Live for 1 month in a rural area of Piedmont, Northern Italy, focusing on sustainability and co-create your dream community with 15 more volunteers from around Europe
Put your hands, your mind, your creativity and any other skills you might have into the enhancement of the area, creation of the nurturing community, outreaching locals around and beyond, and digitalizing the project outcomes
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
JOIN THE
PROJECT
ABOUT EYES WIDE OPEN
Eyes Wide Open Volunteering Teams is a dual project focused on promoting a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle through a re-connection with the natural environment
50% of the project is focusing on 4 pillars supporting New Wellness Education and Municipality of Bergolo and their activities
50% of the project is focusing on creating a nurturing eco- community consisting of the volunteering teams' participants
THE PILLARS OF THE PROJECT
PILLAR 1
Maintain & Upgrade
Maintaining and upgrading are all about hands-on actions and activities focusing on the improvement of the place.
Among such tasks will be working in our permacultural garden, building a Geodesic Dome that will become a new training room and other initiatives for improving the sustainability factors of the place
PILLAR 2
Outreach the Local Community
One of the parts of the project is to reach out and connect with the local community and the local initiatives of the surrounding area.
We aim to build strong partnerships and plan common activities in general and during this project. Participants will be involved in planning and organizing Eco-Festival in Alta Langa with a main focus on sustainability, traditional ecological knowledge and music.
PILLAR 3
Leave Your Own Mark
We encourage volunteers alone or in groups to leave their mark in Bergolo. It can be really anything as far as it is in line with the vision of the project and you get the green light from a supervisor: a piece of furniture made of used pallets, a piece of art from repurposed materials, a video, a future project, a tree that you planted, a strong partnership with another local or an international initiative, a recipe book, a new NGO, or anything your inspiration suggests to you
PILLAR 4
Digitalization of Heritage
One of the focuses is a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle through a re-connection with the natural surroundings so, one week of volunteering will be dedicated to disconnection from technology in order to enhance awareness for a more conscious use of such. Participants should be ready to stay one week without devices fully immersed in nature. On the other hand, balancing the experience of technology usage, volunteers will be involved in the revitalization of Bergolo through the digitalization of the project's impact on the local area, its natural and cultural heritage.
CREATING A NURTURING COMMUNITY
Living together for one month with a small number of people will give us a great chance to build a small society based on care & common agreements. On a weekly basis, there will be common meetings where we will be focusing on building a healthy community through various reflection, movement, and nature-based activities.
Besides, the community will be sharing also practical living tasks like daily cooking, cleaning, shopping, managing social media, watering plants, improving living space, etc
PARTICIPANTS' PROFILE
We are offering this opportunity to 15 participants to ensure the intercultural dimension of the project
There are several requirements from the programme itself and a profile that we would like to focus on
-
18-30 years old (not older than 31 on the 1st of July 2023)
-
Legal residents of one of the Erasmus+ programme countries with no visa needed to enter Italy
-
Ready to live in a rural environment with basic conditions for 4 weeks
-
Eager to be challenged into aligning together with people from different cultures and making together a nurturing and well-functioning community
-
Enthusiastic with hands-on activities and practical tasks like farming, building, cooking, cleaning etc
-
Eager to take initiative and create opportunities for themselves and society
-
People with a clear plan and vision regarding their participation in the project and beyond
-
Extreme priority will be given to those that are facing or faced any kind of difficulties in life
Special Skills
We are also looking for a couple of volunteers with media skills such as photography and filmmaking for documenting this whole experience for everyone but also support our activities, digital marketing and promotions
ABOUT THE VENUE
Bergolo is a village of 50 inhabitants located on the hills of south Piedmont, in Italy. It has a long tradition of music, art & cultural festivals and is a peaceful destination for nature and outdoor activities lovers.
From the 70’s to 90’s, Bergolo was very well-known for a huge music festival that fascinated a lot of people interested in cultural activities. From 1993, the municipality started to hold an art contest as a way to revitalize the vibe in the village and attract visitors and youth. Now, Bergolo has become an open-air gallery with 68 unique and creative art objects.
The village doesn’t have any shops, but here you can find our lovely bar "Parole Perdute", and welcoming restaurant "'l'Bunet". It is the ideal place for diving in nature and disconnecting from busy city life. Since 2018 village hosts regularly youth exchanges and trainings organized by different youth organizations.
Accommodation is happening in a camping area, equipped with tents for 2 people. There is all needed: mattresses, pillows, and sleeping bags. Next to the tents, we have a covered area with 2 toilets and 2 outdoor showers
There is a bungalow area close by the camping and wooden construction, known as a common area - Grand Shalett, it has an extra toilet and shower in case of urgent need and a place with sockets for charging the devices (there might be limitations in the amount of charging spots, please, be mindful and choose wisely devices to bring with you)
Participants will cook and have meals in the kitchen place 100 m away from the camping area. The kitchen has all the necessary cooking equipment, so volunteers will be in charge of preparing meals all together as a team
There will be a possibility to have outdoor light around the campsite and places to charge your electronic devices. However, there is no possibility of using devices that consume a lot of energy like hair dryers, hair straighteners etc. Laundry can be done with the public washing machine located in the hostel nearby. Keep in mind, that due to ongoing projects, laundry queue might be quite long
This project is aimed to promote vegan/vegetarian approach, and sticks to a no-drugs and no-alcohol policy. We believe that human beings can reach the utmost of their potential without the consumption of substances
There is Wi-Fi in specific areas around the village, though the speed of connection is not the fastest, please keep it in mind. Also, we recommend using your own 4G, if you have this option
TIMELINE
-
Arrival: 1st July
-
Programme starts: 2nd July
-
Programme ends: 30th July
-
Departure: 31st July
You have 4 extra days in total that you can use before or after the project to travel to Italy. If you wish to do so, keep in mind that you need to cover the costs of your accommodation & food. Late arrivals or early departures are not allowed.
PRACTICALS
Pocket money
You will receive 5€/day for your living money
Food money
You will receive a weekly budget for the group in order to cook all together
Reimbursement
Your travel costs will be reimbursed according to the amount shown in the original boarding passes, tickets and invoices
Insurance
Besides the European Health insurance card, you are going to be offered private insurance too
Youthpass
You are entitled to receive a YouthPass certificate where you are expected
to self-assess your own learning
%20(1)_edited.png)
NEW WELLNESS EDUCATION - APS
Was founded in January 2020, and specializes in the education of youth and training of professionals with the main focus on mental and physical well-being, fostering at the same time the recognition and quality of youth work.
Through experiential learning, innovative approach, non-formal education methods and community support, New Wellness Education offers opportunities to raise mental and physical well-being for youth and adults, individuals and institutions, in daily life, while studying and at the workplace.