From April 15th to 26th, the Fundació Catalunya Voluntària is hosting the practical training experience ‘Volunteers in the Forest’ in Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona). The experience will be led by a group of 12 students, accompanied by two teachers from a vocational school specializing in forestry and carpentry in the small town of Batak, located in the mountainous region of Pazardzhik province, Bulgaria.
The group of students, teenagers, will enjoy a program full of outdoor activities in the Ortoll forest and other locations in the city, such as the beach and an urban garden on the outskirts. This program is organized in collaboration with various local organizations and groups, including a secondary school.
The activity aims to introduce the group to new, voluntary, and educational activities focused on caring for the natural environment, which they can then replicate in their own country to protect it. This discovery will also allow them to practice a range of skills and attitudes that are key to their studies, such as digital and leadership skills, environmental resilience, and ecological or “green” thinking.
The group, staying at Camping Vilanova Park this time, will practice English, Catalan, and Spanish through exchanges with other young people and adults. As with other activities, they will have the opportunity to exchange viewpoints with educators, trainers, artisans, and activists from various professional sectors who share a commitment to nature.
The group will interact with volunteers from the ‘Defensem l’Ortoll’ platform and help with the conservation, restoration, and improvement tasks they carry out weekly in the forest. They will also meet students of their own age, among other activities designed for fun and collaborative learning, and to perceive nature as a privileged source of learning as well.
Over 10 days, the group will explore various parts of the city, visit Barcelona and Sitges, and enjoy the special cultural and popular festival of Saint George’s Day.
As with other activities involving students from vocational training centers, schools, and institutes, we will propose activities that utilize the exchange of experiences, communication, and interaction among people with diverse backgrounds and experiences as the raw material for creating a unique learning experience, enriched by the combined experiences, actions, and reflections of each student.
This activity is a learning mobility program supported by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ program, resulting from a collaboration agreement with the center and the NGO ‘Centre of European Initiatives Stara Zagora,’ an organization with which FCV has collaborated for over five years.
For more information about this activity, please send an email to projectes@catalunyavoluntaria.cat