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The internationalThe internationalThe internationalThe internationalexchange textbookexchange textbookexchange textbookexchange textbook

Project

Youth Volunteerism for European Legacy

of Culture and Nature

Hnut Brontosaurus 2009


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The international exchange textbook came out from the international exchange, which took place

in the Czech Republic from 22. to 28. 9. 2009.

The main aim of the exchange was to innovate and inspire everyday work of the organizations

working with young volunteers in order to preserve nature and the cultural heritage.

Program of the exchange:

- Visiting locations connected with the preservation of the nature in the Czech Republic

- Presentations and practical workshops prepared by each partner organization

- Volunteers work for the medieval village (open-air museum in Modr U Velehradu)

- Meeting, connecting, exchange of information, experiences and best practices during the

spectacular action organised at the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Brontosaurus

movement- Dort pro Brontosaura 2009. This was a traditional event, which takes placeevery five years. About 400 members, ex-members and friends of the Brontosaurus met

here to celebrate.

The detail programme was following:

22nd Arrival Day

23rd Introduction Day official welcome and introduction of personal introduction of all

participants (small games), preparation of posters introducing each organization (creative

workshop), excursion of the eco-centre vcrna, visit of nearby museum of steelworks, collective


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preparation of intercultural dinner, festal opening of posters display, introduction of organizations

and best practices.

24th Outdoor Experience guided excursion to Protected Landscape Area - Moravian Karst.

Excursion to city Brno with native guides. Transfer to Archaeological open-air museum Modr u

Velehradu.

25th Museum Modr excursion at the open-air museum Modr, opening ceremony of Dort pro

Brontosaura event, introduction defile of all participating segments of Movement Brontosaurus.

Concert of Czech folk group Nesthme as a part of the Dort pro Brontosaura event.

26th Volunteer Day volunteer work for municipality Modr, BAZAAR I. experience exchange,

workshops, discussions, forums, presentations, games, introduction of international projects.

Expert seminar about energy savings, alternative sources of energy - lecturer RNDr. Jan Hollan;

Brontotalent competition of amateur talents; Birch Awards acknowledgement for

Brontosaurus volunteers; Campfires singing with guitars at the fire.

27th Cake Day BAZAAR II. experience exchange, workshops, discussions, forums,

presentations, games, introduction of international projects. ArchaeOlympiad extraordinary

competition for teams. Workshops art, old crafts, games, juggling, singing, dancing, theatre and

drama. Fair of NGOs and Brontosaurus locations. Cimbalom music. Brontobiograf projection of

movies made by Brontosaurus volunteers. Round table panel discussion with politicians with thetheme Nature protection and volunteerism as a value for Youth. Final ceremony proclamation

of Ekofr (Ecological cartoon competition) winners. Brotosaurus awards. Cutting the cake.

Concerts of bend amboi and Burana Orchestr. Night game.

28th Evaluation Day (20 participants, 4 organizers, 1 guide) Evaluation of the project. Discussion

about future co-operation. Signing of partnership in new project organized by Hungarians.

29th Departure Day

The partners of the exchange were:

Czech Republic- Hnut

Brontosaurus

Poland - Europejskie forum

mlodziezy

Slovakia - Preles, o.z.

Hungary - Kristly alaptvny


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Prezenten organizations and there programs.

1. Hnut Brontosaurus

''Our goal is not only to take a lot of

pictures and make a lot of memories during the

events we organize, we also work to renovate

castles, help trees, and clean meadows and

springs in order to create good feelings and help

the world become a better place.''

What is Hnut Brontosaurus?

Hnut Brontosaurus is a non-

governmental, non-profit organization which

has been helping to protect the environment

and historical sites in the Czech Republic - as

well as helping people living there - for over 35

years. Several generations of Brontosaurus

participants have taken part in hundreds of weekend and summer holiday events focused on

taking care of the Czech countryside and the cultural heritage of the Czech Republic. However,

Hnut Brontosaurus events consist of more than just rewarding voluntary work.

Hnut Brontosaurus offers young people an alternative to consumerism, encourages their

creativity, shows them new and unconventional ways of spending free time and provides them

with a space for self-fulfillment. Brontosaurus courses and events also include outdoor education,

various games, workshops, discussions, informal education and more.

In past few years, Hnut Brontosaurus has also been expanding its activities abroad; we

provide assistance to monasteries and schools in Ladakh, India, and help to protect Czech culturalheritage in Banat, Romania.

This balanced combination of rewarding voluntary work, education, new experiences and

good fun is what has been attracting high school and college students (as well as working parents

with children) to our diverse array of programs for over 35 years.

Akce proda (Project Nature) is a program focused on weekend trips where volunteers

landscape precious orchid meadows, maintain educational nature paths, help organic farmers with

their farms, plant native species of trees in local forests, clean springs, help in shelters for hurt

animals, renew alleys, etc.


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Akce pamtky (Project Historical Sites) is a program offering help to conserve old castles,

renew and restore small, local sights in the country, and maintain chateaus and churches.

During the Summer break, the Przdniny s Brontosaurem (Holiday with Brontosaurus)

project offers similar activities, spiced up with outdoor education.

The year-round activities of Brontosaurus children's groups are centered around

environmental education. Program Vzdlvn (Education Program) provides training for new

volunteer organizers of Brontosaurus events.

Akce proda (Project Nature)

Akce proda (Project Nature) is at the core of

Brontosaurus activities. It teaches young people (and,

indeed, everybody) that we can all plant a tree, beautify

a protected meadow and renew springs. Thanks to the

games and outdoor education activities that the

volunteers engage in, their playfulness, creativity and

team skills improve.

However, Project Nature is not only about

voluntary work and games, it is also about increasing

one's knowledge concerning interesting and attractive

places in the countryside, meeting experts and benefitingfrom their experience, wisdom, and practical field

experience. For an event to be included in this project,

three basic conditions must be met: voluntary work,

environmental education and outdoor education.

Voluntary work must be meaningful and crucially

important. We want to help only where help is really

needed. The project cares for chosen locations over the long-term, follow-up events will continue

to take place at designated sites for several years into the future.

Project Nature offers active lifestyle choices and the inspiration needed to make the world

a better place to live. For many people, the organization becomes part of their way of life; for

many of us, taking part in weekend events is more than just a matter of spending time in a

pleasant and useful way. During our events, we do our best to adhere to optimum environmental

practices: we save energy, prefer public transport services, and we don't waste material and/or

food, etc.

The trips and events are organized by young people themselves; the head organizers take

part in courses and seminars to learn how to organize the trips.


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Examples from long-term Brontosaurus work projects

Back to the Roots in Jesenk region

Before WW2, the majority of inhabitants of this region were German. They lived diffused

throughout the countryside. Most of the time, the German residents worked on and improved

their surroundings. Having been dislocated after the end of WW2, they left behind many sites in

the countryside. The unfortunate fate of these sites in later years demonstrates that the new

inhabitants did not quite feel at home there. But that is not the whole story.

The situation of these local sights started to change about 30 years ago and has been

changing significantly since 2002, when members of Brontosaurus under the guidance of

specialists renewed three local sights: two springs and one cross. These sights were reminders of

the famous past of this region, especially of the spa tradition closely tied with the name of

Vincenz Priessnitz (1799 1851). Every year during the

summer holiday more sites got renewed, especially

springs, with local people getting more and more

involved. In 2005, when Brontosaurus were opening the

new Vincenz Priessnitz natural path, next to a thousand

people visited the event, and the Path has been very

popular ever since.

In the course of the past few years, more

organizations and groups have joined the Back to the

Roots project, and even more sights have been renewed

thanks to this trend. Several inhabitants of the region,

from different age groups, have volunteered to regularly

take care of some of the sites. To this day, several dozen

sites have been reborn. The Back to the Roots project is

ongoing, continuing to gain popularity both at

Brontosaurus events and among local people.

Alleys of Pen

In Pen, Brontosaurus volunteers are helping with planting an alley, they plant trees that

are typical for indigenous forests and game refuges of the Orlick hory.

Originally, there was no alley in this area. There used to be a forest, but it was gradually cut

down and became a pasture.

However, open countryside with pastures presents a great risk of quality soil erosion. Also, itdoesn't offer enough hiding and nesting places and food for birds and other animals.


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The planting of an alley in this area will help to solve these problems. It creates a natural

biocorridor for game and, in winter, it protects the road from getting snowed under.

The voluntary work itself does not only consist of planting the alley. We regularly return to the

area to help protect the saplings from wild animals, and we make sure that the saplings don't get

overgrown by grass or broken by wind.

We also look for other places in the area that would benefit

from planting trees, alleys and game refuges. Furthermore, we are

trying to negotiate better and wider protection of a forest in

Zdobnice pod Penem valley, which is a very distinct and important

natural site. Young people working here would like to, with help of

experts, negotiate a change in forest management, so that the local

country is preserved in its present state. We have also been plantingan orchard with indigenous fruit trees in this area.

Everything is going very well and we are glad that the range

of activities, which started with the planting of one alley, has been

continuing to grow.

Planting a live auditorium

It's been two years since Brontosaurus members started helping Centum ekologick

vchovy Dbrava (Environmental Education Centre Dbrava) to beautify their neglected gardens,so that they can function as a live auditorium for children and a place to go and relax for both the

visitors to the Centre and the public.

Much work is yet to be done, but

we've already helped to plant more than

350 bushes and trees to form hedges, a

model riverine forest and a small

arboretum. We also helped to construct

model biotopes: wetland, savanna,limestone rocks, etc. Volunteers have also

managed to plant herb beds and a tactual

path in 550 work hours. They plan to

maintain the garden and continue the

work well into the future.

''Our employees would not

possibly manage to do the job by

themselves,'' says the head of the Centre

about Brontosaurus work.


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2. PRELES

Preles is a non-governmental non-profit

organization whose aim is to educate and

connect young people of different life

conditions and social backgrounds by making

them working together to help and protect

nature or by spending free time in creative way

far away from civilisation. It is also aiming to

improoving life in cities generally. To achieve

that, Preles run different projects presented in

this text as an example of youth volunteer work

which has succes and makes important

contribution to society in general.

Preles was founded in March 2008 by 5 young people after they succeded in their first project

called Park that connects. This project was launched in automn 2006. The goal of this project

was to connect lighly mentally disabled people with young students by common work on

revitalization of a historical park in village Ladce. The project lasted four month and was supported

from a Youth grant program of EU.

Since Preles is founded, its annual activity is organizing an outdoor camp called Preles. It was

helded for the first time in 2007. This camp is targeted to

young people who come from foster families as well as to

young people living with their biological parents. It aims to

create space where they can get to know each others life

stories and life conditions which leads to their better

integration but also to showing them how to spend free

time in alternative ways, to learning them about nature

around them andits protection. Participants of the campwere sleeping in tents, making trips to nature and doing lot

of creative activities. Thanks to small number of

participants these camps have chamber, almost familly

atmosphere which contributes to succession of this project.

Besides camps in Slovakia Preles also organizes

international youth exchanges, focused on personal

development, in cooperation with International Synergy

Group.


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These exchanges are organised for young people who want to improve their organisation and

communication skills in creative and nonviolent way. Each exxhange is focused on different topic.

So far there has been organized two exchanges by Preles one has been connected to

volunteering and the way of sharing abilities between different communities, the second one hasfocused on theater and art as a mean of communication. The exchange usually consits of activities

prepared by organisators as well as of empty space serving participants to prepairing up

workshops on their own. Thats how they can improove their skills. In addition there are 3

outdoor days which give possibility to participants to get to know each other by disscussing

freely and simply being together in nature. The age of participants is usually between 15 to 30.

They come from different EU countries or their partner countries(i.e. Slovakia, Hungary, Czech

Republic, Greece, Turkey, Latvia, Bulgary and Romania). Altogether each exchange hosts about

60 young people and it is supported by grant programme Youth in action of EU.

Last example of Preles volunteer projects is a long-term project which is aiming to build a

high rope center in ilina, the capital city of ilinsk region. Preles wants to create a playground

where young people could spend their free time, learn to overcome their fear and exceed their

limits.

Preles got the knowhow for this project thanks to four organisators who had already

experience with similar projects. Building of the high rope centre was enabled thanks to

cooperation with the City hall and financial support of TESCO grant programme. It was finnished

and opened for public in September 2009.


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3. European Youth Forum

(Europejskim Forum Modziey)

European Youth Forum is an independent

non-governmental organization. In our work

circle engage young people both very active, as

well as those less entrepreneurial, living in small

and rural areas, with difficult conditions for the

realization of their ambitions and plans.

It was found in 1994 by young people

from the region Kodzko interested in European

integration, democracy and social work in local community. Since 1995, it operates as an

association. The forum organizes since several years actions, trainings, conferences, seminars, and

festivals for young people and residents of the region. It is now regarded as one of the most active

youth organizations in the country and region.

The main goals

Our first aim is to establish the European education, the transfer of accurate and timed

information about the process of integration in order to prepare local society for EU membership.

Secondly, we are encouraging young people to develop interests outside their society and

social inclusion.

We are also trying to equalize the

opportunities of young people living in small

towns and rural areas in access to knowledge

and information.

Last but not least, we are shaping the

image of a modern country and the region to

work for the development of local democracy

and encouraging residents to participate

actively in life of region.

Of course, all who are close to our

goals we invite you to cooperation.


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What are people in this association doing?

EFM works with many government bodies, local government, diplomatic, school clubs, and

European non-governmental organizations in the country and abroad.

Associates are working in regional media,

conducting their own businesses, working in

political organizations, creating new, non-

governmental organizations, travelling for foreign

scholarships.

We educate to this date, approximately

2,500 young people, and we organized masspublic events attended by several thousand

residents of the region.

Who are the key partners?

Among others are these the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland,

Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Ministry of National Education , Embassy of Poland in the

European Union, Office of the Committee for European Integration, Rural Support Foundation,

The program of the European Union "Youth", County Kodzki, Town Bystrzyca Kodzko, and the

European School Clubs

International cooperation

We maintain and develop cooperation with several non-governmental youth organizations, both

including countries of the European Union, and with an area not belonging to the communities.

We especially cooperate with those

organizations: Casa de Juventud in Alcaiz (Spain),

Yap in Cluj (Romania), Info-NUORRA In Karasjohka

(Norway), GOLTZ de Carvalho (Portugal), Urdd

Dinbych (Wales United Kingdom), and Pensiero

Tascabile (Italy).

Projects

We work on those projects: EuroWeek

camps organized for talented youth,

International Exchanges and the European

Voluntary Service


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4. Crystal foundation

Crystal Foundation a non-governmental non-profit organization which focuses on representing and

protection of the interests of youth with material

disadvantages. These aims are fulfilled by organizing

free time activities and events, which help to develop

their personal qualities, education and skills. It also

provides free internet usage for disabled youth in the

region.

Crystal foundation was founded in

2004. It runs a youth centre in Nyrbogdny situatedin a 3 storey building which is able to accommodate

up to 40 people, so foundation can provide

accomodation for other civil organisations for a

discount price. The foundation is in connection with

the surrounding towns and villages such as Kk, Demecser, Kemecse, Nagyhalsz, Szkely, Sny.

The foundation organizes some annual events,

such as Santa Claus celebration, christmas

workshops and easter egg painting for childrenin kindergartens. Other regular project is

summer and spring cycling.

Since 2007, the foundation has been

running the project of international integration

of disabled people. The project bases on

international youth exchanges. These events

help young people to improve their language

and comunication skills.

The project consisted of two main parts. These were

meetings where young people with disadvantages met each

other and realized very useful programs. The first meeting was

in Rodowo 11- 14 April 2007. The disabled young people were

playing integration and know each other games. Each

organization gave a short presentation about his own

organization and role in this project. In the evening they had an

international evening where each country gave a performance


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about his country and prepared special national food. They visited two institutes. One of them was a

children care house in Mragowo, the other one was Children home Keja in Biskupiec.

In 2009 the crystalfoundation organized the Festival

for thevrecognition of

tradition.Thefestival was held on 1st

May 2009 in Nyrbogdny with 60

participants and more than hundreds

of visitors. The objective of the project

was to organize an international

cultural festival with Czech, Slovakian,

Polish and Hungarian participants. Onthe festival the participants performed

folkdances, folksongs, gastronomic

show, handicraft traditions and

introduced the culture of V4 countries.

The most recent project is Ukrainian-Hungarian ecological project.The projects topic is

Environment protection and effective usage of energy. Its aim is the realization of eko-counscious and

energy- effective lifestyle. The Rystal foundation establishes energy clubs where they teach the energy-

effective methods to the inhabitants. Both in Nyrbogdny and in Beregove they have trained trainedmentors who will keep the clubs.

Evaluation

The project created space for exchanging information between the organizations, which focus on

working with volunteers, and/or children from all countries of the Visegrad area (The Czech Repuplic,

Hungary, Poland, Slovakia,).

It enabled to identify situation in each country, and ensure exchange of information about activitiesimplemented by the participating groups. We could share examples of best practices and that especially

with reference to protecting natural and cultural heritage.

Due to the project activities, the motivation and competence of the participants rose, which lead to

the successful goal of the project.

The project enabled the creation and development of the cooperation between volunteer

organizations of the Visegrad countries as well as the environmental education during free-time activities.

We also signed partnership with Hungarians for new project 'Youth in Action' Programme, Action

4.4., the last day of our project.


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Description of the project of the future cooperation:

Kristly Foundation chose Media literacy of young people as the theme of the planned

programmes. The title of the project is W.E.A.R. Watch, Evaluate, Ask and Read. The main objective of

the foundation is to educate youngsters about media and the massive information flow that characterizes

the every day life, where influencing is a key issue even in simple situations like shopping in a supermarket.

Youngsters have to learn to differentiate and select their sources of information carefully in order to be able

to fully trust them.

The programme will consist of several activities most of them will aim at challenging the

participants believes, ideas and opinions in order to make them consider and think about their choices, to

be able to explain the ideology behind it. The venue will be Nyrbogdny, Hungary the headquarters of

Kristly Foundation. The premises allow the participants to fully commit themselves to the programme and

various tasks during the implementation. The project will necessitate the use of computers, internet andother media tools which are available. Accommodation and full catering will be supplied in the town of

Nyrbogdny as well.

The number of participants will be 30. Four countries will be represented besides the host country,

Hungary. From each country 5 students between the ages of 16-20 will be involved in the program

accompanied by 1 adult teacher to assist the coordination and implementation of Kristly.

The creative and innovative element of the project will be producing a documentary with cutting,

editing and finalizing it about a given topic. This will also be the major output of the project which will be

disseminated among the civil society organizations and schools related to them in order to multiply the

results.

The envisaged impact of the project is for the youngsters to be able to form and express their

opinion regarding key issues in world politics, to be able to define and rank information sources

evaluating their messages.


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Contact data

Czech republic

Hnut Brontosaurus

Hvzdov 10

602 00, Brno

Tel. +420 544 215 585

e-mail: [email protected]

www.brontosaurus.cz

Slovak republic

Preles

OZ PRELES

Gatanov 48010 07, ilina

Tel. +421 910 399 294 - Vlado Randa


www.preles.sk

Poland

Europejskie Forum Modziey

Plac Wolnoci 5/557-500 Bystrzyca Kodzka, Poland

NIP: 881-12-03-505 Tel. +48(74)8110223

Tel./fax. +48(74)8111399


www.efm.org.pl

Hungary

Crystal foundation

1. Snyi street Nyrbogdny 4511Tel. Youth Centre: +36-42/232-074

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: http://kristalyalap.uw.hu


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Many thanks to the Visegrad fund,

which enabled all of this. It was a

valuable experience for all of the

participating organizations and

countries. We were able to share and

improve in our volunteer work and

we will continue in the cooperation.

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