Field Notes
Group volunteering opportunity
Date: 5-25 August 2026
- Arrival on the 4th of August
- Departure on the 26th of August
Location: Kerkakutas, Hungary
Organiser: Szatyor Association in cooperation with Habitat HUB
The Activities
Throughout the project, participants will join smaller working groups built around an everchanging ‘task cloud’ created by the team of Habitat Hub. A collection of real development projects - open questions and unfinished ideas connected to the land, infrastructure and social systems of the space.
Groups may explore topics such as:
- permaculture within a market garden
- water, energy and low-tech living systems
- building with recycled and natural materials
- storytelling, mapping and creative documentation
- collective organization and decision-making
- social rituals, culture and everyday cooperation
- experiments in resilience, adaptation and rural futures
The projects emerge from real situations, real limitations and real possibilities inside Habitat Hub and the village of Kerkakutas.
The venue
Manas Garden is located in the peaceful countryside of Lengyeltóti, Hungary. The former holiday complex from the 1960s, along with its surrounding fields and forests, stood abandoned for nearly a decade.
Today, this landscape is home to a permaculture-based community and the Manas Festival, welcoming travellers from around the world for alternative education, artistic creation and community-driven experiences.
Arrangements
We will provide 4-6 person tents within the volunteer village, but please bring your own sleeping bag!
The facilities will be simple, we will use outdoor showers and compost toilets.
As for your meals, cooking will be a vital, communal act we all share. Every day, we'll take turns in the kitchen, to create wholesome vegetarian dishes that reflect our commitment to local quality ingredients and mutual care.
About You
We are looking for 15 motivated individuals aged 18–30 who are legal residents of the European Union.
This project is for people who want to build, experiment and create together. If large-scale art and collaborative making excite you, this is the right place for you.
No prior experience in construction, art or permaculture is required. What matters is openness, motivation and a willingness to engage.
Living and working at Manas means participating actively in community life — through shared responsibilities, reflection sessions and open dialogue.
If you’re ready to spend three weeks building a monumental Art Installation while growing alongside others, this project is for you.
Community Building
Your experience at Manas goes beyond daily tasks. Over three weeks of shared living, you will build connections with each other and with the natural environment around you.
Community life includes:
- Cooking and eating together
- Shared responsibilities and maintaining common spaces
- Group reflections and community activities
These moments of collaboration and openness form the foundation of the Manas experience.
Practicalities
- Pocket money: You will receive 7 EUR/day as pocket money to cover daily expenses.
- Travel reimbursement: Your travel costs will be reimbursed by Szatyor Association according to the distance between your home and Etyek (up to 309 EUR, 417 EUR if choosing green travel options).
- Green travel options: To minimize the project’s carbon footprint, we invite all of you to opt for green travel options such as buses or trains, making the journey to Etyek as eco-friendly as possible. When you opt to do so, the reimbursements are more flexible.
- Hungary is part of the Schengen area, easy to enter for EU citizens with a passport or an ID. We can host only European residents in this event.
- Accommodation: full board in the community house in shared rooms, indoor warm showers and toilets. Washing machine is available.
- Bank account: You must have a European bank account with an IBAN number to allow Szatyor Association to reimburse your travel costs and pay your pocket money.
- Health insurance: Please make sure to have your valid EU Health Insurance (EHIC) card with you. Volunteers are also insured through the ESC’s Henner insurance scheme.
- Currency: The local currency is Hungarian Forint (HUF), with 1 Euro being approximately 400 HUF.
- Youthpass certificate provided
What to bring
- EU Blue social security card (EHIC)
- comfortable, clothes/shoes that you do not mind if they get dirty in the garden, while working with mud or doing creative work. Best to bring sturdy boots that are safe for work on a construction.
- sleeping bag
- raincoat
- hat, sunscreen
- your own water bottle
- mosquito and tick repellents
- toiletry items
- towels
- preferably natural soaps and shower gels
- special medication, if you need them
- personal documents
- musical instrument (optional)
About Us
The Mythos Project takes place at Manas Garden within the Kéktó community in Hungary. Our aim is to create a safe, inclusive and inspiring environment for participants from diverse backgrounds.
The Manas team coordinates the project, while the Art Director of Manas Festival leads the artistic workshops guiding the collective creation of the Art installation. Participants also collaborate with the local permaculture community, gaining hands-on experience in sustainable land practices and rural life.
Throughout the three weeks, workshops and practical sessions combine large-scale art-making, craftsmanship and community-based learning.
Szatyor Association is a community-focused association dedicated to sustainability and nature connection. We provide information, inspiration, and learning opportunities for both young people and adults through non-formal education, trainings, and participatory events. Our mission is to provide hope, tools, and space for individuals and communities to live their lives in an environmentally conscious, authentic, free, and collaborative way.
