Tag: European Youth

ESC volunteering 2024

Permaculture volunteering opportunities in 2024 with Boodaville - the call is open for European Solidarity Corps volunteers!

BOODAVILLE CASERES

(Scroll down to read about Boodaville Barcelona)

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?

For 24 hours a week volunteers will be at Boodaville Kindergarten, a developing family permaculture centre in the Matarranya region of Spain. Visitors learn about this permaculture education project applying, effective & sustainable design techniques in a place with challenging climate conditions.

Boodaville started in 2008 with the purchase of 1.5 hectares of olive terraces and pine forests in a stunning, tranquil location. Over the years, many people in an ever-growing international community have become involved and we’ve learned about, and applied, permaculture design during the development of the original site and the site of the new family project.

The long term goal is to create a working example of permaculture principles in action and create an eco-education centre with plenty of space for workshops and courses.

Volunteers will live in a fully-equipped caravan at the family project during the week, and have a room in rented accommodation in the small village of Caseres available for weekends and for 6 hours of online work related to the ESC program (youthpass diaries, writing up reports, organising and sharing dissemintion material).

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?

The volunteer will have the role of assisting the Boodaville Kindergarten during the school time (from 9.00 to 15.00), and occasionally he/she will have the option to work in the permaculture project belonging to the school families, or the Boodaville Finca, nr Caseres – In which the main activities are Regenerative Agriculture and taking care of 4Ha of olives, almond trees and a vegetable garden. The permaculture and educational practice, meetings and other activities take place during 30 hours per week.

There are three main activities within the volunteer project:

1) Training in natural environment education, creating and developing activities focused on nature pedagogy and outdoor education.

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

3) Reflection work, write blog posts, post 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!

WHEN?

From the 10/01/2024 to the 10/07/2024

———————————————————————————————————————————-

BOODAVILLE BARCELONA

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 want to support our management of European Projects, who have a passion for social media, and are highly motivated to learn and apply Urban Permaculture. The ideal candidate is responsible and has an interest in ecosocial transition. Applicants should have good communication skills in Spanish as there will be networking and social media tasks. They should be prepared to come to the Poble Sec neighbourhood to work at least three days a week.

WHERE?

Volunteers will live in, or close to, Barcelona and will work in the Poble Sec neighbourhood to create regenerative projects. They will work in a variety of locations including co-working spaces, the offices of collaborating organisations, urban gardens and outdoor public spaces.

WHAT?

Volunteers will work on three two main tasks 1) Support with online work – mainly Instagram/Website/Project Management 2) Working in the neighbourhood implementing ecosocial design in the Poble Sec neighbourhood.

The volunteers will help Boodaville Association grow by engaging young people and sharing opportunities, both online, and in person in the neighbourhood.

Volunteers can choose independent work, or take part collaborating with exisiting groups. There are also opportunities to be involved with permaculure networks across the city and at a regional, national and international level.

Volunteers will work closely with Anna Louise Gurney the coordinator and Emma Riboli the mentor for this project.

WHY?

This European Solidarity Corps project is an opportunity to engage in promoting ecosocial design with long-term effects in a city neighbourhood. All basic living expenses are covered as well as the expenses to travel to Barcelona, and you receive monthly pocket money.

You will be living and learning ethical design, as well as experiencing life in an urban neighbourhood. 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 the google form.

WHEN?

From the 10/07/2024 to the 10/06/2024

Interviews for shortlisted applicants will be held via zoom with Anna Louise, project coordinator

1) Training in natural environment education, creating and developing activities
focused on nature pedagogy and outdoor education.

Lou

Lou - I started on the Boodaville path when I bought the land in Matarranya in 2008 and have dedicated an incredible amount of time, and not very many euros, to building up the project over the years.

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UPDATE: Terra Verde – Solidarity Project in Galicia

Post author By Antonia
Post date April 25, 2023
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UPDATE: Terra Verde – Solidarity Project in Galicia

TERRA VERDE 3rd Edition May 2023! This post is a summary of the results of the Terra Verde project - a group of young people in Galicia, Spain organised an "EcoFeria" and much more ..

We were delighted to receive a message from Irene this morning sharing information about the third edition of the Ecofair they started with the Boodaville coordinated solidarity project in 2021. If you are in Galicia go and enjoy this wonderful, growing, permaculture based event.

It’s so wonderful to have real examples of the impact of what we do.. complex dynamic systems are not that easy to measure!

We are a group of young people near Vigo in Galicia who are very aware of the eco-social crisis in which we find ourselves. We decided to create a collective and work to bring people closer to food sovereignty, to promote healthy and sustainable food and making an eco-sustainable living. We offered workshops, implemented ecological gardens, and most importantly organised a “Spring Eco-fair”. This project gave us the chance to develop social and business skills as well as being the beginning of the great project of our lives in and with the communities that surround us. Our project was aimed at people in exclusion or at risk of social exclusion, especially women and young people, while helping an empty and aged rural area to renew itself.

Activities we co-created:

Enero 2021 De-Eucalyptisation

We organised two collective workdays that were open to anyone who was interested, and attended by all of our team, to take on some forestry management. We removed young invasive Eucalyptus trees to allow more space for autochthonous species, and formed mounds of branches to slow water run-off and encourage soil development.

Febrero 2021

Construction of a greenhouse- the beginning of our vegetable garden

May 2021 – Spring Eco-Fair

This was our biggest (and most stressful) event. With just 6 of us working together, navigating COVID regulations and getting permissions from the town hall we managed to get hundreds of people together to share and learn. Our event was to encourage local circular economy, promote solidarity among the community and offer, completely free of charge, workshops in social and ecological topics. See the video to relive this wonderful day!

June 2021 onwards —

We have been offering a range of free workshops form different members of the team, and plan to continue these beyond the summer!

For more information about our recent activities please follow us on Facebook

Antonia

I'm taking this year before university to try things out. Still searching and on my way to learning more and more about myself and the world around me. Sending out lots of love!

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My experience volunteering at Boodaville Barcelona 2022! – Vianna

Post author By Antonia
Post date January 31, 2023
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My experience volunteering at Boodaville Barcelona 2022! – Vianna

Vianna's experience of a year volunteering for Boodaville Barcelona 2022; urban permaculture, eco-festival and more !

In 2022 I began the 12 month volunteering project to start the Boodaville Barcelona, I have been involved in several European Solidarity projects over the years and have spent the last 3 years involved with Boodaville. It was my goal to complete the volunteering before I turned 30, although with COVID causing many delays, I am 7 months later than planned…

Saul and I had the opportunity to build this project with Anna, from the very structure of the timetable and our schedule and to identify our own personal and collective goals with this project. Throughout the year I spent a lot of time in Poble Sec, getting to know the barrio and attending and organising events with the associations who are already supporting the community in a big way and bringing ecosocial transition into conversation and action. For many reasons, it has become one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Barcelona, with Montjuic’s nature being a regular escape from the city.

Throughout the year I spent many Friday’s in Hort de la Font Trobada, a community garden which is also tucked away in Montjuic. With rows of allotments growing aromatics, fruits, veg and edible flowers… This was a real oasis for me, reminding me of how my mum used to tend the garden when I was a kid, she always planted a lot of lavender. I spent a lot of time continuing to learn about the medicinal uses of plants, and collecting things that were growing in abundance to make herbal healing salves and oils.

Some days I spent hours on the computer, researching, learning, writing and organising, completing the necessary, behind the scenes tasks. Mostly I loved being outdoors, with the plants and insects, in the shade of the trees and getting my hands dirty. I love being fully immersed in nature, most of the year I was living in La Floresta and that meant that I had a lot of time to spend with the trees and occasionally running into wild boars.

We achieved many things this year, including building and maintaining some petit jardinets, working in Hort de la Font Trobada and organising and supporting community events as volunteers or participants, learning about permaculture design and sustainability in the city, organising the 4th Maranya Festival and starting our weekly ecosocial meet up.

It’s difficult to summarise in a short blogpost how this year has changed me, and all of the things that we achieved. I will say that I am grateful for the growth and learning that took place, for the reflection and the challenges. This has helped to shape my values and perspective on the world in a more positive and loving way.

Antonia

I'm taking this year before university to try things out. Still searching and on my way to learning more and more about myself and the world around me. Sending out lots of love!

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Tags 2022, barcelona, boodaville, Boodaville Barcelona, Ecosocial transition, education, European Youth, Green spaces, living permaculture, permaculture, permaculture education, Volunteer

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Boodaville Caseres Site Manager and Volunteer Mentor 2023

Post author By Antonia
Post date November 18, 2022
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Boodaville Caseres Site Manager and Volunteer Mentor 2023

Apply for Boodaville Caseres Site Manager opportunity 2023

UPDATE

Site Manager – we have the site manager role covered until August 2023 with Alex currently in the role, and Sara ready to take over if he moves on before then. We are looking for applications for the role of Site Manager and Volunteer Mentor starting in September 2023. We will make a new appointment based on the best person for the role between all the applicants. If you are interested in coming to live and work and manage Boodaville Caseres please get in touch to organise visits and training before August to see if you role is for you!

We are seeking a Site Manager and Volunteer Mentor to live onsite at Boodaville Caseres for the 2 year period of Jan 2023- Dec 2024. This is a volunteer position without a salary, all expenses will be covered. The Site Manager will be able to claim expenses for living, running the Boodaville site and general expenses including “pocket money”.

The day to day tasks include, maintaining the food forest and small scale regenerative agriculture project, maintaining buildings and spaces, running a nursery and managing the volunteers weekly timetable. This includes meeting with volunteers and assigning tasks for the volunteers to work 4-5hours from Monday to Friday. Please see the links (below) to the Infopack for the project to know the volunteers roles and expectations as well as the website and Instagram.

Ideally the person who will take this role will visit Boodaville for several days to a week in 2022 to get to know the space and project and meet with Anna Louise, the project coordinator, online or in person..

Links:

Boodaville Volunteer Infopack to know volunteer roles and expectations

Instagram

Essential Skills: Driving license, over 25 years old, Spanish and English speaking to conversational level, PDC

Highly desirable: Bilingual Spanish/English, passionate about sharing knowledge and skills, excellent communication skills (via whatsapp), able to efficiently manage the weekly timetable for the volunteers, enjoy nature immersion, interest in community and cultural activities of the Matarranya region, work within a budget and keep all receipts in order for expenses claims, proactive and takes initiative to make events and exciting things happen, self-care skills and practices, effective leadership skills and self-motivation and encouraging the volunteer team, practical experience in agriculture, plant nurseries, bio-construction and water management, recognition of the importance of reflection and evaluation, over 30 years old, peace-making skills, flexibility and keenness to learn from the experience through rough and smooth, accountability for job list, able to give and receive feedback in a constructive manner, a comfortable and flowing relationship with Anna Louise, project coordinator.

APPLY HERE

Antonia

I'm taking this year before university to try things out. Still searching and on my way to learning more and more about myself and the world around me. Sending out lots of love!

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permaculture

Living Permaculture Volunteer – Eirini

Post author By Lou
Post date February 8, 2022
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Living Permaculture Volunteer – Eirini

Living Permaculture volunteer Eirini shares her experience volunteering in Boodaville during the winter of 2021.

My participation in the ESC project “Living Permaculture” is absolutely a life experience for me. Even though I volunteered in Boodaville only for two months, it was enough to receive a new perspective of how I see nature and how the humans can interact with the earth in a positive and creative way.

During the project I had the chance to use my knowledge as a Biologist in a practical way, but also to learn new things about the world of permaculture. Moreover, only by living so close to nature I found out something new every day about the earth and myself. Apart from that, living in such a small village during the winter is a unique experience that made me realize how distracting is the life in big cities and how significant is for me to live in a place where I can observe the season changes. Gradually the colors of the forest were changing and as the sky was getting greyer, our land was getting greener thanks to the seed bombs we offered to her.

One of the greatest things I learnt being a volunteer in Boodaville is the importance of communication and expression of our feelings. Living with three more women, two cats and a dog, and sharing with them a common goal, the improvement and maintenance of Boodaville land, made it clear that we need to communicate deeply with each other and find ways to avoid conflicts. I am so grateful I can take with me home these gained skills and use them to improve my relationships with my friends and family. By the end of my volunteering, I was surprised to find out that I can now express myself so easily even using words that are not on my mother language!

Overall, this project meant a lot to me. The whole experience of living in the nature and exchanging knowledge with these wonderful people that we share similar ideas and perspectives of the world really inspired me and made me feel grateful and connected to my mind and body. The feeling of being part of a community where everyone can contribute with their own personal skills and wisdom, and where solidarity is a protagonist, filled me with hope and made be believe more in myself and humanity. Moreover, after the project I am way more motivated to pursue my dreams of a sustainable way of living and to start my own projects.

Lou

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Living Permaculture Volunteer – Irene

Post author By Lou
Post date February 4, 2022
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Living Permaculture Volunteer – Irene

Living Permaculture volunteer Irene shares her experience volunteering in Boodaville during the summer of 2021.

Arrival

Motivation: A change of scene, to grow as a person and learn from myself and the environment, to help the environment by contributing knowledge and to improve as much as possible and above all learn from experience.

Expectations: To enjoy nature, learn about Permaculture and other forms of sustainable farming.

Fears: Some situations which may be out of my control

My Experience in Boodaville

Hi, I’m from a place in La Mancha whose name I don’t want to remember; I came here by chance, I did not have in mind to volunteer. Although I have always been interested in social, community projects, self-management, sustainable living, environmentalism and others, I had never had the opportunity. And this opportunity appeared at a decisive moment for me, giving me the opportunity to develop both individually and collectively, to learn from myself and from others, putting into practice my already acquired knowledge and learning from others on many levels. Not only in the areas most directly linked to my volunteer project, such as Permaculture, crop association, soil regeneration, but also in a more personal area such as coexistence and communication. I have met wonderful people the months I have been here.

This volunteering has been different than I expected, but that does not make it less enriching, on the contrary, it was full of new nuances that make it unique.

It has given me the opportunity to share with people with ideas similar to mine and a great desire to do things that are unique.

I haven’t had time to get bored, between the expected and the unexpected.

Unlike perhaps other volunteers, due to the circumstances, here we have had the opportunity to experience real self-management and see how, little by little, with the collaboration of all, it advances. And as with good energy and desire everything is possible.

Boodaville is sprouting from her seed right now, being reborn again. And it makes me happy to be a part of that.

Lou

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Better Than New Youth Exchange

Post author By Antonia
Post date January 13, 2022
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Better Than New Youth Exchange

During this youth exchange “Better than New” we invited the participants to have a look at all that's wasted in our society and how to use these resources creatively.

Six countries represented, 11 nationalities and a big mountain of rejected food and a very wide range of rejected things. That’s the summary of the youth exchange Better than New. Together we explored what gets thrown away these days, why it gets thrown away and how we can give it a new life. We started with a workshop in deep ecology. The rest of the week was filled with excursions to a food producer (did you know red bellpeppers get thrown away because it’s fashion to eat them green or yellow these days?) and a local recycling centre where the participants surprised themselves over how many useful objects get thrown away and given the opportunity to take items home to give them a new life.

We loved all sorts of international dances and I’m confident to say that the Hungarian dance was the favorite. More intercultural sharing took place as we learnt about the different cradle to cradle projects that are happening. Also the amount of skills brought to the exchange by participants was phenomenal. From permaculture workshops and Italian pasta making to menstrual pads out of recycled materials (a great way to repurpose broken umbrellas and tents!)

This youth exchange is a collaboration between Boodaville and Pipirimosca. It started as a wild idea I spoke out loud one day. With the three of us, Anna, Pere and me, Jessica, we made it happen. Little did we know that Anna was going to give birth to a beautiful baby girl on the second day of the exchange!

Link to articles in the press https://increiblesostenible.org/mitjans/articles

Read more about the exchange in Catalan below!

Press note for the article previous to the youth exchange:

Del 17 al 27 de setembre. 30 joves de cinc països de la unió europea (Hongria, Grècia, Eslovènia, Espanya i Itàlia) es trobaran a valls per aprendre sobre l’economia circular, prendre consciència de la problemàtica dels residus i aprendre a tornar a donar vida a moltes coses que es llencen.

Aquest intercanvi juvenil internacional s’emmarca dins de les accions Erasmus+ finançades per la Comunitat Europea, i ha estat organitzat per l’associació Boodaville amb col.laboració amb l’associació pel Desenvolupament Local i Alternatiu (ADeLA) que té la seva seu a Valls a la masia anomenada Can Pipirimosca.

Durant la seva estada, els joves visitaran la deixalleria de Valls i partint d’objectes que han estat descartats, aprendran a reparar-los o a modificar-los per donar-los un altre ús.

L’intercanvi, que s’anomena “Better than new” (millor que nou, en anglès) vol conscienciar que el concepte brossa no existeix a la natura, i com a concepte humà, son objectes i materials que tenen un impacte negatiu sobre el planeta, fet el qual, tornar a dona’ls-hi ús té un doble impacte positiu, ja que és un residu menys i un recurs menys que s’ha de produir. D’aquí que reparar i reutilitzar, a nivell d’impacte sobre el planeta, sigui “Millor que nou”.

Just els últims dies de l’intercanvi, el dissabte 25, de 10 a 14h, hi haurà el Mercat del Recanvi, organitzat pel departament de sostenibilitat de l’ajuntament de Valls al pati de Valls Genera, i que serà obert a tothom, on, amb inscripció prèvia, es podran portar objectes per intercanviar. Serà en aquest mateix espai on els joves exposaran el treball fet durant l’intercanvi, mostrant objectes recuperats de la brossa que han estat reparats, modificats o reutilitzats.

Al mercat també hi haurà l’espai de regal de la Fira del RicRac, que organitza Valls en transició amb col.laboració amb la Recicleria Digital.

Press note for the article after youth exchange:

Del 17 al 27 de setembre 30 joves de cinc països s’han trobat a Valls per aprendre sobre economia circular, prendre consciencia de la problemàtica de les deixalles i emprendre accions, tot reparant i reutilitzant deixalles. En grups de sis, joves de Grècia, Hongria, Eslovènia, Itàlia i Espanya s’han reunit per aprendre i compartir, tot respectant les mesures COVID vigents.

Aquest intercanvi juvenil internacional s’emmarca dins les accions del programa europeu Erasmus+ i ha estat coorganitzat per l’associació Boodaville, situada a la regió del Matarranya, i l’Associació pel Desenvolupament Local i Alternatiu (AdeLA). L’Associació ADeLA té la seva seu a Valls, concretament a la masia anomenada Can Pipirimosca, lloc on s’ha realitzat l’intercanvi, i des del 2005 promou i fomenta la transició cap a una societat sostenible, justa i participativa.

L’intercanvi, anomenat «Better than new» («millor que nou», en anglès) posa èmfasi en que el concepte de deixalla és un concepte humà, ja que no existeix a la natura, i en la necessitat de la reducció de les deixalles. En paraules d’un dels formadors, membre de l’associació AdeLA: «Podríem definir com deixalles tot allò produït pels humans, sobretot el darrer segle, que no només no tenen ús per un altre element del ecosistema sinó que tenen un impacte negatiu sobre l’ecosistema, contaminant i posant en perill la vida dels éssers vius.»

Les activitats van començar divendres 17 amb dos dies de formació sobre ecologia profunda.

«En la societat occidental els humans som al capdamunt de tot i les altres formes de vida i el planeta es veuen com simples recursos al servei i disposició dels humans. L’ecologia profunda ens proposa una visió biocèntrica, on la vida entesa com totes les formes de vida i la pròpia biodiversitat son al centre. Ens convida a veure’ns com part de la natura i a respectar els altres éssers vius independentment del valor o utilitat que tinguin pels humans.»

Amb aquesta formació inicial es vol donar una base als participants del «perquè» és important no només reduir les deixalles que generem sinó també cercar maneres de tornar-lis a donar un ús.

Tornant a donar ús a una deixalla, ja sigui reparant, reutilitzant o donant-li un altre utilitat, s’obté un doble impacte positiu pel planeta: una deixalla menys i un recurs menys que cal produir. D’aquí el concepte que millor que nou, sobretot pel que fa a l’impacte sobre el planeta.

Del 19 al 24 els participants han estat aprenent com reparar, aprofitar o donar ús a coses que es llencen o que no s’aprofiten. Han pogut participar a tallers tan variats com bricolatge, fusteria, impressió 3D, costura, conserves, permacultura, elaboració de sabó, boles de llavors per reforestar, reparació de bicicletes, així com diferents sessions de cine-forum on han après i pres consciència de diferents problemàtiques, com l’obsolescència programada. També han fet dues visites al projecte de la barraqueta agroecològica per conèixer el funcionament i els reptes d’un productor local ecològic.

Dissabte 25 els joves participaran del mercat d’intercanvi i segona mà organitzat pel departament de sostenibilitat de l’ajuntament de Valls, on mostraran en una exposició els objectes recuperats per conscienciar de la necessitat de l’aprofitament dels recursos i la reducció de les deixalles.

Antonia

I'm taking this year before university to try things out. Still searching and on my way to learning more and more about myself and the world around me. Sending out lots of love!

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Raval Solidarity Project

Following Maranya Festival, an overview of the Raval Solidarity Project in 2021

Following the main collaborative event of the year, Maranya Festival, many of the participants connected with one another and began to create events, parties and workshops inspired by our immersive weekend. A weekend filled with music and dancing, fuelled by locally sourced, organic and vegetarian food. It featured permaculture, poetry and grow your own food workshops, yoga, aerial hoop, contemporary dance, medicinal plants, macrame, and Wim Hof breathing with cold water exposure.

It was a celebration which rippled through the community and kept spirits high in an otherwise strange and sometimes tense year. The community has such an eclectic collection of people with beautifully diverse personalities, interests and skills and it was a blessing to see how things organically continued to happen after this weekend.

Throughout this project we were in collaboration with Chanti, the founder of Culture Creativa who was onboarded as our mentor. Chanti uses her Instagram and website to connect local, migrant artists and create booming events which encourage artists, poets and speakers to take to the mic and share their message. As a performer she uses her powerful lyrics to unite and move the crowd and to inspire action in their own lives and communities. She worked with our team as they were networking and attending events to get inspired about how they could initiate social change, through workshops and events to build community and strengthen the bonds between diverse groups of people.

Back in the heart of Raval we got together to discuss how we could tackle something as large as the fashion industry. While the figures are obvious, it seems that many people are unable or unwilling to boycott high street brands in the name of our planet and future generations. Why is that? Many reasons including constant advertising, social pressure, lack of funds or time often lead people to seek fashionable or cheap clothing from conveniently located, fast fashion brands.

Latvian designer and Barcelona resident Madara Sabanova is a talented designer and tailor with her own brand @madara_couture_ which values high quality, locally sourced materials and timeless, often one-off pieces which adhere to the label “Slow Fashion”.

We realised that so many of us were aware of the issues of fast fashion, often gathering for clothes swaps amongst friends, borrowing or buying second hand. But so many of us were not really considering repairing or altering the clothes that we already owned. In order to inspire and encourage us to experiment with the things we already have, Madara organised a workshop which invited us to bring an item of clothing to ‘sacrifice’ and experiment with upcycling or fixing our clothes.

This brought a small group of eager people together, all with complaints about clothing companies ill fitting items and decreasing quality of clothes. It was a fun and experimental afternoon which was filled with great conversations and ideas about how we can reuse, repair and restyle our items and create more interesting, creatively expressive and well-fitting clothes.

Another project which bloomed into action was the creation of a weekend retreat in nature at the beginning of Autumn called Into The Darkness, the team and participants from Maranya Festival began to meet regularly to organise this healing and restorative event for the community. Expanding on some of the workshops which were shared during the festival and designing a menu which was seasonal and local, they secured the location in the Pyrenees at Sanilles Eco Retreat and hosted a small event for members of the community. The team was very thorough in the planning of the event and plan to re-run the event again in the Spring as we move Into the Light again.

Chanti lead the team in the development of Mami Munch, a social project which brings people together through sharing of fusion and traditional food from our mixed backgrounds. Another simple, accessible and love-infused idea. Designed to celebrate women from different cultures and countries, already cooking for their families or communities and bringing them together to connect through this shared experience, this project will continue in 2022

Antonia

I'm taking this year before university to try things out. Still searching and on my way to learning more and more about myself and the world around me. Sending out lots of love!

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Tags community, European Solidarity Corps, European Youth, Seasonal, Slow Fashion, Sustainability

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Boodaville Volunteers 2021 – Maria and Gloria

Post author By Antonia
Post date October 8, 2021
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Boodaville Volunteers 2021 – Maria and Gloria

Gloria and Maria share about their experience volunteering at Boodaville this summer. They were part of the European Solidarity Corps volunteering project "Living Permaculture"

Gloria

I wanted to live a different experience this summer, to be in contact with nature, not be so connected with the computer and mobile and work on something more physical and manual. I have lived just what I wanted and I have learned a lot. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity. I was unaware of many things about nature despite being born surrounded by it but, when you live such an experience, you realize that how the land is normally cultivated is not the best way to do it using pesticides and creating monocultures.

Participating in a project like this changes your mentality and you become much more aware of what you consume and how you do it. In addition, I have acquired many other values of coexistence and care for people such as working in community and always being a team.
In my experience the feeling of self-improvement has increased a lot.
You don’t feel capable of picking up a drill until you pick it up and it starts to break the ground. You will not know if you will be able to transplant plants until you prepare everything and do it. Until you do, you don’t believe it.
For me, the biggest lesson has been learning the natural processes of the planet. We live in a society that goes too fast and does not give room for anything.
Living in a town of 200 inhabitants and working in a place like Boodaville, you learn to be more patient with all the cycles of nature, to work on empathy and to focus much more on the moment.
It has been a pride to work the land and take care of the animals together with other women and share our energy.

Maria

After a little more than 4 months in Boodaville I think I can already say that it is part of me. I started this experience without any kind of expectation or prejudice. I wanted to go with an open mind and receive all the information without having any prior idea.
That has been the key. The wide variety of tasks, activities and excursions that we have done have allowed me to learn things that I never thought I would learn. From chopping wood to planting tomatoes or taking care of 4 chickens, 1 rooster and 3 chicks.
On a practical level, each day has been different. And, on a personal level, the development has been unpredictable. An experience like this allows you to get to know yourself better and even find your goal in life.
I also appreciate the company, the conversations and the laughs with Gloria. Having been 2 volunteers this year, the relationship is close and communication has been essential. We have worked as a team and we have supported each other.
I recommend that anyone take a few months of their life, leave everything behind and get involved in a project or community. I feel stronger, more capable, freer and happier.

Antonia

I'm taking this year before university to try things out. Still searching and on my way to learning more and more about myself and the world around me. Sending out lots of love!

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Tags education, European Youth, living permaculture, permaculture, permaculture education, regenerative agriculture, Volunteers

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Living the Questions – Youth Worker Training

Post author By Lou
Post date July 28, 2021
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Living the Questions – Youth Worker Training

In June 2021 Boodaville organized an Erasmus+ Youth Worker Training at Sanillés, in the Spanish Pyrenees. The "Living the Questions" training was about permaculture and "Designing Regenerative Cultures" including practical work and all sorts of non-formal education techniques.

Boodaville organised this Youth Worker Training at the beautiful Sanilles Eco- Resort in the Spanish Pyrenees the 20th – 30th June 2021. With participation from over 16 different countries Anna Louise from Boodaville and Aline from La Casa Integral facilitated sessions on Permaculture and Regenerative Cultures (drawing heavily on the texts “Designing Regenerative Cultures” by Daniel Wahl and “People and Permaculture” by Looby McNamara). Many thanks to everyone involved!! It was a beautiful week, and thanks to @morja_zala and Aline among others for the wonderful photos!

A summary from our participants…

“1 + 1 is more than two isn’t it? When we arrived at Sanilles 5 days ago as individuals we had not yet formed the connections that we now have. Through sharing circles, games, singing, eating together, social time and participating in diverse non-formal learning methods, we have steadily built our connections and become more aware of how we may collectively respond to the big questions of our time. In class we have explored permaculture principles and design techniques, and in parallel learnt how to apply these regenerative cultures in the foreseeable future by adapting, collaborating and using our ability to respond. Through both our new bonds and what we’ve learned about ecology, regenerative agriculture, education and economy for example, we have come to an awareness of the need for an attitude of gratitude for the earth and each other. It is a true gift to be united in such diversity, and to be able to put our stereotypes on the table in honesty and learn about the world from multiple perspectives. So by thinking critically, creatively and courageously we can use the knowledge and experiences we have gained to be the change we want to see in the world and inspire others. We face a future when nothing is predictable. Do you breathe air? Then you should care. Our regenerative future is emerging… what role will you play? Let’s step forward together in active hope, and keep going no matter what!”

Our classroom was full of resources about ecological design, systems thinking, regenerating economy, education and agriculture and how to care for ourselves and work joyfully with others.

But the best place for learning was outside in the stunning natural surroundings (the difference in temperature inside the building and outside in the sun was huge!!)

Wahi groups – each day a group participated in the daily tasks of fetching natural spring water, kitchen work and keeping the site tidy

Free time

Practical work – JADAM microorganism mix, preparing for on contour tree planting with organic matter and biochar. (Full details of design and methods used in a separate post coming soon!)