Weaving into sustainability

Permaculture in practice - building a wattle-and-daub wall and mediterranean garden in a Special Festival Site

7 - 27 August 2023

Group volunteering experience 2023

Szatyor Association in cooperation with the OASIS-community

Program finished, no more applications

Who can Apply?

Young people (18-30) from all over Europe.

We will host 12 participants from abroad and 3 Hungarian participants, a total of 15 volunteers. 

PLACE:

In Kék tó Camp in Lengyeltóti The town can be found south from Fonyód, along the highway to Somogyvár, the old seat of the county. The highway went from Lake Balaton to the southern part of the country. The town sits on the top of a hill.

PLEASE be aware, that 

- our community lives under quite simple, "nomadic" circumstances, in the nature, so there is mud when it rains, and hot, when the summer sun is shining, so the heat may challenge your endurance, involving lots of sweating;

- the work with mud, soil and stone is physically demanding;

- you have to have sturdy boots that are suitable for this work;

See more of our location on Facebook:

WHAT WILL WE DO?

Eco-architecture:

CONSTRUCTION OF WATTLE AND DAUB WALLS IN PRACTICE - Materials: braid, adobe

Technique chosen: wattle or daub wall is the oldest lightweight wall building technique of Hungarian folk architecture. In Hungary most places you can build it with natural materials within a 30 km radius. This time we will build 

  1. the masonry of a one-storey chicken coop, on top of which one of the raised terraces of our community space will be located, providing a view of our mandala garden and geodome.
  2. We build the south wall of our Summer kitchen with the same technique.

Regenerative land management: We are working on  80 hectares of land, which we intend to nourish and regenerate. We have spent the last 1.5 years preparing, surveying, planning and planting 60,000 trees.In spring 2023, we decided to step out into the light and invite you to come and learn and practice on our permaculture model site, built in the spirit of regenerative development. Our explicit aim is to provide a training ground for professionals who wish to (re)train themselves in a regenerative direction that truly responds to the pressing challenges of our time.

Organic gardening: We are building a Mediterranean garden and we will learn about different gardening techniques and methods, all related to permaculture principles. 

Building a playground: We believe that art should surround us in a humble way without wasting resources, and with deep respect for Mother Earth. We will experiment with ways to create art together with nature for our future generations.

Cooking: Taking part in the kitchen tasks, cooking, bake the bread ourselves and prepare the lunch and dinner.

 

TO WHOM WE RECOMMEND

In contrast to the general knowledge courses "Introduction to Permaculture" and PDC, we will now dig deeper into the waters of practical implementation.

If you're building self-sufficiency and independence, the first thing you'll want to learn and practice.

If you want to learn about the most commonly used natural material in the last millennia, adobe, and the low tech solutions that build on it, this is the perfect time. 

WHAT YOU CAN LEARN IN THESE 3 WEEKS 

  • the selection, cutting and winding of the right twigs for the hoof wall 
  • finding, extracting and transporting loam
  • kneading and spreading the loam
  • plastering the mud wall
  • the construction of a Mediterranean garden with a solar drip roof system
  • regenerative landscape management
  • mandala beds

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You can learn about our grandparents' practical building solutions based on local possibilities.

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You can experience what it feels like to pound mud, mix adobe, patch a wall. 

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You'll learn about the origins of our word 'willow', the basics of wickerwork and the versatile patic technique that builds on it. 

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The more skilful can make tapholes and pegs in the designed carpentry structure.



PRACTICALITIES:

Accomodation:

In your own tent.

Food:

Provided by the community, prepared together. Healthy, organic, mostly vegetarian and vegan options. 

Water, bathroom, toilet:

We have drinkable tapwater. 

We use outdoor camp showers and toilets.

Map: 

https://goo.gl/maps/y4wrL2cFfqaQCdUj9

157 kms from Budapest, 13 kms from the Balaton Lake. 

Travel:

Will be arranged individually and reimbursed by Szatyor Association. Your host organisation will give you instructions how to get to the site.

Travel costs:

Are covered by the European Solidarity Corps program up to 275 Euros.

Insurance:

Volunteers are insured through the ESC’s Henner insurance scheme. Please make sure to have your valid, blue EU Health Insurance card with you. Hungarian volunteers should have their own TB insurance. 

Pocket money:

You will be granted 5 Euros/day pocket money. 

Passport and visa in Hungary:

Hungary is part of the Schengen area, easy to enter for EU citizens with a passport or an ID. 

 

Currency and banking: 

The currency is Forint (HUF). 1 Euro about 380 Forint. (1l milk = 300 Forint, 1beer = 350 Forint, 1kg bread = 700 Forint) There are possibilities to change money in bigger cities, but you can pay with credit/debit cards in most shops. You have to have a European Bank account or a Wise/Revolut account where we can transfer you the reimbursement and the pocket money.

Electricity:

Hungarian electric system operates on 230 Volts, 50 Hz, with round prong European style pugs. 

We have a community space with sockets.

Weather:

The Summer is also dry but hot, between +28-32, but evenings in the nature can be chilly.

 

WHAT TO BRING:

- comfortable, clothes/shoes that you do not mind if they get dirty (in the garden, while working with mud or doing some other work. Best to bring a sturdy boots that are safe to work on a construction.

- hat, suncream, your own water bottle, working gloves, rain jacket

- mosquito and tick repellents

- tent, sleeping bad, sleeping mat

- towels

- headlamps

- your own mug, plate, cutlery, knife, water bottle

- EU Blue social security card

- special medication, if you might need them, documents

DO NOT BRING

- jewelry, electronics

- pets, animals 


What is Permaculture?

Permaculture is a design system that observes patterns in our environment and replicates them. In this way, we work with nature to create sustainable and regenerative habitats for both humans and other creatures. With this approach, we create mutually beneficial relationships between landscape, people and resources. Permaculture is based on three main ethical principles: care for the Earth, care for people, and distribute the surplus produced equitably.

 

Who are our experts?

The eco-architecture workshop will be led by Daniel B. Kovács. He as the founder and pillar member of the Youth for Hungarian Countryside Foundation, he has been an active member of the new wave of grassroots rural development efforts since 2014. As the creator of the Gyüttment Festival, the founder and operator of the Wildflower tea house in Ber, and the builder of the island of Takatuka, he became known among the authentic representatives of the Hungarian natural lifestyle. He deals with both concept design and construction of organic buildings.

Expert of the Regenerative Land management: Máté Tuba

The Oasis Project permaculture design coordinator, organizer, leader, PatternWise team expert. 

He is at your disposal to review the technical concept of the 80 hectare regenerative project.

 

 

About Oasis Community

Oasis is a pilot project, launched at the end of 2021, in which we are amplifying and testing on a large scale new (human) ecological coexistence patterns under the umbrella of regenerative development.

We dare to dream big, and we have brought together in a broad collaboration all the professionals whose cooperation is essential to bring to life a livable, positive social vision.

We believe that there is a way out of the ecological, economic and social crises of our time - and that we have the opportunity to arrive at a future that is more peaceful, more abundant, more inclusive and more gentle than any previous era in human history.

We have much to learn and much to practice. To facilitate this, in one of Hungary's first large-scale permaculture projects, we have brought together the worlds of ecology, landscape architecture, architecture, hydro(geo)logics, soil science, regenerative agriculture, forestry, and agro-ecology, human ecology, community building, community enterprise, culture, arts, and more, in a landscape-based project covering 80 hectares, bringing together their perspectives and ideas.

We have spent the last 1.5 years preparing, surveying, planning and planting 60,000 trees. In the spring of 2023, we decided to step out into the light and invite you to come and learn and practice on our permaculture model site, built in the spirit of regenerative development. Our explicit aim is to provide a training ground for professionals who wish to (re)train themselves in a regenerative direction that truly responds to the pressing challenges of our time.


All about ESC - What is the European Solidarity Corps program? 

All the details you find on this link: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity/mission_en  

What to expect from being involved as a volunteer in this program? Here you go. - https://www.salto-youth.net/downloads/4-17-3877/Info+kit+European+Solidarity+Corps.pdf

All about about Henner insurance you can find on this link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LbCd0w7zzdfUyCztxud6jt50OWKqQwEl

Yes, you will get a Youth Pass certificate after your voluntary service, here you can get more information about what Youth Pass is and how you can note your learnings. https://www.youthpass.eu/hu/