Support the creation of an artistic and community project close to the sea on Lesvos, Greece

Detalles

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  Descripción

  I am Sonja, originally from Austria and now spending much of my time on the island of Lesvos in Greece. 🏝️ My vision and passion is to create a place where local and international people, animals, plants, creativity, learning, and community life can come together—and where we live with nature rather than against it. 🏡 At the moment, I am the private owner of the house, the land, and the horses, and I personally host volunteers. 🌱 Together with a group of friends, we are exploring the future creation of a Greek Social Cooperative. However, this intended non-profit, socially inclusive cooperative has not yet been established. ❗ All volunteer activities currently take place within a private, non-profit community project hosted by me personally. Volunteers do not support commercial hospitality activities, serve paying guests, or replace paid staff. 🤝 The name comes from the Ancient Greek word philia, describing a deep form of friendship based on care, trust, responsibility, hospitality, and mutual support. These values guide how we seek to relate to people, animals, plants, and the land. Currently myself and Stratos (Efstratios) are the most active members, with Venetia and Annabel contributing too.🇬🇷 WHY LESVOS?
  
  Lesvos is a beautiful island with a rich agricultural, cultural, and ecological heritage. Like many rural regions, it also faces social, economic, and environmental challenges.
  After the arrival of large numbers of refugees during the Syrian war and subsequent years, the island experienced significant social, economic, and political pressures. The effects are still visible today and have shaped the lives of both refugees and local communities.
  I care deeply about the people, animals, landscapes, and communities around me and hope to become genuinely rooted here.
  
  My vision is to help create a place where people can exchange ideas, learn practical skills, care for animals and land, share meals, co-create art, and build meaningful relationships across cultures and generations—which I believe is one foundation for peace.
  Right now, our focus is on caring for the property, improving infrastructure, developing gardens, looking after the horses, and building the foundations for future educational, artistic, ecological, and community activities.
  
  Fili, our lead mare, is one of my most important teachers. She knows how to set boundaries, guide younger horses, calm those who are anxious, and find the best fig trees and shady places.
  
  In 2025, I bought the house you see in the pictures, surrounded by olive groves. Together with friends, neighbours, volunteers, and our horses, we are gradually transforming it into a place where people can learn, create, work, and grow together responsibly. As a documentary filmmaker, I am also documenting this transformation and the stories that emerge along the way.

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  Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  Proyectos artísticos

  Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos

  Jardinería básica

  Proyectos creativos DIY «hazlo tú mismo»

  Cuidado de animales

  Ayuda en una granja

  Cocinar para toda la familia

  Ayuda doméstica

  Mantenimiento básico

  Ayuda informática
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  Intereses

  

  Agricultura

  

  Autodesarrollo

  

  Películas y televisión

  

  Mascotas

  

  Sostenibilidad

  

  Vegetariano o vegano

  

  Videografía

  

  Política / justicia social

  

  Cultura

  

  Cuidado de plantas

  

  Historia

  

  Escritura

  

  Fotografía

  

  Jardinería

  

  Cocina y alimentación

  

  Arte y diseño

  

  Arquitectura

  

  Animales

  

  Ciclismo

  

  Yoga / bienestar

  

  Acampada

  

  Playa
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  Objetivos de sostenibilidad de las NU que intenta conseguir este anfitrión

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  ¿Que es esto?
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  Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  We do not see volunteers simply as helpers, but as temporary members of our community. We hope that some of the connections made here continue long after the volunteering experience has ended. Look at our instagram with Vlogs and POVs of previous volunteers.
  
  Depending on your interests and the time available, we may introduce you to friends, neighbours, local initiatives, farmers, artists, craftspeople, and family members. But this depends on our and their schedules, energy and availability and cannot be demanded from the host.
  
  Whenever possible, we enjoy sharing rides, attending local events together, and introducing volunteers to some of our favourite places on the island. When we cannot join, we are happy to suggest places to visit and explain how to get there by bus, bicycle, or car.
  
  Those interested in horses are welcome to learn from Fili, our lead mare, who inspired many of the ideas behind this place. We follow principles inspired by Chi Horsing and see horses not as objects for human use, but as community members, teachers, and partners with their own needs, preferences, and ways of communicating. Any direct interaction with the horses needs to be authorised by Sonja and can only happen after a thorough introduction - this for reasons of safety, politeness and respect.
  
  After receiving your message and the filled out google form, we will send you our Community Handbook and Guidelines, so that both you and we can decide whether our values, expectations, and ways of living are a good match.

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  Ayuda

  At the moment, our main focus is preparing the house, gardens, and surrounding land for future community use while caring for our small herd consisting of the mares Fili and Amba and the rescued gelding Coffee. Only Sonja is living on the farm, but also leaves the place occasionally for work in Switzerland. The other future cooperative members work in different jobs and can only occasionally visit or participate in activities.
  
  Please note: volunteers are not involved in serving paying guests or supporting commercial hospitality activities.
  The exact tasks vary depending on the season, weather, ongoing projects, and your interests and skills. We welcome practical people, creative minds, nature lovers, horse enthusiasts, makers, artists, and people who simply enjoy contributing to a shared project.
  
  If you have artistic, creative, practical, technical, ecological, educational, or other special skills, please let us know. We welcome contributions that leave a positive mark on the place. Artistic projects may be counted as volunteering hours if agreed in advance.
  
  Typical Activities
  🌱 Gardening, planting, and caring for the land
  🐴 Supporting horse care and stable management
  🛠️ Maintenance, repairs, building, and improvement projects
  🎨 Creative, artistic, and upcycling projects
  🏡 Caring for and developing the house and shared spaces
  🌳 Seasonal work such as olive harvesting
  📦 Organising materials, tools, and project spaces
  
  Community Life
  🍲 Everyone participates in shared household life, including cooking, cleaning, shopping, and keeping common spaces pleasant and functional.
  🤝 We live together and share responsibilities. We try to create a culture of initiative, cooperation, learning, and mutual support.
  
  Current Priorities
  ☀️ Summer
  Improving and maintaining the house and outdoor spaces
  Preparing infrastructure for future activities
  repainting windows and furniture
  interior decorations
  Horse care and land management
  
  🍂 Autumn
  Tree and plant planting
  Water harvesting, biodiversity, and ecological improvement projects
  Fencing, gardening, and seasonal maintenance
  Preparing the land and horse facilities for winter
  
  Winter:
  Olive harvest and olive oil production for our own use
  Intensive horsecare because paddocks are closed (manure management and feeding)

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  Idiomas hablados

  Alemán: Fluido
  Inglés: Fluido
  Greek: Principiante

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  Alojamiento

  3 bedrooms with proper beds, mattresses, bedding, blankets, and storage space.
  
  Depending on the number of volunteers, rooms are usually shared by 2 - 3 same gender people.
  
  Single rooms are rarely possible and can never be guaranteed for the whole stay.
  
  Alternative accommodation may be available in our vintage yellow VW van.
  
  Camping on the field is also possible for those who enjoy outdoor living.
  In order to finance the house and the costs 1-2 rooms might be rented out as Airbnb. While volunteers are not involved in serving paying guests they are asked to respect their stay and keep everything especially tidy and clean if paying guests are hosted.
  
  🍲 Food & Community Living
  
  We do a larger grocery shop approximately once per week.
  We provide a community food budget for preparing healthy vegetarian meals together.will show you where to buy local vegetables, eggs, bread, olive oil, and other products directly from local producers whenever possible - and you buy them from the household money for the group.
  
  Cooking, shopping, and kitchen care are shared responsibilities and part of community life. Volunteers AND hosts take turns in cooking, doing dishes etc.
  
  Alcoholic beverages, fast food, restaurant meals, snacks, and personal food or drinks consumed outside the project are not included.
  
  Creative & Practical Facilities
  
  Large garage space with tools
  Professional sewing machine, fabrics and accessoires
  Tools and equipment for practical projects
  Space and materials for creative, artistic, and upcycling activities (if agreed)
  
  Remote Work & Connectivity
  
  Usually reliable Wi-Fi throughout the house
  Suitable for people who need to spend a few hours per week working remotely, studying, attending online meetings, or managing personal projects, but not for digital nomads with regular daily working hours. We cannot guarantee private spaces for these purposes.
  
  Exploring Lesvos
  
  Reliable drivers may be offered access to one of our 2 manual cars (when available, work and household are priority).
  An e-bike may also be available for local trips and leisure activities to reliable riders
  We encourage volunteers to explore the island, its villages, beaches, landscapes, food, and culture during their free time.

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  Algo más...

  Check out our instagram for get a feeling of how it is to volunteer with us:
  
  Please fill out our form to get better understanding. Links can't be included in profiles so please ask me for the link to the form.
  
  Free Time & Exploring Lesvos
  
  Several beaches can be reached on foot, while others are around 20 minutes away by bicycle, e-bike, or car.
  Skala Loutron has two taverns, the next village LOUTRA is 20 min walk and has 2 minimarkets, a few Coffeeshops, a bakery, a butcher, a hairdresser and a pharmacy.
  
  Regular buses connect our village to Mytilene, the island's capital, which can be reached in approximately 20 minutes. The last bus is around 5 pm and there is no busses on sunday.
  
  The area offers many opportunities for walking, hiking, birdwatching, swimming, and exploring nature.
  
  A natural hot spring spa is located 20 minutes by car.
  >> On your free afternoons and days, you can explore Lesvos' beautiful beaches, mountain villages, forests, wetlands, archaeological sites, museums, tavernas, and cultural events.
  
  Experienced horse people may, at Sonja's discretion and depending on the horses, join horse walks, groundwork sessions, or very occasionally rides. Horse welfare and safety always come first, and riding opportunities are never guaranteed.

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  Un poco más de información

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    Acceso a Internet

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    Acceso a Internet limitado

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    Tenemos animales

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    Somos fumadores

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    Puede alojar familias

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  Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas

  We have a one acre field so there would be space for a campervan and inside and outside facilities can be used, water outside, trees provide shade.

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  Podría aceptar mascotas

  please consult us, because of sheep in the neighbourhood we think only small dogs or very well trained dogs might be brought.

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  ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

  Más de dos

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  Mis animales / mascotas

  

  Fili, Amba, Coffee

  Fili has her little herd on our farm: She is a 13 year old leadmare, and Amba, 6 year old mare loves her more than anything. Coffee found a shelter with the girls, he lived abandoned before on a close by beach..

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