Three Weeks, One Team, and a Very Hot Summer
- Reflections from Our Three-Week Eco-Construction & Agroecology Camp
What happens when a group of young people from different places comes together for three weeks to live, learn and work on a farm? Well, in our case: a lot of gardening, building, cooking, laughing, swimming, problem-solving and trying to survive temperatures close to 40°C.
At the Eco-Construction & Agroecology Camp, we started out with a plan. There were different teams, activities and a carefully designed schedule. But very quickly, the camp reminded us of an important lesson: plans are useful, but reality always has its own ideas.
So, we adapted.
We started working earlier, took longer breaks and sometimes simply decided that swimming or resting was the best possible activity for the afternoon. Meanwhile, the group got surprisingly good at organising itself. Participants moved between gardening, eco-construction and the everyday tasks that keep a community running—from preparing meals to taking care of shared spaces.
More Than Just Getting Your Hands Dirty
There was plenty to learn along the way: how to grow food, work with natural materials, use tools, cook collectively and live more sustainably. But some of the biggest lessons came from simply living together.
The team became more independent, creative and connected as the days went by. People organised their own activities, turned unexpected spaces into a cinema, went swimming, explored the area and spent hours talking, playing cards or just hanging out together.
For us as organisers, one of the most exciting things was watching this happen. We came with activities and ideas—but the participants also shaped the camp themselves. Sometimes that meant letting go of parts of the original plan and trusting the group to find its own rhythm.
Living Together Is Part of the Adventure
Of course, it wasn't always easy. The heat was intense, work could be challenging, and living together with a big group always comes with surprises. But that's also part of the experience.
You don't just learn about agroecology or eco-construction. You learn how to adapt, take responsibility, work with others and make things happen together.
And honestly? Some of the best moments were the ones we couldn't have planned.
So, if you're thinking about joining a programme like this in the future, expect to learn new skills—but also expect the unexpected. You might build something with your hands, discover ideas you've never encountered before, make friends from different countries and find yourself having a late-night conversation in a place you didn't even know existed a few weeks earlier.
That's what made these three weeks special for us.
