Join a non-profit and learn about arts and crafts in the village of Gabian, France

Details

• 

  Description

  The cultural association charter lists two main goals one is to plant trees and the other is to pass on traditional skills.
  The work can be seasonal especially during cold wet and windy periods or summer extreme heat. We work in the hills maintaining the young and fragine trees mostly in the late spring and early fall.
  Heavy Mediterranean roof tiles are arranged against the summer sun or spread out to gather water for each young tree, and invasive herbs are cleared. This does not require a great level of skill and so anybody can do this.
  Our studio was a medieval fortress with 2 meter thick walls on one side and dug into the rock on the other side. It is also a registered French historic monument and the restoration processes have begun, slowly but surely. The building provides us with a medieval level of protection from the weather too!
  We now work with the Swiss Michelangelo Foundation and Homo Faber of Venice for training young artists how to thrive. Their sponsorships are directed to the young artist graduates.
  We help art students with work experience and arts graduates with arts and crafts degrees develop their skills with apprenticeship contracts. We also focus on the economics of being an artist.
  We are a non profit organization and its two sides of the same coin.
  Fundraising through our arts and sponsorships supports our little tree planting community.
  
  Our social media explains & promotes our activity and we also accept help to manage these platforms.
  
  Our Instagram journalists do a great job. We have a great foundation to work with. We're looking for people to continue this work and as journalists to reach out to the press and expose the many facets of the things we do here.
  
  For a person coming to help and learn skills with us we ask 25 hours a week in exchange for room and board in a shared housing situation.
  We can do wood furniture work, glass and metalwork, classical decorative painting, making and using silk screens, rubber stamps and special effect finishes. We carve the original objects that we make molds from and then cast in resin and metal. This is multi mediums art but our results are strictly classical designs.
  
  We always need persons interested in non-profit management and media.
  
  Longer-term interns, 2 or more months are preferable because the skills required take time to learn even if a person has a good aptitude and background of experience.
  Apprentice contracts are paid positions starting at 6 months that could lead to long term employment. This season's official apprentice program is full but we are always interested in meeting young artists an crafts people so feel free send us a message and introduce yourself.
  Sincerely,
  Eric L.
  Gabian,
  France

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  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, in the départment of Hérault.
  
  Our helpers and students come from all over Europe, Asia and the Americas and it's a bit of a house of babble sometimes so the atmosphere is very cosmopolitan.
  
  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...

• 

  Registered charity

  This host is a registered charity in their country and is looking for volunteers to help with their project(s).

• 

  Help

  All of the tasks depend on the season of the year (and the weather of course). As of now and always, we are focused on social media content creation, filming/editing, and writing.
  
  We can always use people who can sort out and organize our computers!
  
  This winter and spring we are concentrating on our arts training activities which is also our prime source of revenue.
  -mold making and casting
  -Glass cutting
  -Painting
  -General mechanical maintenance of tools and machines
  -Collecting and stacking firewood for the heaters
  
  
  -Tree observation/assessment and maintenance - weather permitting
  
  -Administrative and creative writing for press releases
  -Assist in French translations, proof reading, filling out forms
  -Promotion of the association on social media, Instagram, Facebook and the websites
  -Communication project with the local communities
  -Website development
  
  -Assisting with building dollhouses and aviaries - for qualified art and craft students - two or more months

• 

  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
  
  We need to develop a journalism program where we can attract, support and supply freelance journalists with material of a high enough quality to get published in top quality print based magazines, not only electronic media.

• 

  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 through it in 10 minutes. We are in the old ecclesiastic quarter, the Abescat.

• 

  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 us 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

Website Safety

Feedback (37)