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4 Jan 2025
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Description
We have a 7-acre campsite in Imbros Island (Gökçeada), in the forest, 3 kilometers from the sea. Since 2023, we have been shaping this space as a small farm inspired by "syntropic agriculture". We imagine a multi-layered, sustainable forest where fruit and olive trees, shrubs, nuts, windbreaks, nitrogen fixers, ground covers, fire barrier plants, trees, earthworms, fungi and other living things develop in interaction with each other...
We created it with the idea of having people who will exist on this piece of land in interaction with each other and with nature. This is a place where guests are also participants; a place we built on trust, solidarity, contribution, help and exchange. Here, we aim at experiencing a more direct way of living, where products, skills and help are traded, instead of money. We also invite our guests to contribute with other means than money, in exchange for their stay. We do not have any paid workers; so we expect our guests, as well as our volunteers to cook for themselves during their stay.
What do we have on our land at the moment? For now, we have a tent area for guests and volunteers, showers, toilets, a large kitchen and living area, vegetable gardens, a vineyard and a practice garden for syntropic agriculture. We also harvest almonds, walnuts and olives in season in various parts of the island.
ABOUT IMBROS ISLAND
Gökçeada, Turkey's largest island in the Aegean Sea, is one of the rare places where indigenous Anatolian Greek culture still survives. It is one of the rare self-sufficient islands that has allowed its inhabitants to survive independently from the mainland for centuries. It ranks first in the Aegean and 4th around the globe in terms of the abundance of its freshwater resources. With its windy beaches and unpolluted sea, it is also a point of interest for kite surfing and diving enthusiasts.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Politics / Social justice
Culture
Farming
Cooking & food
DIY & crafts
Carpentry
Plant care
Gardening
Water sports
Mountain
Camping
Beach
Nature
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are a couple who likes farming, cultivating our food, cooking, and traveling on our motorbike and old minivan. As a visitor, you will enjoy spending time in the beautiful and fertile nature of our land. Here, you can have a first-hand experience of sustainable & self sufficient living, and observe alternative agricultural techniques like sintropic farming that we have recently initiated. You can learn some delicious local recipes too. We are kind of people who like sharing our experiences and interact with visitors. Meeting people from different cultures is exhilarating for us!
Visiting Imbros Island is a cultural experience in itself. While you are her, you can enjoy exploring old villages, where Greek community still resides. These residents, who constituted the majority of the island's population until the mid-20th century, have created the natural, cultural and architectural essence of the island with great efforts.
Strolling through the island, you will encounter quaint chapels and the venerable Ladolia (Koroneiki) olive trees, some of which have stood the test of time for hundreds of years, yet remain productive. These ancient trees are a testament to the island’s enduring legacy and the care of its inhabitants.
Our life here was enriched by the profound insights shared by friends from the island’s Greek community. Their stories and knowledge painted a vivid picture of Imbros, deepening our appreciation for this hidden cultural treasure.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We expect volunteers who had previous experience of camping in nature, who are capable of acting independently, who are handy and practical. We need a hand at gardening and farming, wood constructions, small drainage tasks, picking and harvesting, handcrafts & decoration, food preservation, and all other kinds of tasks that we do on daily basis on our land. We are also open to your suggestions according to your skills.
Languages spoken
Turkish: Fluent
English: Beginner
Accommodation
From May to October, we host our volunteers in our tents in the camping area. We also provide bed mattress, blankets and sleeping bags. Remember that the island is always windy and cool in the evenings. In April and during the olive harvest in November, you will stay in the extra room in our stone house 1 km away from the camp.
We get out electricity from solar panels and after 22:00, we have to turn it off.
We are a couple who likes to eat healthy, cooking and experimenting with new tastes. We produce our own olive oil, dried nuts like almonds and walnuts, fresh vegetables, food preserves, fresh fish we catch at times and all other kinds of food we acquire by exchange with other producers of the island. During your stay, you are free to use our kitchen and ingredients to cook your own food. At times, we will also be happy to cook together and share a meal as well.
What else ...
We are 15 kilometers from the center of the island, and 3 kilometers from the souther shore of the island. Other that those, there is no settlement around our camp.
We do not have internet system. You will depend on your mobile internet, which get enough signals in the camp area for what's app conversations at times, and full signal on the beach and in the center.
Our camp is at an isolated area, where public transport does not serve. We are at a walking distance (3 kms) to the nearest beaches. The island is also very safe for hitchhiking.
We get down to the center once a week and you can come with us on those days. Apart from that, it is possible to call a taxi to and from the center.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
The dirt road coming upto the gate of our camp is suitable for off-road camper vans.
Can possibly accept pets
Well-trained dogs are accepted
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
