Jászberény – Renovation&Festival
2011-07-30 - 2011-08-13; number of volunteers: 12

The camp will take place in Jászberény, a Hungarian town in the middle of the country. Participants will have the opportunity to get know Hungarian cultural and natural heritage and traditions through various Hungarian dances and music, artists from inside and outside of the border. Furthermore, they can have the chance to experience the touch of nature and the life in one of the rural areas of the country, nearby Jászberény town.
First week the volunteers will be helping in the renovation of a local children's camp. Volunteers will have to renovate the whole camp site, which includes painting, digging, gardening, decorating. Second week, they will volunteer in the organization of the XXI. Csángó Music Festival where they will have tasks like preparation of the concerts, stage building, accommodation and assistance of performers. In the meanwhile, they'll have the possibility to meet the musicians and other artists coming from all around the world.

Drávafok – Hungarian countryside
2011-08-29 - 2011-09-11; number of volunteers: 6

Drávafok is a small village with two shops and a pub 50 kms from Pécs, close to the Croatian border. The camp is in an old but comfortable mansion, and on a farm which works with the traditional sense of farming. They use human power as much as possible. The camp gives the opportunity to the participants to get to know the Hungarian countryside, its flora and fauna. It is an ideal opportunity to practise activities such as landscaping, participating in the harvest picking cherry and redcurrant, gardening.

Work: Mostly gardening, vintage of cherry and redcurrant, landscaping (also in the garden of the mansion). Help in demolishing a local building.

Csobánka – Scout Centre
2011-08-08 - 2011-08-21; number of volunteers: 10

Csobánka Central European Scout Centre is a Scout and youth hostel, camping site and activity centre, near Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in the Pilis mountains. Our 4-hectare domain is big enough for as many as 500 people. In the central building we can host about 100 Scouts and young people any season. At the dawn of the new millennium, an elder Hungarian Scoutmaster, Dr. Béla Erődi-Harrach dreamed about a place that could serve as a meeting point for all the Scouts of Central and Eastern Europe, where they could concentrate on friendship, and building and founding a new Europe, rather than being occupied by old historical conflicts. The Centre is run by volunteers. They welcome the arriving groups, care for the plants, arrange the camping site, take part in the renovation and lead activities. Apart from working, of course, they have some time also for leisure activities like cooking, parties, fun and sports.

Work: cleaning the creek and little forest, painting of the fence and the garage, garden work, repairing of the hovel

Bátonyterenye – Taoist Community
2011-08-15 - 2011-08-28; number of volunteers: 10

The camp’s main purpose is to help a Taoist Community in maintaining their withdrawal place, while getting to know eastern philosophies and practices in an authentic location. Bátonyterenye is a small village situated in the north of Hungary near Gyöngyös city. The farm itself is located in a beautiful valley close to Bátonyterenye and is only accessible by walking. It is run by the Hungarian Taoist Community and they regularly organize martial arts (e.g.: tai chi, kung fu) trainings and other programs here. It is a very unique place where practitioners of eastern philosophies and martial arts can withdraw from the cities’ rush and focus on physical and spiritual development. This is going to be the third time the camp is organized and since the first time it has proved to be a great opportunity for volunteers to engage in something different and to experience alternative ways of living.

Work: Since there are only two community members living there constantly there are many things to do around the farm for which the community needs help. The work is going to be mostly gardening, basically helping to tidy up the farm, tasks such as reaping, planting and pruning. Additionally cleaning the territory of the lake of the farm and tending the grove of wisdom are part of the planned tasks too. The work will not be too heavy, but it can be tiring, so please be aware of this during your selection.

Every day in the morning there will be an energizing chi kung practice before breakfast, and in the afternoon there will be 1,5 hours tai chi for the volunteers. Besides the camp aims to introduce eastern philosophies and practices to the volunteers, such as meditation and tea ceremonies depending on who will be there with us from the community. There is also a possibility to make excursions around, discovering the natural surroundings of the farm, including an optional visit to a Buddhist shrine and a Catholic pilgrimage place nearby to make the religious experience more diverse. As an exception we ask 40 euros extra fee for this camp that goes to cover the expenses of the tai chi instructor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_W1xJ8Vil0