Community building in an eco-village
Pospolitost pre harmonicky zivot
Pliesovce, Slovakia
Description
During five or six months in Eco-village Zaježová, volunteers can learn a lot of useful things about life outside the city, in modest conditions and in an atmosphere of the joys and worries of community. They will collaborate on the preparation and running of social events, such as fairs, concerts, craft workshops, various cultural and sports events, etc. They will participate in activities with children, youth, adults and seniors. You can take part in the running of several meaningful projects in Zaježová: food cooperative, community cafe, school, kindergarten, landscape cleaning... They will learn about gardening, care of sheep and chickens and construction and they will also experience what it means to take care of a house, a yard and the technical background of life in the countryside. Cooperation with Sekier, our Eco-community farm, will also be part of a volunteer's stay.
Accommodation, food and transport arrangements
Volunteers stay in the house called Kocka, which is located in the center of Zajezova. The house has shared rooms for the volunteers and all the things you might expect of a modest house. Oftentimes, they will share the main meal of the day with members of the local community, but this is not every day. There is a garden at Kocka that can supply the volunteers with much of the vegetables that they eat, as well as the option to get local food from members of the community. Outside of the season, much of the food will come from the shop or the food cooperative.
Training during the activity
We can teach a wide variety of skills to volunteers at Kocka. There are many people in our community who are skilled in arts and crafts and willing to teach. You can learn much about gardening, permaculture and animal care, both at Kocka itself and in the wider area. There are also good skills to be learnt concerning the organising of community events and activities. Through involvement in our running projects you will get to see what it takes to organise these and we can offer you the freedom and means to take your own initiative to organise your own projects as well.
Participant profile
We are looking for volunteers who are interested in sustainable community life. The living conditions are simple, but you will live close to the nature and will be able to connect to year-cycle of the seasons in central Europe. You will become part of a organic group of people and families that are living in this valley permanently and you will be able to find strong and full relationships. We are looking for people that are pragmatic and that want to do things with their hands, learn how to use hand tools and develop their craftsmanship for their life. Experience is not required, but willingness to try new things and to learn is. We can offer a good amount of freedom for you to choose which topics interest you.
Activity dates
A total of 26 week(s) during the period 01/02/2026 to 30/11/2026
Activity location
Zajezova 132, Pliesovce, Slovakia
Activity type
Individual volunteering
Looking for participants from
Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine
Activity topics
Environment and natural protection
Education and training
Nutrition and subsistence agriculture
Deadline for applications
No application deadline
Project code
2025-1-SK02-ESC51-VTJ-000347522