Tree planting association looking for administrative help in Southwest France

Details

• 

  Description

  ENGLISH :
  
  May 2024 Update: Currently, we are focused on supporting the artwork projects that provide funds for tree-planting. Primary tasks include social media content creation, filming/editing, and writing especially while it's raining.
  
  We are a non-profit planting association, based in the south of France. Centuries of tree cutting have caused considerable damage to the forests in the region. We are trying to restore some of it and help nature back to its former balances.
  
  We collect acorns, we plant and maintain tree sprouts. Summer is our off season for planting, but we are always busy raising money with our art - high end architectural cabinets and aviaries! Our registered purpose of operation includes training in traditional practical skills.
  
  We need persons interested in non-profit management regarding theses 3 main projects
  In this order
  1) Building a targeted press release about the association, how we finance it with the arts in a registered historical monument
  2) Managing the French/English websites and social media
  3) Keep developing an administrative reportage, this includes daily basic administrative tasks, keep records of the planting activity (trees planted of how many hectares, experiments and results). This reportage will be used for grant writing and daily association accounting.
  
  Longer-term volunteers are preferable because while some tasks sound easy, most of them actually take a bit of time to explain and figure out. Short-term volunteers are often accepted of course and introduced to a variety of things - we are flexible!
  
  When contacting us please note your arrival and departure dates (even if flexible) as it helps us to coordinate everybody.
  
  FRENCH :
  
  Mise à jour de mai 2024 : actuellement, nous nous concentrons sur le soutien aux projets artistiques qui fournissent des fonds pour la plantation d'arbres. Les tâches principales incluent la création de contenu sur les réseaux sociaux, le tournage/le montage et l'écriture, surtout lorsqu'il pleut.
  
  Nous sommes une association de plantation à but non lucratif, basée dans le sud de la France. Des siècles d’abattage d’arbres ont causé des dégâts considérables aux forêts de la région. Nous essayons d’en restaurer une partie et d’aider la nature à retrouver ses anciens équilibres.
  
  Nous récoltons des glands, plantons et entretenons les pousses d’arbres. L'été est notre basse saison pour la plantation, mais nous sommes toujours occupés à collecter des fonds avec notre art - des armoires architecturales et des volières haut de gamme ! Notre objectif d'activité enregistré comprend la formation aux compétences pratiques traditionnelles.
  
  Nous recherchons des personnes intéressées par la gestion à but non lucratif concernant ces 3 projets principaux
  Dans cet ordre
  1) Construire un communiqué de presse ciblé sur l'association, comment nous la finançons avec les arts dans un monument historique inscrit
  2) Gérer les sites Internet et les réseaux sociaux français/anglais
  3) Continuer à développer un rapport administratif, cela comprend les tâches administratives de base quotidiennes, tenir des registres de l'activité de plantation (arbres plantés sur combien d'hectares, expériences et résultats). Ce rapport sera utilisé pour la rédaction des subventions et la comptabilité quotidienne de l'association.
  
  Les bénévoles à long terme sont préférables car même si certaines tâches semblent faciles, la plupart d'entre elles prennent en réalité un peu de temps à expliquer et à comprendre. Les bénévoles à court terme sont bien sûr souvent acceptés et initiés à diverses choses - nous sommes flexibles !
  
  Lorsque vous nous contactez, veuillez noter vos dates d'arrivée et de départ (même si flexibles) car cela nous aide à coordonner tout le monde.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
• 

  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

  ×

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  What's this?
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are in the village of GABIAN 34320, in the départment of Hérault.
  
  The buses to come here are :
  603-604 - Montpellier/Pézénas
  669 Pézénas-Gabian
  
  Gabian is an enchanting medieval village with (literally) centuries of history and authenticity. Hang out at the local café/bar after work or cafés in other villages on days off. There are bikes you can use to visit the surroundings (a beautiful lake 45min by bike), and other villages are 20 to 40 minutes apart by bicycle depending on you and the incline.
  
  If you have your own car (or time the buses right) you can discover beautiful villages, lakes, gorges around the area (Gorges d'Héric, village of Saint-Guilhem-le-désert, Salagou lake, the Devil's bridge/ Pont du Diable etc). You could even have a beach day in Montpellier, just 1.5 hours away by bus!
  
  More and more of our helpers are French speakers who live in the village and surrounding area so it's possible to work in an all French language environment - at times...

• 

  Help

  All of the tasks depend on the season of the year (and the weather of course). As of May 2024, we are focused on social media content creation, filming/editing, and writing.
  
  Mid-late October until April:
  -Acorn collection
  -Land clearing
  -Tree planting
  -Plant watering
  -Tree trimming
  -Mechanical repairs on truck, tractor or farm equipment
  
  After April:
  -Seeds planting in pots or bags until the new season arrives
  
  All year-round:
  -Maintenance
  -cabinetmaking
  -Artwork
  -mold making and casting
  -Glass cutting
  -Painting
  -General maintenance and DIY
  -Collecting and stacking firewood for the winter
  -Archaeological excavations under the control of the architect de patrimoine, like opening up buried rooms
  
  -Tree observation/assessment
  
  -Administrative and creative writing for press releases and grant proposals (in English and French)
  -Assist in French translations, proof reading
  -Promotion of the association on social media
  -Communication project with the local communities
  -Website development
  
  -Assisting with building dollhouses and aviaries
  -Training in the crafts of artwork in an informal apprenticeship for people who are interested and can stay longer than a month, preferably at least two months or longer.

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

• 

  Accommodation

  The accommodation is a historical village house that was upgraded and is just used as the volunteers' house. There are shared bathrooms and toilets but separate bedrooms. The house has a fully functioning kitchen, electricity, wood burning heaters, and even a small private patio with a palm tree.

• 

  What else ...

  We ask for 25 hours of help a week for lodging and food.
  
  We can pick you up at the train station or airport.
  
  We are all fully vaccinated and think that's a very good idea but there is no absolute mandate these days
  
  One of our current projects, is a crowdfunding for a new firetruck. Feel free to have a look at our youtube video and share it with friends and family.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  We have a fibre optic internet connection into the house - bring your own laptop and camera if you have

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  Van parking is nearby on all sides, this is a small village in the foothills of the Haute Languedoc national park so you can walk past it in 10 minutes. We are in the old quarter ecclesiastic.

• 

  Can possibly accept pets

  The accommodation is a house in the village that is shared among the volunteers. We've had volunteers bring pets in the past, but just let me know beforehand so we can ensure the other volunteers in the house at the time are not allergic.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours 5 days a week

Feedback (35)