer in 2023, on group organization at Boodaville, exploring sociocracy's emphasis on equality, contrasting his experiences with Sunseed Desert Technology and delving into the challenges and merits of inclusive decision-making processes.

During my stay at Boodaville, I have been thinking about group organization. In this post, I will give you some of the thoughts I’ve been having regarding the subject! These are based on the organizing we have been doing as our own project, as well as my exchange with Sunseed Desert Technology.

At the core of what we have been doing regarding organization is making sure all members of our groups feel equal, with equal opportunities, equal rights, and equal responsibilities within the group structure. We’ve been experimenting with our own form of sociocracy, which, for us, means decision-making by means of sociocratic meetings and proposals. I will start by explaining what a sociocratic proposal means, since how proposals work differs little between Boodaville and Sunseed.

A proposal is a statement and, most of the time, a proposed plan of action. It can be very detailed, a general statement, or everything in between. I think the best way to get the idea of a proposal across is to explain how it is voted upon. Everyone in the group votes on a new proposal. They will either consent to the proposal or object to the proposal. Another voting option is to consent with concern; these concerns will be taken into account during the evaluation of the proposal later down the line.

Consider this about this way of voting:

In order to vote correctly, it is important for everyone to understand the contents of the proposal. This is why proposals tend to be as simple as possible. The participants of the group have the responsibility to be informed, and the formulator of the proposal has the responsibility to inform.

Objecting is seen as a serious obstruction of the group process. The assumption is that the formulator of the proposal has taken the necessary steps to make their proposal as valid as possible. This process takes time and effort, which needs to be respected. If someone objects, that also needs to be respected. However, in sociocracy, you can’t just say, “Nah, I don’t like it” and be done with it. If you decide to block a proposal, it becomes your responsibility to take part in the process of making the proposal acceptable to you.

The point of the consent with concern option, then, is to give everyone a voice while at the same time promoting “things happening.” To keep this method effective, it is very important to have an effective, consistent evaluation. Only then will people be comfortable with allowing a not-perfect proposal to go into effect.

Between Boodaville and Sunseed, there is a consistency in how proposals come to be:

Step 1: Someone gets an idea for a proposal.

Step 2: The formulator(s) shapes the proposal

Step 3: The finished proposal is brought to the circle.

Step 4: The proposal is discussed, maybe even modified on the spot.

Step 5: The proposal is voted upon.

There is, however, a difference between the two projects.

At Boodaville, we are with a smaller group. It is easier for us to discuss proposals with everyone during work or downtime. The shaping of the proposal is an interactive process between all group members, organized by the formulator(s). This way, when proposals are brought to the meeting, everyone is already informed and has had the chance to give their input. We have to spend little time on the details of a proposal. To be fair, our group is so small that often times we don’t even formally vote on proposals. We are small enough to keep the proposals as ongoing conversations instead of black-on-white agreements. If proposals have a 100% chance to pass, why would you even vote on them?

Sunseed does not have that luxury! They are structured in departments (groups), whereas Boodaville is structured in managers (individuals). They also make a distinction between long-term and short-term volunteers. In general, there is a lot more going on than in Boodaville, and it is unrealistic to require everyone to be interested in every proposal. In Sunseed, when the finished proposal is brought to the circle, people need to be informed and inform themselves then and there—to a certain degree. This takes time. Sociocratic meetings ask a lot of all participants; they ask them to care. 

In Boodaville, this effort can be spread out during the week, people are able to sleep on it more, and, maybe most importantly, the meeting does not get bogged down by long questioning. The real question here is: is being bogged down by long questioning necessarily a bad thing? What are you willing to give up for efficiency?

To illustrate, I’ll use the “meta volunteer” role they use in Sunseed. This is a person who gives feedback about the meeting. Would you want the meta volunteer to be active or passive? The meta volunteer could be someone who gives active feedback during the meeting: “Hey, you are speaking before your turn; please wait until the facillitator picks you” or “Hey facillitator! That person has been waiting for their turn!” The big pro is that the meeting gets more efficient. The con would be that… the meeting gets more efficient?!

In sociocracy, the point is to get everyone involved and to make the decision process a community, and therefore human, process.

In Sunseed, the meta volunteer has a passive role, only giving their feedback after the meeting has ended. The active feedback role is part of the facilitator’s tasks, alongside introducing new topics and giving people the chance to speak. You could interpret this as giving as few people as possible as few “leadership rights” as possible to respect the core of sociocracy. You could also interpret this as a way to minimize interference with the ongoing conversation and to respect the fact that inefficient—but human—conversations can lead to new and fruitful perspectives.

Another interesting thing—to me at least, haha—about the meetings in Sunseed is that they have the option to add new things to the original proposal. From the perspective of a “regular/corporate” meeting facilitator, adding this option is awful! Everyone, from people very invested in the topic to people who just got informed five minutes ago, is able to share their smallest thoughts and ideas, no matter how irrelevant or misplaced they may be! But the cost in time and attention span might be worth the yield of inclusivity and new perspectives.

 Sunseed also makes use of “tronki meetings.” These are only for department coordinators and people with a commitment of 6 months or more. While I have not attended one, I can take a guess as to what things they would discuss there—things that are not particularly our business! Recurring events, administrative and technical mumbo-jumbo, stuff regarding short-term volunteers, etcetera. Undoubtedly, these meetings are partly there to relieve the general meeting, where a group of “more invested” and, over time, more knowledgeable people can get some real stuff done. However… 

Experts—people with more knowledge of and time invested in a certain topic—are very strange. They are often the people most informed and the most “in tune” to make decisions on certain topics. But they can also get stuck in a certain direction and not want anyone else to make these decisions for them, creating tension with the rest of the group. While tronkis are not experts per se, they do represent a distinction between otherwise as equal as possible people.

The tronki meetings in Sunseed resemble a possible solution. You can view it as another sociocratic circle, “subordinate”1 to the general circle. This time, for efficiency’s sake, they chose to give up inclusivity and new perspectives for efficiency. However, the tronki meeting still reports to the general circle; there is a place for questions and scrutiny by the entire group. And the group can decide whether the “experts” (or “leaders” or “distinct group with certain functions”) are still in line with the entire organization.

Imagine a tronki meeting in the corporate world; only then would it be called a “board meeting.” While not directly comparable, they share some overlapping responsibilities, like those having to do with “long-term strategy.” Corporately speaking, this “circle” would be placed on top. Companies and all groups throughout history have valued and rewarded certain qualities and services in individuals more than others. Sociocracy reminds us that we are not great because of ourselves, but because of our system; it’s a “could the inventor of the cart have been so brilliant without the inventor of the wheel”-type situation. In a sociocratic company, there would be no stereotypical top-down decision-making. Instead, you’d have the “strategic management” circle, the “production” circle, the “public relations” circle, etc., and a general circle, where everyone (through (online) mass gatherings, or by sending delegates from each circle, or whatever means) will decide about relevant things for them personally (pay, work hours, festivities) and consent to relevant things for the company (ethics, products, public image). Managers might still earn more than factory workers to allow more compensation for an arguably more stressful job, but it would be with the consent of said factory workers.

Sociocracy is a way of organizing that accepts human flaws and tries to make things happen in spite of them. We’re not perfect, and we’ll never be, but together we can filter out our individual faults and quirks and create a functional whole. It’s strength is abundance thinking. Is there a problem? Let’s take time to create a solution. There is nothing we can’t fix together; if you give someone real responsibility, they’ll take it. It is also its pitfall. Never has there been a quiet moment, and especially our age asks for a lot of responsiveness and decisiveness, which sociocracy cannot provide in a timely manner. Sometimes, scientifically, even an authoritarian leader is what the situation calls for. But to me, sociocracy feels like starting the labyrinth of human organization at the exit and working your way back to the start. Successful sociocracy is a very compelling ideal, a daunting undertaking, but something worth striving for in these polarizing times.

___________________________________________________________________________

1 I use the word “subordinate” here to illustrate the responsibility towards the group as a whole. In practice, the general circle is made up of all sorts of subordinate circles, like the departments; it is a way to ensure horizontality between all “subordinate” circles.

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First impressions

First impressions

About my first days of being a Boodaville volunteer in Barcelona. My first impressions and arriving in community life.

Having spent a fortnight in Barcelona, I would love to share my experiences and learnings so far and tell you about my life in the Boodaville project and what else is connected with it. The last few days really helped me to finally mentally arrive, and I’m now on my discovery journey. An important aspect of my current residence in the Can Madeu community is learning to participate in community life. This, as discovered with Frida during our pasta-cooking escapade, comes with its challenges, notably when left with a surplus to savor the following days, if not weeks 😊

Thursdays, however, stand out as remarkable experiences where, in a matter of hours, collective endeavours transform the house and gardens, and time just seems to fly by. Even mundane tasks like cleaning and organizing are suddenly fun, and after a long day of work, it is especially rewarding to eat the delicious community dinner together and connect.

Living there shows in a way that permaculture extends beyond gardens into the fabric of communal living as it addresses social aspects, promoting community building, fair resource distribution, and ethical joint decision-making. And Can Masdeu seems to be a place to live and try out this reality.

As I navigate my role within this community and explore how I can contribute, I am taking mental notes and will let you know soon how I’m getting along with it.

Hasta luego,

Antonia

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New volunteers! – Boodaville Barcelona 2024

New volunteers! – Boodaville Barcelona 2024

volunteering for a permaculture project in Barcelona

Hey ! We have good news about the 2024 Boodaville project! Two volunteers have the lucky opportunity to join us in this beautiful Barcelona adventure! 

Let’s hear some of their stories.

Let’s start with you Frida :

“ Hey everybody ! I’m Frida and I’m going to tell you a little bit more of my story and why I’m here today in the Boodaville project ! 

I am 18 years old and we can say I’m entering active life because I’ve just finished high school. 

After all of this years of formal school and linear course I wanted to leave the traditional way. 

I found the opportunity of a sabbatical year and I seized it. Because I’m feeling lost with a lot of questions like, I dont know where I’m going in the future ? , where is my place ? what direction I want to give for my life ?

And also I have a lot of affirmations and clear desires : I want to help people, I want to be useful, I want to give my skills for a project meaningful to me. I want to learn always more about life, people, culture, skills. I want to discover, experience new things and stay open. I hope to find a way of sustainable life consistent with my ethics. 

So I found the project of Boodaville 2024, I was immediately very interested. 

I knew nothing about permaculture, but the concept attracted me and I wanted to find out more. 

Now I’m volunteering for this wonderful project and I think I’ll be able to help it as much as he’ll help me answer my questions. “

Okayy and now we listen Antonia !

“Hey, I’m Antonia, a 20-year-old nature enthusiast from Germany and one of the new seedlings at Boodaville 🌱

Hiking, paddling or simply soaking up the sun, I love being outdoors in nature as well as making music with either my voice or my violin. But same as Frida, I still unsure about my future so I wanted to give myself some time to figure it out.

I’m here to dive into the world of gardening, learn about the basics of permaculture, and hope to gain insights into other eco-projects and initiatives along the way. 

And I will definitely be telling you about another such project in the coming months: Can Masdeu, a communal living project above the hills of Barcelona in which we will live, creating the perfect balance to the vibrant city life of Barcelona.

I am very grateful for this unique opportunity to become part of a community and learn to adopt a more eco-friendly and conscious way of living. Let’s grow together, laugh with the wind, and dance in the rain – because learning should always be this much fun! Stay tuned for updates and stories both on social media and the Boodaville blog.

Let’s make this eco-adventure unforgettable!” 🌞

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My year as a 2023′ Boodaville volunteer 🌞

My year as a 2023′ Boodaville volunteer 🌞

experience of an ESC volunteer in a permaculture NGO in Barcelona

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!

 

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.

 

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. 

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. 

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.

 

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. 

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!

 

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! 🌱

Let’s Connect and Regenerate!

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WE’VE PLANTED 1,000 TREES! 🌳💪🏼

WE’VE PLANTED 1,000 TREES! 🌳💪🏼

Boodaville organised a tree planting activity with Life Terra !

Back in February, we initiated a collaboration with the Life Terra association, which gave us 100 trees to plant on the Boodaville site. The operation was a success, with almost all the saplings surviving the summer heat! This is why, 8 months later, we decided to accept many many more trees from LifeTerra.

Thanks to the commitment of the Boodaville volunteers, as well as volunteers who had come to lend their strength in the Matarranya, we were able to take on the mission and WE PLANTED 1000 TREES! Jacqueline, Sam, Angela, Jack and Anna Louise gave their time and expertise to organise and lead the event. During this 4 days tree planting event we were working to plant just over a 1,000 trees in the neighbouring farm, where we try to develop the project Rovira Regenerativa. We were following an agroforestry design that we created in 2021.

On the Saturday and the Sunday we worked on a bigger group of young permaculture volunteers from Catalunya. We planted along the bottom of the valley, at the edge of the vineyard. We planted with a pattern developed with Jacque and Jacqueline which was to dig a bowl for every 3 trees. In each bowl we put a fruit tree : apples, European Plum, Pomegranate, fig, White Mulberry and some other very dry resistant varieties of fruit trees. The support species that we were putting there were Spanish Broom, Terebinth. In total we dug and planted 220 bowls, which makes 660 trees. 

We also took part of the vineyard terrace that was not planted with any vines and now we call it the orchards. In this section we’ve planted rows of trees with support species. We also made a windbreak in the orchard area with some of the oleander. We were careful with them because they are not part of a natural forestry design, they are more a gardening plant. 

We also ordered 140 almond trees because we really wanted to put some almond in the valley but we actually received 300 hazelnut trees. Because the hazelnut trees needs a lot of water we did put some of them in the valley gave away about 200 of the hazelnut trees. 

On days 3 and 4 we worked up in the almond growth, in the area number 3 on the map. Sam Miller helped us making decisions about the exact plan and how to plant. The area is obviously much more humid than other places. It’s surrounded by trees, there is grass growing all over and between the almonds on this terrace and even moss on the ground in some places showing us that it is a humid enough place and that these trees has a chance of survival. We are happy that we manage to have a tank of 600 L of water up to this terrace with the help of Robert and his truck. It’s good for the future of this project to know that if we need to we can drive water up to this area to water the plants. 

In the area, the planting plan was to plant individual trees around the edges of the terrace, in the places where it looked like there was more access to water in the soil. We planted madroños, figs, pomegranate, pear, some fruit bushes and a few other species. Everything on the terrace was planted with some activated biochar, which we activated by peeing in a bucket !! We also added compost. 

The planting plan on the almond terrace was to design edges and the rectangles. In between the existing rows of almond trees we dug a slightly lower row, just a few centimetres below the level of the soil to encourage water to come and sit in the ground there. In each rectangles we planted 4 or 5 trees, and left some holes for the almond that we don’t have yet and for the support species that did not arrive yet. In those rectangles we planted nitrogen-fixing species in the middle of the rectangle. In total we had 25 rectangles. 

Thanks to an app provided by Life Terra we managed to take pictures of each tree planted, so we can track their evolution. Now we hope most of the species we planted will survive! This is an important step in the development of our project Rovira Regenerativa ! 

 

We’re all exhausted from these intense days, but absolutely delighted, our minds full of wonderful memories shared throughout the weekend, and our hearts bursting with hope and strength to continue fighting the climate crisis.

Let’s Connect and Regenerate!

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