Volunteers of 2023 in Etyek

Project code: 2022-1-HU01-ESC51-VTJ-000065987

So far we have been 9 volunteers from 5 different countries in the Szatyor volunteering project in Etyek. It is the 5th time that volunteers are hosted in this project. We are here to learn and experiment on sustainable lifestyles. Our actions aim to raise awareness on environmental issues in the village.

Here you can learn more about us and our experiences! 

Budgeting

Budgeting is an important step in achieving financial goals and maintaining control over one’s spending. Whether as a private person, company or government, budgeting is an important skill you need for your life.

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Upcycling in practice

Now that last week we sorted out the over-used bed-sheets, this week’s workshop started off with brainstorming! Deep diving into Pinterest’s endless suggestions, each of us picked an idea to carry out with our chosen sheets. The boys chose the classic linens, from which they sewed a totebag and a big laundry bag. We are also thinking about painting them in one of our workshops to make them even cooler!

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Making Kimchi

The past few months there has been a few workshops on the topic of fermentation here at Szatyor and we have been able to join. However it was always tricky for it to be both in Hungarian and English. 

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Celebration

On December 13th we kept on exploring cooking together but this time in a very celebratory way. Celebrating Santa Lucia together, sharing about holiday foods in our various countries but also celebrating the time spent together.

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Forest Project

As it was written in a previous article in spring, a new chapter started this year when volunteers of Szatyor started the cleaning of four hectares of forest. Since then there hasn’t been a lot going on in this project.

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November: FOOD&WASTE

This month's topic is about food and waste reduction, as they are closely linked. We began with the idea of sharing ideas and strategies for preventing food waste and promoting more sustainable consumption. To facilitate this, we started with a silent brainstorming session and created two mind maps to explore these topics from a broader perspective, fostering more effective ideas.Later, our discussions revealed diverse viewpoints, leading us to decide to watch the documentary "Food Choice." This documentary sheds light on the consequences of our food choices on our health, the environment, and animal rights. It also highlights the long-term impact of our food choices on personal health, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare, emphasizing that our choices have significant consequences.The reduction of food waste is an essential and often overlooked aspect of our increasingly globalized world. It is crucial to educate people about food waste from an early age, starting from kindergarten through to the end of their education. In Turkey, we celebrate "Domestic Goods Week" annually, dedicated to activities that promote food waste prevention and local consumption. My own journey in understanding food waste and conservation began during this week.Given the growing awareness of environmental issues, waste reduction and sustainable food consumption have become more critical than ever. In our personal lives, there are various steps we can take to reduce waste and choose sustainable foods. In this article, I will share my personal experiences with waste reduction and sustainable food choices and provide some tips to help us adopt greener and more sustainable practices in our daily lives. This week we learned how to make "Bee's wrap" a plastic free alternative to help preserve food. Here are some some other examples of things to try:- Reduce Food Waste by being more mindful when shopping and eating.- Purchase Sustainable Food, that is grown locally, in conditions that are respectful of the environment.- Recycle and Compost- Prefer Products with Minimal Packaging

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October: ENERGY

Energy plays an important role in our daily lives. The importance of energy has been demonstrated in recent years, when war and inflation have caused prices to soar and energy shortages to occur. As a result, more and more people looked at how to use energy sustainably and that it is not enough just to switch to renewable energy, you have to reduce your consumption. But how can that be done? What can I do about it? What alternatives are there?

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Hi, my name is Diego, I’m 24 years old and I’m from Italy.

I was looking for a volunteering project about sustainability to raise awareness about climate change to people and as soon as I read about Szatyor Association I thought it would fit me.

Here you have the opportunity to learn how to take care of nature but at the same time we get to know new people and discover different cultures. Traveling and going out of your comfort zone is also a personal growth because you challenge yourself and now I’m really happy to be here. It will be a year which I won’t forget.

Diego

Baran

Hello, I‘m Baran from Istanbul, Turkey. I graduated from university last summer and I wanted to take a break from studies to do something meaningful. I wanted to spend this year volunteering and I came across Szatyor Association. I always wanted to get the opportunity to learn more about sustainability and practice a more sustainable lifestyle. So when I came across this project, I was so excited to be a part of it. My stay here so far has been great. Coming from a big, crowded city like Istanbul, I loved the quietness and the natural beauty of Etyek. Everyone here is so friendly and made it super easy for me to adapt. I already learned so many cool things about sustainable lifestyle. I believe my stay here will be a once in a lifetime experience and I will collect so many happy memories!

Szia! 

I’m Luis, I’m 27 years old and I come from Castelló (Spain).

This year I was looking for something different from my monotonous work until I could start my Master lessons next September, so when I found this project, I thought it could be perfect for me to do this.

I used to work in a summer camp where we focus on showing teenagers that other lifestyles, more natural and cooperative, can be possible, and I think that in Etyek this becomes possible. Furthermore, I want to go out of my comfort zone to grow and discover different cultures.

I’m motivated to learn about permaculture and I will work to discover which things we can create in this lovely place. Thank you Szatyor for giving me this opportunity!

Luis

Noemi

Hello, my name is Noemi, I’m 24 years old and I’m from Italy. Last February, I finished my master studies in socio-environmental sustainability of agro-food networks and I wanted to participate in a volunteer project abroad in line with my interests. So when I came across this project, I realized that this could be the right place to practice a sustainable lifestyle.
I want to support an ecological transition, to create less impactful production processes and to make the world a better place :)
I’m curious to learn more about principles of permaculture and do workshops of self-production. This opportunity would be an important chance to discover new cultures, meet new people and going out of my comfort zone. I am sure I will learn new skills and it will be a great adventure!

Hi! I'm Kata, a Hungarian volunteer at Szatyor Etyek. I graduated last year as a landscape and garden engineer and fell in love with permaculture at the beginning of this year,.which soon became a kind of calling for me. I also really love crafting, building and generally giving things a new life. As this association is a creative space inspired a lot by permaculture principles, when I came across this opportunity, it was no question for me that I have to apply. I am really grateful to be here and can't wait to live, create and learn with the beautiful people here - and maybe with you too!

Kata

Lena

Hello, my name is Lena and I am from Germany. I finished high school in July and wanted to get out of the dreary everyday life in Germany and experience something new. In my home I was often confronted with what I wanted to study and this pressure was not good for me. So I was looking for a place where I could find myself and experiment with what I like and what I want from my future. I have found that place here, here I have the opportunity to try out new things and get out of my comfort zone.
It was a hard step to leave my family and friends behind and travel alone to a foreign country, but I learned that sometimes you just shouldn't think so much and just dare to do something. On my journey so far in the Hungarian adventure, I have met many wonderful new people and had unforgettable moments that I never expected and would not want to miss

Hello, I'm Talha from Adana, Turkey. I recently graduated from university as a psychologist and decided to be part of a project about sustainability and permaculture oriented lifestyle. I wanted to dedicate this year to volunteering and came across the Szatyor Association. I've always been interested in learning more about sustainability and adopting a more eco-friendly lifestyle. When I discovered this project, I was thrilled to be a part of it. My time here in Etyek has been extremely enjoyable. I come from Bolu, which is known for its nature and natural life. I want to apply the knowledge and experience I gained here in my own city.  The local community has been incredibly welcoming, making it easy for me to adapt. I've already gained valuable insights into sustainable living, and I believe this experience will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity filled with cherished memories!

Talha

Felix

My name is Felix, and I am a German volunteer since October 2023. This year I finished high school, and so I wanted to give myself more time to think about my future goals in life. I am familiar with gardening, but never thought much about permaculture.

So I wanted to do something with an ecological background which then I can implement in my daily life.

My hopes are that the knowledge of zero waste cooking, permaculture and forest gardening will give me a unique view on things that contribute to a more cautious and sustainable lifestyle.

Why Hungary? In my class were several people from the Balkans. Also, I never went more east than Dresden. So I decided to go to Hungary and learn more about Eastern Europe.

I am not gonna lie. Living abroad on your own is scary and definitely out of my comfort zone, but the friendly and open-minded coordinators and the other volunteers are making the experience less extreme.

I will see what I can experience and what I will learn :)

 

I am Donát Lanszki, 30 years old. I applied to Szatyor because over the past few years, the topic of nutrition and food has become very close to me, and I saw it as an excellent opportunity to spend my ESC volunteer program here, as the organization has significant experience in this field. In addition, during my studies, I had the opportunity to study for a semester in Finland and participate in numerous international programs that fundamentally changed my perspective. I felt it was a bit late for international volunteering abroad, but I definitely wanted to put to use all the experience and knowledge I had acquired over the years and get to know more about the certain topic. Therefore, I aim to assist, support, teach, conduct workshops, and eventually organize camps for the incoming volunteers and local students.

Donát

Ágost

 

 

Hello!

I am Ágost from Budapest. I connected to Szatyor through my twin brother. I am interested in permaculture, fermenting, foraging for mushrooms and making stuff with my own hands. I have tried growing my own food in a flat in Budapest already, and did many fermentation projects before I had my sight on an ESC volunteering project. I feel like the values and norms of the organization coincide with my own values and principles. I hope to learn, and improve and use the knowledge in my future endeavors, while giving something back to the community and groups I am part of.

 

 Volunteers of 2022 in Etyek

Project code: 2021-2-HU01-ESC51-VTJ-000044695

Throughout this year there has been 8 volunteers from 8 different countries in the Szatyor volunteering project in Etyek. It is the 4th time that volunteers are hosted in this project. We are here to learn and experiment on sustainable lifestyles. Our actions aim to share awareness on environmental issues in the village. Here you can learn more about us and our experiences! 

Mulching

On November 2nd and 3rd, we spent half a day at the lake, immersed in nature and in the autumn climate, organizing and shredding mountains of branches collected around the village so that we could use them for mulching and in other sustainable ways instead of burning them or sending them to the land fields wrapped in plastic. In this way it is possible to avoid the dispersion of toxic substances into the environment.I personally found it an interesting experience, it was tiring but pleasant to spend time immersed in nature all together, doing something good for the environment and for the community.

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Natural dyes workshop

Hey, there! Another month, another set of workshops and this time we had the chance to have a natural dyes workshop that was by far my favorite (maybe because I didn't have the stress and responsibility to create it eheh). I spent a lot of years following and being mesmerized by content creators that were using plants and the most interesting flora to dye their clothes but I never had the motivation to try it out for myself - it's one of those things that I have the theory but not the practice, so when I discovered that Kriszti, directly from Etyek, would share her skills with us, I was super happy :)We collected onion peels during two weeks, since it was going to be the basis to dye our things, and it's a beautiful way to not create food waste. It is better to try this method with natural fabrics such as cotton (or even cotton blend), linen and hemp, but I tried with polyester and the result was interesting, so my advice is to always try, you never know what is going to be result and you have nothing to lose! We started to immerse our szatyors (cotton reusable bags) in this mix of water, rust and a bit of vinegar, which apparently helps to maintain the color and also with the eco printing of natural elements, and proceeded to create our ensemble of flora that we wanted to have on our szatyor! It was a beautiful process and I was so fascinated to know that there were a lot of plants in our garden and in the neighborhood that were perfect for eco printing! When finished, you have to roll really tight your bag around this wooden stick so it would fit in the pot that was already boiling with the onion peels. You have to leave it for 30 to 45min boiling to get the results!The last process is to let it dry, wash it with natural soap and only then you can wash it normally in the washing machine.I really enjoyed the workshop and we got so excited that we spent the following 2 hours dyeing everything possible and imaginable with things from our garden!

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Introduction to permaculture

Last friday we hosted a workshop on the basics of permaculture. Fi facilitated the first part of the workshop where she presented us the definition of permaculture and the 3 pillars the principles of permaculture are based on: Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share, before digging into the principles. After going over the principles, we got some definitions that we had to match with the right principle and we were asked to think about examples that could relate to them. 

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Natural Cosmetics Workshop

Hey there! September marks the month of the first natural cosmetics workshop and I had the pleasure to share some of the knowledge regarding this topic with the community and the volunteers. It has been a long time since I had the chance to teach how to make our own products and after a few reflection we have decided together that the chosen cosmetics were: cream deodorant, body lotion and fragrances. 

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Intercultural nights: SPAIN & PORTUGAL

Another month, another international night! This week we went to the Iberian Peninsula and had the pleasure to know more about the Portuguese and Spanish culture brought to us by our volunteers. This time, the event started at 18h30, and, we had the chance to try 3 different dishes from each country. We started with the portuguese pataniscas and cogumelos à bulhão de pato (mushrooms with a lot of spices and flavour, normally made with white wine, but we offered a wine free option as well) and the spanish tortilla de patata, well-known internationally for its flavour and creamy texture. The desserts offered were bica gallega and pastel de nata pie, which showed perfectly the Iberian culture. As for the drinks, we had alcohol free sangría and normal sangría. We tried to do something different from the normal flags displayed and offered an interactive museum where you could find the maps of both countries, a list of the best places to visit, as well as some curiosities and folk tales about the different regions. Additionally, we offered the chance for people to know more about the countries and did a trivia night, with around 60 questions, with different levels of difficulty, to challenge the participants and the people from to the community about their knowledge and offer the chance to explain the questions that they didn't know. As for the rest of the games, we played the patata caliente, or hot potato game, whilst listening to a spanish-portuguese playlist, followed by the three in-a-row game.

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Gyüttment Festival

Last week I went to Nyim to help the volunteers there prepare for the Gyüttment Festival (or Movers Festival). Nyim is an eco-community part of the South Eastern European Ecovillage Network, that’s why the community members decided to create a stage at the festival that would present the network and encourage other communities to join and expand their collaborations outside of Hungary. 

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Intercultural nights: GERMANY & AZERBAIJAN

As you could see on our social media pages, we had our international cultural night last Friday. It was a very interesting combination of countries, since we were presenting Azerbaijan and Germany together. The start of the evening was, as often, the food. You can see our selection of delicacies in the pictures. Especially, the Azerbaijan kitchen has an emphasize on meat which made it hard to find something to present to our guests, but even that worked out in the end and was really tasty!Following up to this, we played a game called „der große Preis” in Germany, where you have different categories with different difficulty levels. Two teams are playing against each other and try to gain more points by answering questions.After this, we tasted the promised Azerbaijan wine and Aysel and Orxan showed us how they dance at celebrations in their home country.Personally, I really enjoyed the game, since everyone learned something new and it was interesting and educating at the same time. I am looking forward to get to know the other countries too.

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Plastic awareness

Last Wednesday, Szatyor organized an event on awareness of plastic pollution. Me, Fi, and Paula went to a pharmaceutical company where three thousand people work.

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Making tiles

Last week we started making some tiles that will be used in the bathroom area of our yoga room. So that our guests when we host events can enjoy some beautiful handmade tiles. 

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Fi

Hi, everyone! My name is Fi, I am 24 years old and I come from a small city in the north of Portugal. Since I was 19, I have been engaged with Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion in my country and I had the pleasure to be a delegate in COP26 this past year, in Glasgow, where I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the climate negatiations and community building.

I found my love for permaculture last year, since I started engaging with the topic of agroecology and ecofeminism and I have participated in several youth exchanges and training courses about said topics, being one of them in Etyek! I immediately fell in love with the place and knew right away that I had to volunteer here. But, before that, I had the opportunity to be a volunteer in Bulgaria for two months where I learned even more practical stuff about permaculture. I am super excited to be here and share my knowledge about mushrooms, analog photography, natural cosmetics and community building :)

Hello! I am Haitam, and I'm from Morocco. In 2020, I chose Hungary as the next destination to pursue my higher studies. The pandemic made university life for me more stressful and challenging. Therefore, I was always thinking about taking some time off to try something new and different. Luckily, after graduation, I quickly found that answer within Szatyor's borders.

When I was young, I recall that my father would take us as a family to visit my grandparents every summer in their village farmhouse. I still vividly remember how relaxing and enjoyable that experience was, surrounded by nature and simplicity. When I saw the Etyek project, I realized that it could be an opportunity for me to relive that experience again.
What grabbed my attention about Szatyor is how people here are welcoming and friendly, from the coordinators to the volunteering, everyone is willing to help and team up to create something meaningful. As someone who is unfamiliar with gardening and environmental things, this made me more comfortable and optimistic about my stay here. So far, I am enjoying my time in Szatyor and looking forward to more cheerful vibes in the future.

Haitam 

Orxan

Hello, I am Orxan from Azerbaijan. I have always lived in the big city during my life, hereby I have never experienced the country lifestyle. During the last few years, stressful and rushing city life made me overwhelmed and anxious, so I began to be interested in living within nature and finding peaceful and humble life, so I decided to join this project. It is an absolutely new experience for me because living in the village and learning about eco-friendly life are completely new pages in my life. Moreover, getting away from my comfort zone, traveling and living abroad, meeting with new people from different cultures, and learning about the European lifestyle and traditions are quite exciting for me. Hence, I believe that this volunteering adventure will help me to go beyond my limits and improve myself in different ways. Love and Peace!

Hi my name is Milan and I came from Hungary. I want a little bit break from my university studies and join to a whole new experience. Previously I was working for a multinational company, but as a curious young mand I wanted to build new experiences a friendships. I am very happy to be the part of Szatyor because since 2020 I am enjoy to experiencing enviromental friendly lifestyle. In my free time I love to write my own book and poems. Also i enjoy sports like Cardio exercises, running and swimming. It is a pleasure beacuse eating is one of my weaknesses and I enjoy every kind of sweets:)

Milán 

Alesia 

Hi! I’m Alesia, 30, from Ukraine. I studied English language and world literature, but worked as a artisan in different factories and workshops.

I was always supported by my family and i thus learned that you can achieve much more in a more effective way if you share knowledge with others and build communities wherever you go. There's war in my country so I see now very clearly how volunteering literally saves lives.

For last 5 years i got immersed into environmental issues related activities such as gardening, composting, textile recycling and waste sorting. I used to share my experience with others, trying to inspire people and organise activities in my hometown, but at some point i felt stuck because of a lack of certain managerial skills and thus motivation to keep going. At some point I moved to Kyiv to built my life from scratch and spent two pandemic years in a crazy survival mode till the moment the war started. And even then i still could grow plants on a balcony of a rented room or make a compost in a container or sort out waste in a bombshelter.

Finally i learned about Szatyor and decided to participate in it because it fits my temper and skills so well. I already spent a week, full of absolute happiness, with my new friends, learning about their cultures, doing household things, planning future activities, waiting for the planting season. My experience is 100% satisfying right now and i hope in the end of this programm i would learn maximum about how to built sustainable community and contribute in a better future for everyone.

Hi! I am Mathilde from France. I have taken a break in my studies to get involved in more meaningful projects and in the past few years I have gotten more and more interested in environmental issues. I have always been very curious especially when it comes to discovering different cultures and languages so I have travelled around Europe and lived in Iceland for some years. I think that travelling and living abroad has helped me take a step back and realize that the simple lifestyle I had growing up in the french countryside was pretty sustainable. So I am going back to the roots and trying to learn new things as well in order to reduce my impact on the environment. You will most often see me knitting, drawing, baking or doing any other kind of creative activity. I also love the outdoors and am always ready to go on a hike or a camping trip!  

I am very excited to start this new adventure and to learn about the local community and Hungarian culture!

Mathilde 

Enrico 

Hi everyone! My name is Enrico, I'm from Italy and I'm 20 years old. I love cooking (like a classic Italian person) , playing basketball (I played in Italy) and traveling.

I chose this project because I wanted to discover new things and because I love to  work with nature. Make a smile and be happy!

My name is Gàbor, I am 20 years old.  I live in Switzerland, in the Italian part. I’m a gardener and I love the nature. I don’t like people who are always stressed. Chill life is my mood.

I like this project, it is cool to see new places, new country and work with Hungarian people.

I am part of the ICYE Switzerland program.

Gabor 

 Volunteers of 2021 in Etyek

Projektkód: 2020-3-HU01-ESC11-093812

Spain trip

In the beginning of October, we had the opportunity to travel to Spain to gain experience and cooperate with other associations. The Hungarian team was represented by 4 people, including Italy, Germany and Israel.

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CECE project

This small village became part of our lives for more than 5 months. This is a big and challenging project that involves teamwork and fun learning from practice. We tried to learn how to grow up a great deal amount vegetables without any harmful chemicals and one hundred percent naturally. During this challenge, we faced all difficulties but experienced the great power of success when in the summer we had a chance to see the sweet harvest of hard work. This project also taught us to appreciate bio vegetables in the market and don't feel like they are too expensive for just a vegetable. It was the most enjoyable and impressive path that we get through during the year. You can see that in our faces in the photos. :)

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Kids courses

At our place in Etyek we started the English kids courses again. During the pandemic we had to stop the English lessons unfortunately. But for four weeks now, we are practising the courses again. There we try to give children from Etyek the opportunity to learn English, but for that we try to give them more of a light learning. We do not try to teach them like the school, where they already go in the morning. The courses are more like an educational relaxing time, where they can join for learning through drawing, playing and speaking or singing the English language.

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Birdhouse Workshop

Birds are a good and important part our environment. A lot of bird kinds are breeding in closed nesting sites, unfortunately natural nesting caves are getting more rare and uncommon. Also because of the coming winter and the coldness it gets more difficult, for the birds, to build a nest on their own. But with closed birdhouses we can support those birds.

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Kids Camp

Every summer a children's camp is organized in Etyek, where in addition to creative and playful tasks, various programs structure the children's days.

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Halloween in Etyek

Our Halloween was great fun, we made a lot of decorations, and the two of us did the halloween makeup workshop for the kids. We really enjoyed it and it seems like the kids and their parents too! 

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Community branch crushing II

As the summer ends and the autumn begins, most of the people trim and prune the trees and shrubs in their garden. From this occurrence their remains a lot of green waste. So to deal with this waste in a environment healthy way, we conducted a mulching tour through Etyek. There we drove to the people, which register before and crushed there green waste into woodchips. The people could decide if they want to keep the mulch to use or if we should take it with us.

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Seeds of tomorrow

We had an amazing “Seeds Of Tomorrow” project, that Etyeki Szatyor has made for young people from different countries as Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. The value of informal learning of how to make sustainable and healthy choices and live a greener life was well shown in this experience.

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I am Elias, I am 19 years old and from Germany.

After my graduation in the summer of 2020 I wanted to make a volunteering year in Germany, but I realised that I needed a change of my surrounding. So I decide to go outside the country. When I found Szatyor I was really fond by the project and its goals. The idea of being in another country, that I know very little about, making my own experiences, while learning about the environment and also doing something for it was very attracting to me.

Also the activities, like for example the bicycle workshop or the work with children sounded very appealing. Back in Germany I worked with kids and trained a group of kids doing athletics.

Also in Germany I went to a Waldorf School where I learned things about gardening which I want to use and expand.

All in all I can say I am really happy to be here, looking forward to explore the Hungarian culture and language, as well as Etyek with its people. I think that with this program we can achieve great things :)

Elias Klinger

Sherif Malek

My name is Sherif Malek, I was born in Sinai, Egypt (the most beautiful place in the world), moved to Cairo (one of the busiest cities) when I was young.

Out of curiosity to know other cultures and people, I decided to continue my studies abroad, so I moved to Hungary in the end of the year 2015 to continue my studies as a computer Engineer.

I was so lucky to choose Hungary and meet very cool people and get introduced to many different aspects of life which I haven't experience before like Hungarian folk parties.

I joined the project to take a break from the fast life and city hustle, take life more simple and work with my hands. I hope to learn from the people around me and maybe make a positive impact even if small.

Hey! I'm Roya. I'm from a small country bordering the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan. I'm a minimalist person who trying to simplify my life as much as I can. I have several hobbies, such as watching movies, writing, photography, editing videos, etc. I admire the natural lifestyle because it gives me endless energy, creativity, flexibility, and motivates me to be a better person.

When I first saw the project "Green Seeds" I realize this is what I was looking for and just stopped looking for others.

Etyek is a cute and peaceful village. I love riding a bike here and enjoy the harmony of lives around me.
Village and natural lifestyle make me appreciate the luxuries of our modern world. It is the right place for learning and putting in my life an ecologically conscious life. Every day I'm learning new things about gardening and how to live sustainably. Here I have a chance to integrate it into my life and the lives around me. I love the idea of bringing people closer to nature and to natural food-producing.
People are forgetting the knowledge and the joy of growing and producing food for their own use. And I would like to bring these back. For me, happiness is a simple lifestyle. And I want to remind the majority of people as much as is possible.

 

Roya Tapdigova

Səma Abdalova

I am Səma, I am 21 years old and from Azerbaijan. As I am finishing university this year, I thought that it can be useful to focus on international projects as ESC. I searched for the meaningful idea behind, ability to be among people from different cultures and inspirational activities which I can use in my future as a contribution to my identity capital. So the reason I choose to be a part of this project is sustainability topics, ecologically conscious lifestyle that really is needed to be experienced.
When I came here, at first it was too much for me to be surrounded by completely new people and a new environment, but it was easy to adapt because they all have the same purpose close to yours and really believe in what they are doing. People here really care about saving the environment and their enthusiasm is inspiring. Etyek itself is a beautiful village, which is not far from Budapest, silent, and kind of modern for a village. I like riding a bike and exploring beautiful parts of it.
I recommend this kind of experience to those who really want to be a part of something meaningful, who wants some change in their life, who is interested in the environment and reducing ecological footprint and of course, meet new people from different cultures and became more sociable.

I am Luca, I am a 27 years old Italian guy. I joined Szatyor as a volunteer because I wanted to learn more about sustainability and moved by the curiosity of lowering my standards of living since in a small village like Etyek there aren't all the commodities that I can find in a city.

One of the activities that caught my interest and that I am enjoying is English class with children, I like dealing with kids and I already did it in the past.

Since now I have met many interesting people that helped me feeling comfortable in a situation that is completely outside of my comfort zone, from the other volunteers that live with me to the persons that collaborate with the organization.

An interesting aspect related to Etyek is that is immerged in nature without being distant from bigger cities such as Biatorbagy and Budapest. I believe it is the perfect for anyone, in the free time you can choose either to go biking in the woods or to grab a beer in one of the characteristic pubs of the capital.

Would I recommend this experience to anyone else? For sure, especially if they are involved in  sustainability topics. 

Luca Nodari

Csenge Molnar

Hey! I'm Csenge, 22 years old. I'm from Eger and a Hungarian volunteer. I live with my bunny, and his name is Zsomi. I came here in April because I want to find myself and peace. I want to be here because I have so many plans, and this place gives me space for it.
My hobbies are make-up, dancing especially hip-hop. I need to learn here so much about gardening because I have not any experience of it. My other goal is to be more open to other people.
I am about a month here, and I love watering plants, participate in Szatyor programs, kids camp, Rapsody. And I love to help the other volunteers to learn Hungarian, and of course, I enjoy learning the Azerbaijan language. This place is very kind to me.

My name is Anna, I’m 30 years old and from Hungary (I actually live 5 minutes from this place). I chose Szatyor because I felt that they were offering something different to me. That’s why I always wanted to try new things, leaving my comfort zone puts me in a vulnerable position but maybe it has a positive impact on my personal growth. I like watching movies and series, I think we can learn many things from them, but I also love reading books, it takes me away or riding a bike is one of the best ways to explore new places in the village. I highly recommend volunteering to anyone, because it will inspire you how to be a better person, learn new skills or you can become a part of a great community.

Anna Himer

Past Volunteers

Volunteers of 2020 in Etyek! -

Project number:2019 -3-HU01-ESC11-077542

 

Our team in Etyek for 2020 consisted  7 volunteers from Croatia, Italy, Romania, Russia, UK and Ukraine. However the COVID-19 pandemic made our life more challenging than usual and we had significantly less opportunities to organize larger events.

However, given these limitations, we still optimised the situation we found ourselves in. Most significantly, we were able to devote a lot more time and effort into realising our permaculture garden project, which was very successful this year in terms of the variety of vegetables we were able to grow and the various installations we created such as a new greenhouse for off-season growing and a chicken coop for our newly arrived feathered friends.

The circumstances also led us to appreciate a slower pace of life in Etyek and developing fewer but deeper relationships with people within the community. 

Have a look what projects we were included or started in our following blog!

Kids courses

Here in Etyek we offer English courses for primary school children. The approach we try to adopt is to have a light learning, we don't aim to overcome school or act like it. Kids already attend school in the morning, in the afternoon, taking part to our lessons, they can join a playful learning through drawing, moving and interacting with the garden and the animals in it. 

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Eco-tamagotchis - our worm compost

Worm or vermicompost sounds weird for most of us, however there are many different variations of how we can host and take care for this mini excavators. They are very delicate and sensitive for any changes in their environment. They need little food - kitchen scraps, like carrots or tomato peels - air, humidity and darkness, if they get all these, they are happy, eating our organic kitchen waste and turn them to super valuable liquid or soil full of everything good for our plant both indoor and outdoor. If they are well maintained (content tamagotchi) they reproduce and you will have more of them. If they are for some reasons not happy, they try to escape from their bin.

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Permaculture - like - garden

When I have heart first the word permaculture, I thought that it is a newly created gardening approach attracting urban young people who have no clue about what gardening is, but they are happy to believe in something deep green, romantic happening in rural areas. 

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Cosmetic workshop

Home made cosmetics are not only free from any unnecessary preservatives, harmful chemicals, but also can be prepared based on our needs and with our favorite fragrances. 

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Bike repair workshop

During the summer we collaborated with the Budapest based organization Cargonomia in creating a workshop where people could come along and learn practical bike repair skills.

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Tony Douglas

My name is Tony and I come from Northern Ireland. I applied for this project when looking for volunteer opportunities which aligned with my values and interest in contributing to an ecologically sustainable future.

There was a bit of a culture shock when I first arrived in March, but that quickly dissipated as everyone here made me feel welcome and valued as a team member.

During my time as a volunteer here so far, I have had the chance to participate in a variety of projects and educational workshops, as well as meeting lots of interesting people who have opened my mind to new ideas and alternative ways of living.

What I like the most about the organization of this program is the flexibility and freedom to pursue your own projects if you have any you would wish to implement. For example, I started a weekly film group where we invite people from the local village community and hold critical discussions on ecological documentaries that we screened. Budapest is only 30 minutes away on the bus which I love as it allows me to go and explore and enjoy the city.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and have discovered many new things. I would recommend this program to any potential future volunteers if eco-sustainability and practical ways to achieve this appeals to you, and have an adventure in Hungary.

Hi, my name is Marina!

I am a 30 year old Croatian girl with a lot of passion for playing with children and doing body-oriented psychotherapy. I love having some quiet time with myself reading books, meditating and going for a walk in nature. If you want to know something new about emotions and our early development as babies, I am your person. Coming here to Etyek was a great experience for me. It allowed me to follow my own rhythm and live at a slower pace of life for a while. Rising early, feeling the cool grass on my feet, having my hands in the soil, watching our garden grow and taking care of our ducks and chickens, as well as building various things have all opened new ways of learning and living for me. I love the community spirit here. Our neighbours are friendly and we often exchange food and homemade gifts, it is the best! So I would say to anyone who is interested to come to Etyek if they would like to slow down for a while, practice some self care by living and eating well, meet nice people and be closer to nature.

Marina Horvat

My name is Aks. I am an artist & a filmmaker born in a small southern village of Russia. I’ve always been a rolling stone, moving from one busy place to another. As much as I adore cities, I felt like I needed a breather. The questions of sustainability and human impact on the mother nature have been worrying me for a long time, and then the application for the volunteering position from Etyek fell into my lap & I took it as a sign. “Green Seeds” is the kinda project, where you receive as much as you put into it. It gave me space for inner contemplation and provided me with the most valuable skills of growing my own vegetables and herbs and taking care of domestic birds. It allowed me to experience very different ways of living to the one I, as many modern men, was used to in the comfort of our urban environments. I believe, if we collectively started focusing our energy and attention on what truly matters, we can achieve great things together & protect what remains of the beautiful Earth.

Aks Huckleberry

Jánó Lóránd

I’m Jánó Loránd 18 years old. I have 4 brothers who I really like and of course my parents. I like to watch movies and do my own things. There are things I pay attention to, such as being able to live properly, etc. I like making friends and waking up late in the morning.