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UPDATE - SUMMER 2022
Due to unstable political conditions in Romania and Ukraine, we are unable to receive volunteers.
Thank you for your interest! anyone interested in joining us can write to us for summer 2023, when we will make dedicated programs on a very clear time frame.
Help to reshape a small mining village in Romania, by making Art in the Forest and participate in local community!
The Mining Village is a very small community in South-Western Romania. I am an architect that decided to try and change the wold from within the system. I learned after working in public administration, for 2 years in a bigger city, that the system is as rigid as the people who apply it… and that is why I chose to come and work for this community… because I believe in the people here, who are open and kind and wishes to help the community develop… and also they support my crazy ideas… So this initiative comes from the heart…. from the idea that everyone needs to play and have magic in their lives no matter the age… Feeding the inner child!
The community is small, with around 2000 persons spread over a valley in around 800 homes. There are 2 lakes in the area, some old gold/copper mines, beautiful forests and not the best roads to get here.
My wish is to create opportunities for people to play, for locals to learn and earn and for visitors to feel experiences…
Ajuta-ne sa revitalizam comunitatea locala, prin realizarea de instalatii artistice, sculpturi din materiale naturale si implicare in activitati locale , in satul minier din sud vestul Romaniei.
Aceasta este un proiect bazat pe voluntariat artistic creativ sustinut de comunitatea locala. Micul sat este amplasat in SUd-Vestul Romaniei. Ca arhitect am decis sa schimb lumea din interiorul sistemului. Am aflat dupa 2 ani de administratie ca sistemul este doar atat de rigid precum oamenii ce il aplica... si acesta este motivul pentru care am decis sa ajut aceasta comunitate, cred in oamenii de aici, in deschiderea si bunatatea lor si in dorinta de a-si dezvolta comunitatea, si pentru ca imi sustin ideile neconventionale. Astfel, aceasta initiativa vine din suflet ... din ideea ca toata lumea are nevoie de joaca si de putin magie in viata, indiferent de varsta... Sa ne ingrijim copilul interior!
Comunitatea este mica, aproximativ 2000 de oameni in 800 de gospodarii presarate intr-o vale. Avem 2 lacuri, vechi galerii de mina, paduri frumoase... si nu cele mai bune drumuri de a ajunge aici.
Dorinta mea este sa creez invitatii la joaca, ocazii de castig si crestere pentru localnici, experiente pentru vizitatori!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainablity goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The artists and volunteers have an opportunity to earn money by making workshops for the locals and for tourists. We support any initiative that has as a result, cultural exchange, creative play, learning by experience, children education…any other good ideas!
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We wish to start an OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS and VOLUNTEERS to come to our lands for a few weeks and to work with us: the locals, the artists, the children, and the bystanders, to learn from each other and to enjoy days while creating and leaving behind all kinds of art … a bit of our souls…magic! …. and lights…we must have many tiny lights
This is the concept for our PROJECT, an exposition of Art in the Forest, born from play to express the essence and spirits of nature.
So if you are not afraid to get dirty, we warmly welcome you to our community !!!
ACTIVITIES for VOLUNTEERS:
-clearing vegetation in the village, in the river bedside, around buildings or in the future spaces for art in the forest
-preparing and cleaning very old stuff from the building where future workshops will be held and Artists and Volunteers will live (this involves clearing and cleaning old dusty furniture, salvaging what can still be useful)
-making a summer garden with a terrace from a ruin
-small construction repairs (VOLUNTEERS WITH CARPENTRY OR CONSTRUCTION SKILLS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED) this involves repainting of rooms, windows and doors, maybe floors, repairing broken roofs and wooden slab damages caused by moisture and mold.
-marking Forest trails and painting pointers for tourists
-teaching the locals English language
-making better camping spots in the Forest and around the lakes
-reshaping the lake waterline for better access for swimming (this involves quite some physical work for those who feel up to it)
-furniture restorations projects
-cleaning the forest and the riverside of trash and plastic
- making a green house from old windows to grow experimentally some permaculture / aquaculture
- creating a climbing wall on our lake Dam.
-or any good initiative proposed by you!
ACTIVITIES FOR ARTISTS:
-WILLOW ARTISTS please help us!!! :)
- own personal project in the exhibition that we create in the forest (this can be a single person activity, or can involve the help of volunteers depending of the size of the project or the artist's preferences)
- workshops for locals
- workshops for tourists (here the artist can ask for a participation fee, so that time and material costs are covered)
- any of the activities listed for volunteers based on personal interest
- any good idea!
ART PROJECTS THAT INTEREST US A LOT:
- willow sculptures !!! to personify the spirits of nature through animal sculptures- MAIN CONCEPT!!!
- living willow structures to create spaces that are alive
- accessible tree houses
- tree paths (creating a path suspended in the tree lines)
- bird/fairy houses
- special area markings
- borders / fences / and any kind of limits to different areas that will bring out a feeling when being crossed
- solar light projects (projections, colorful lights, tiny lights, changing lights, ambient or focal points with the purpose of visiting the forest by evening/night )
- retreats for picnic
We hope to have around 10 volunteers and artists at once to be able to form teams and make bigger projects.
Dorim sa lansam un APEL DESCHIS fentru ARTISTI si VOLUNTARI, sa vina pe meleagurile noastre si sa lucreze cu noi: localnicii, artistii, copii si privitorii, sa invatam unii de la altii in timp ce ne bucuram de zile frumoase, lasand in urma creatii artistice si luminite.... un pic de suflet!
Acesta este conceptul nostru de "PADURE FERMECATA" - loc nascut din joaca ce exprima spiritul naturii!
ACTIVITATI PENTRU VOLUNTARI:
- curatarea vegetatiei in sat, in jurul cladirilor, pe albia raului, in padure unde vor fi expozitii de arta, etc
- pregatirea si curatarea viitoarelor cladiri pentru workshopuri, artisti si voluntari (asta presupune sortarea mobilierului vechi si prafuit cu scopul salavarii acestuia pe cat posibil)
- realizarea unei gradini de vara dintr-o ruina (presupune indepartarea vegetatiei ce se revarsa peste ruine)
- mici lucrari de constructii (VOLUNTARII TAMPLARI SAU CONSTRUCTORI SUNT FOARTE APRECIATI) zugraveli, vopsitorii de tamplarii, refaceri tencuieli, refaceri rupturi in acoperis sau plansee de lemn afectate de umezeala si mucegai
- refacere poteci prin padure, pictat indicatoare turistice
- engleza pentru localnici
- realizarea unor noi locuri de campare in jurul lacului (modificarea formei terenului pentru creea locuri plate pt corturi )
- refacerea malului lacului pentru a creea acces mai bun la apa (presupune ceva muca fizica de sapaturi si terasari de teren, colapsari de mal prin sapatura, pt cei voinici ce nu se dau in laturi de la munca fizica, si/sau posibil asistati de un mic utilaj)
- restaurare de mobilier vechi
- actiuni de adunat plastic si gunoi din padure si albia raului
- realizarea unei sere din ferestre vechi cu scopul de a realiza un exercitiu de permacultura/aquacultura
- realizarea unor pereti de catarare pe barajele lacurilor
- orice alta idee buna
ACTIVITATI PENTRU ARTISTI:
- ARTISTII CE IMPLETESC NUIELE, AJUTATI-NE! :)
- proiect personal in expozitia din padure (poate fi o activitate personala sau poate implica ajutorul voluntarilor, in functie de amploarea proiectului si de preferintele artistului)
- workshopuri pentru localnici
- workshopuri pentru turisti (artistii pot solicita taxa de participare de la paticipanti)
- orice alta activitate de pe lista voluntarilor, dupa gradul de implicare dorit
- orice idee buna!
PROIECTE DE ARTA CE NE INTERESEAZA TARE!
- SCULPTURI DIN NUIELE - spiritele naturii personificate prin sculpturi de animale - CONCEPT PRINCIPAL!
- structuri sau spatii din nuiele vii sau plante agatatoare ce vor creste in timp
- casute in copac, accesibile
- poteci suspendate pt plimbari la inaltime
- casute pentru pasari si zane
- zone marcate special
- limite si garduri ce delimiteaza zone diferite si creeaza o senzatie prin parcurgerea traseului padurii fermecate
- proiecte cu lumini solare (de ex: proiectii pe vegetatie, lumina colorata, luminite marunte, lumini schimbatoare, ambiental sau punte focale in scopul realizarii unui traseu de seara/noapte prin padure)
- zone retrase pt picnic
Dorim sa avem cel putin 10 voluntari, pentru a putea creea echipe si a dezvolta proiecte mai mari.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Romanian: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
We provide shared rooms and private rooms with shared bathrooms, a kitchen for cooking and/or camping spots for those who wish to stay in nature.
Locally guided hiking trips in the forests. Mushroom picking and fire camps with local moonshine.
For art projects, we can provide all kinds of natural materials and some stuff limited to our budget.
We intend to keep this initiative open during the summer for as long as we can, at least until 2023… to make our forest a place for creation and Magic.
Also we offer natural and locally grown products, from the villagers, and from the fresh market… and we invite volunteers to cook their meals. Sometimes we organize local events with the villagers around the campfire, where grilling is involved or cooking on the big pot. Vegans and Vegetarians are welcomed, although Romanians treasure their porc meats highly … we will provide lots of porc specialities.
Asiguram cazare in dormitoare comune, cu baie pe palier si bucatarie utilata, si/sau locuri de campare pentru cine doreste sa stea in natura.
What else ...
The locals are happy to trail with guests and teach them to forage for mushrooms and pick all the natural plants and berries the forest has to offer.
Also our area is rich in the natural landscape, like forests lakes, old mine galleries. Our guests are welcomed to enjoy a day by the lake or hitchhiking on the trains in the forest. Alternatives outside our small community involve travelling to bigger cities like Resita or Timisoara… for anything a big city has to offer.
The community is accessible by bus, car or bike… our closest big city is Resita, or Bocsa, if volunteers reach these two cities then we can pick them up by car. Timisoara is a local travel hub, with the airport and all the fancy services… from there to Resita the 100km are easy to manage…
As for COVID restrictions:
All travelers arriving from RED listed countries, will need to enter quarantine for 14 days if the following documents are NOT provided:
- Proof of Vaccine being taken
- Proof from any medical unit that the person already had COIVID in the last 6 months
- ANTIGEN test, confirming antigen presence in the body, valid in the last 14 days
So dear friends, if you have vaccine then NO quarantine, otherwise any of the above will help, also must be noted that a PCR Negative test will not be enough to prevent the quarantine restriction according to law. But in our small village, if you have a negative PCR test…. then we will only restrict your movement in the village for the 14 days quarantine.
All travelers coming from YELLOW listed countries will have to enter 14 days quarantine if the following documents are NOT provided:
- PCR Negative test valid in last 72 hours
All travelers arriving from GREEN listed countries, will enter NO Quarantine and have NO restrictions at all.
***(For whom is looking for our personal mission of making a great catamaran project built in the mountains, please ask in private and I can give you details )***
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have decent internet connection, for those who need to work online.
Can possibly accept pets
Pets are welcomed also!
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (8)
Benj and I spent around two weeks in Bocsa and Dognecea as the first volunteers in the village project of Dognecea. Both the people of Dognecea and Ami and Marti welcomed us extremely heartly; and we had a very… read more
In their short time here they helped us create the local library from a pile of old dusty books. They did everything in a positive and helpful way, also… read more
The work was easy and I felt encouraged to share and even apply my ideas in their projects at Dognecea. I was also introduced to great people from this nice village that I really hope to see them… read more
They were able to host us at the last minute when our original host cancelled.
Not only did they pick us up from the train station, but cared for us, fed us, told us so many stories and taught us about Romanian culture... but were also just really interesting and kind people.… read more
Photos
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Benj and I spent around two weeks in Bocsa and Dognecea as the first volunteers in the village project of Dognecea. Both the people of Dognecea and Ami and Marti welcomed us extremely heartly; and we had a very… read more
In their short time here they helped us create the local library from a pile of old dusty books. They did everything in a positive and helpful way, also… read more
The work was easy and I felt encouraged to share and even apply my ideas in their projects at Dognecea. I was also introduced to great people from this nice village that I really hope to see them… read more
They were able to host us at the last minute when our original host cancelled.
Not only did they pick us up from the train station, but cared for us, fed us, told us so many stories and taught us about Romanian culture... but were also just really interesting and kind people.… read more
her young dog Yung is verry energetic and needs little training, but verry smart and atentive, eager to please his hummans around him
Yang, my dog, has such a good opportunity to learn some skills from the dogs and to stay around cats without making troubles, and treat them like a friend.
I was amazed to go in the forest with them and their friends and 5 precious dogs, and… read more
We talked a lot, and shared our cultures, food and jokes. Mariana made cooking look soo easy :) and Matias was always looking to improve our place, we are now very happy to bee theirs friends!
Thank you! Our home is always open for you guys!
