Life-supporting Shelter - 2024

Location

Pécsely is a pictoresque village 15 km north from Lake Balaton, with 560 inhabitants. Our community is located above the village in a 6 hectare area, with a breathtaking view on the Balaton-lake. Our community consists of 5 permanent members and around 10 local families who we cooperate with.

Activity period

June-October 2024 (5 months)

Activity description

Mindenegyüttmegy Association in Pécsely is a community of people who changed urban life to a rural life that fosters a sustainable world through organic food production, eco-architecture, dialogue between the rural and the urban, a festival and community spaces.

You will be participating in the community's activities as follows:

- outdoor tasks (gardening, taking care of animals, use landscape, etc.)

- planning local community and volunteer initiatives

- participating in the eco-architecture projects, especially developing the "Hideg-hegy" (Cold-hill) shelter, as a community space for learning, healing, culture and workshops, and as a self-sustainable eco farming for producing healthy food for the locals.

- taking part in camps and eco-events organized by the community

- cooperating in the daily tasks of the community members - tasks that are part of living in such an environment, application of community cooperation methodologies (project and task planning, local roles, division of tasks, scheduling, taking responsibility) 

- cooking on events, and joint cooking every day

- harvesting and conserving products of the garden

- creating posters, photos and different visuals, creating input and maintaining social media platforms

Take a look at the video below introducing our community!

Own project work

We expect from the volunteers to prepare with their own project work idea which fits to their interest and the mission of the Cold-Hill Shelter community.

Accomodation, food and transport arrangements, other practical info

You will be volunteering 30 hours per week, sometimes weekends are included.  Hungarian language support is provided.

Accommodation:

 Volunteers will be staying in a rented, furnished and renovated vineyard house and/or yurt, in an amazing landscape. The house is equipped with everything a volunteer might need with it's eco-friendly and minimalistic solutions. (e.g.: electricity is provided by solar panels) Internet connection will be provided. The garden shower which uses collected rainwater is also used by the community can be used to shower and to wash clothes. The community location is 3 km far from the first village and living conditions are very simple. Be aware of this condition when applying! It could be different from what you are used to, but a fun way to experience living close to nature.

Transportation: Majority of the volunteering activities will be in the vicinity of the accommodation, in walking distance - but also at other locations of the association. On the hill one can walk or take a bike, but community members offer a ride, if needed. Public transport is accessible from the nearby Barnag village, where Veszprém, the nearest town, can be reached in 30 minutes.

Allowances: 150 EUR pocket money and 50 EUR food allowance per months. Two meal/day is together with the community members (usually lunch and dinners), the rest is taken care of individually, to which ingredients can be used from the pantry of our community kitchen.

Participant profile

We are welcoming volunteers aged 18-30 who would like to be part of a growing community of young, committed green professionals in an amazing natural environment, who enjoy working in a garden, with trees and with animals, who want to learn how to construct in organic and simple way and how to develop low-tech solutions for the daily needs, and who don't mind if the circumstances are sometimes a bit rough.

Hungarians can also apply!

Find out more about our organization. https://megyesulet.hu/

Please see our gallery at the bottom of the page!

The program is funded by the Council of Europe's European Solidarity Corps Programme. 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

Food:

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

Water, bathroom, toilet:

We bring drink water from a nearby well. 

We use outdoor showers using harvested rainwater. 

We exclusively use outdoor compost-toilets that we have built ourselves. 

Map: 

The GPS coordinates for our community are: 46.9625, 17.755

137 kms from Budapest, 25 kms from Veszprém and 12 kms from the Balaton Lake. 

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 (EHIC) card with you. 

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. In case you need visa to enter to Hungary, we discuss the details and arrange it individually. For information about visas, please visit this site: https://enterhungary.gov.hu/eh/?en 

COVID Situation:

The COVID situation is unpredictible, and currently there are no restrictions introduced by the Hungarian government, so it does not affect your travel to Hungary.

We follow the requirements from our side, please also get the updates and plan according to the recent conditions. This is the link (https://reopen.europa.eu/en/map/HUN/7011) where you get up-to-date information. Please be aware of any requirements for your travel (test, EU vaccination card, EU Health card, mask mandate etc.) 

Currency and banking: 

The currency is Forint (HUF). 1 Euro about 380 Forint. There are possibilities to change money in bigger cities, but you can pay with credit/debit cards in most shops. We ask you to open a Wisetransfer account before your arrival, this will be necessary.

Electricity:

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

We are off-grid: In the community we use solar power: we only have sufficient electricity in case the sun is shining, otherways only enough to charge the phones!

Weather:

Continental weather, 4 seasons. Chilly spring, hot and dry summer and rainy autumn. Please consider that the weather in the forest can be chillier then elsewhere.

What (not) to bring? 

YES 

- 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.
- clothes that can fit to all seasons and you like them. We know that it is almost
impossible to pack everything in a suitcase. Do not worry. There are second-hand shops in Veszprém, so you can buy extra clothes you need for cheap prices. 

- hat, your own water bottle

- headlamps

- EU Blue social security card, masks 

- special medication, documents, if you might need them 

NO 

- jewelry, electronics

- pets, animals 

- you do not need to bring bed sheets, towels, we provide them for you (except you have a favorite one)

Basic phrases in Hungarian :

Yes - Igen 

No - Nem 

Hello - Szia 

Goodbye - Viszlát 

Please - Kérem 

Thank you - Köszönöm 

My name is… - Az én nevem... 

Could you help me? - Tud nekem segíteni?

I don’t understand - Nem értem. 

How much does it cost? - Mennyibe kerül? 

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/file/d/1K55TaF-waHkKI8SFEFsxyANSRSGReJ3d/view

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/