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A Rocha France – Kitchen Crew

 The Domaine des Courmettes is a magnificent natural area managed by A Rocha France, a Christian environmental protection association, which organizes numerous stays, seminars and group events throughout the year. 

We’re looking for volunteers to help out in the kitchen all year round, particularly in April and July-August. 

  • Are you interested in helping out with training or vacation stays? 
  • Do you enjoy working in a (small) team? 
  • Are you comfortable with potentially repetitive tasks (cutting, peeling, washing up, etc.)? 

We’re offering you the chance to join our team and help prepare meals for our holiday participants: 

  • at least one week, more if possible (we prefer applications for longer periods) 
  • in an exceptional natural setting between sea and mountains 
  • with the possibility of taking part in certain activities (depending on scheduling constraints) 
  • ….. and the opportunity to meet people of all ages and backgrounds! 
  • 4 to 5 hours work per day 
  • Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings off + 1 day a week 
  • Room and board: 16.50€ / day or tent: 11€ / day 
  • Or possibility of combining volunteer work with vacation on site…. 
 
To contact us, please click the link below and fill in the online form
Online form

You can also contact us directly at: [email protected]

Czech volunteer week

Volunteering week with A Rocha Czech Republic

Where: Keith Morris Eco-centre – Krupárna, Dobré č. p. 85, Dobruška

Mapy.cz: 50.2629261N, 16.2520033E

Programme:

  • Above all, lots of fun and joy together, but we’ll also work hard and get our hands dirty!
  • You’ll practice your English and German (and Czech!).
  • Morning work in groups in the garden and in the eco-centre building (cleaning ponds, weeding beds, preparing wood for the winter, building a forest latrine).
  • Afternoon active rest, e.g. mini-course in ornithology, mycology and herbalism, observation of bumblebees, wetland exploration, trips to the Eagle Mountains and other interesting places.
  • Mornings and evenings with songs, talks, concert and Bible readings on environmental topics.
  • Evenings together sharing participants’ experiences in the field of nature conservation.

We will be happy for you to bring photos or short films.

Accommodation: preferably in your own tent or forest shelter; some beds are available with local friends. There is also space to put a mattress on the floor in the building.

Food: we will enjoy community meals together, prepared by a professional chef and with the help of participants.

Cost (food and energy allowance): 1 500 CZK for the whole stay. Students 1 200 CZK.

Capacity is limited to 30 people.

Can’t make it for the whole week? You are welcome to come just for a few days.

Pavel Světlík and the A Rocha team are looking forward to seeing you!

Please complete the application and send it [email protected] by 15 June.

APPLY HERE
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A Rocha France – European Volunteer – ESC (Mas Mireille)

The project offers young people the opportunity to acquire competences in scientific studies of flora, fauna and ecosystems and to put this into practice by implementing projects for managing and protecting the sensitive and threatened wetlands of the Vallée des Baux near Arles. Volunteers will take part in observation, monitoring or censing of species, taking samples and analyzing them, protecting biodiversity of the sites managed by A Rocha by direct actions (tree planting, vegetation cutting, setting up nesting boxes or perches, etc). Specific time (up to 10%) will be devoted to learning French language, 10% of the time will be devoted to communicating about the ESC through different medium (video, stands, articles). 30% of the time will be spent on tasks related to the proper functioning of the Centre A Rocha France: – Welcoming visitors – Maintenance of the domain and its park, various tasks related to Community life.

WHERE? Lieu-dit Mas Mireille, 13280 Arles, France

WHEN? As soon as possible

JOB DESCRIPTION: 1 year volunteering position with A Rocha France in the Vallée des Baux, starting before the end of March Open to young European citizens from outside France.

Send resume and motivation (with two references) to Timothée Schwartz, science director and Mas Mireille centre director, [email protected].

Accommodation, food and transport arrangements

The volunteers are housed at the study centre, which is also the logistic base for the projects, the head office and the hub for running the life of the team. They share rooms (1 to 2 people of the same sex per room). Lunch and supper are eaten together during the week with the team and any other participants at fixed times. Breakfasts are self-service. The team members take turns at preparing the meals for the group. Special diets are catered for. The centre is no-smoking. Bikes are available for getting around. Rules of life might be adapted due to the COVID situation.

Training during the activity

Training will be provided at arrival concerning the rules of life at the center, community life, week planning and project and activity description. Field work training is provided all along the project to the volunteer such as: species identification skills, protocols, use of observation tools and other field equipment. Training in database management, data analysis and report drafting is also provided depending on the volunteer skills at arrival.

Participant profile

We are looking for volunteers who have a real interest in protecting the environment. They will need to enjoy life in the country and the contact with the flora and fauna, which means sometimes putting up with difficult conditions, getting around by bike, the wind, dry heat, etc. The volunteers will have to show that they can take initiatives in the tasks they undertake and take them through to completion. They should not hesitate to ask for clarification or direction if necessary for their projects. A basic knowledge of French is an advantage for the volunteers, but not a necessity.

ESC (AR France)

A Rocha France – European Volunteer – ESC (Courmettes)

Activity description:

Starting by the end of February 2023 for a year

Les Courmettes is a natural site of 600ha in a Natura 2000 area. Located nearby Nice, scientific studies and monitorings are implemented along side actions to raise awereness and train people. The European volunteers, under the direction of the nature activities manager, will participate in protecting this rich site by reconciling both nature conservation and welcoming the public. Volunteers will develop competences in environmental education, scientific studies and natural site management.

LOCATION: Domaine des Courmettes 06140 Tourrettes-sur-Loup, France

DATE: As soon as possible for 12 months

ORGANISATION: 35h/week, 1week-end over 2 and public holidays

POSITIONS TO BE FILLLED: open to young European citizens from outside France

Send resume and motivation (with two references) to Charlotte Léon, Nature Projects manager at Les Courmettes : [email protected].

Domaine des Courmettes
The ocellated Lizard, threatened
Orchids monitoring

Missions

Volunteers will take part in :

  • raising awareness with the public through different media (panels, discussion, educational tools etc.)
  • species and habitat studies (fieldwork, data analysis etc.)
  • maintenance and management actions (trail marking, site defence etc.)
  • learning French (10% of the time) and communicating about the ESC through different media (10% – video, stands, articles)
  • tasks related to the proper functioning of the Les Courmettes centre: welcoming visitors, maintenance of the estate and its park, various tasks related to community life, cooking, etc. (30%)

Accommodation, food and transport arrangements

Volunteers are housed at the Courmettes centre, which is also the logistical base for the projects, A Rocha France’s head office and the hub for running the life of the team. Rooms are shared (1 to 2 people of the same sex per room). Lunch and supper, prepared by a cook, are eaten together at fixed times during the week with the team and any other participants. When the cook is absent, team members take turns to prepare meals. Breakfasts are self-service. Vegetarian diets can be offered. Cars are available (with a fee) to get around. The modus vivendi ‘rules of life’ may be adapted due to the COVID situation.

Participant profile:

  • real interest in raising awareness and protecting the environment 
  • enjoying rural life, contact with people and flora and fauna. Meaning sometimes putting up with difficult weather conditions and being ready to welcome visitors at Les Courmettes and talk about the site’s regulations.
  • taking initiative in the tasks they undertake and following them through to completion
  • basic knowledge of French and a driving license are an advantage for the volunteers
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Planting trees and restoring ecosystems in Australia

During another wet winter, A Rocha Australia has been getting their hands dirty by planting native plants and nurturing relationships with the communities who care for them.  

Volunteers from A Rocha Australia were invited by Clyde and Rose Rigney – elders from the Raukkan aboriginal community – to help with revegetation events in partnership with Cassina Environmental in South Australia. In June, over 30 people braved challenging weather to plant 1700 seedlings! In August, a smaller group planted 584 seedlings at Mount Sandy and 325 seedlings at Raukkan, this time in lovely sunshine. Alongside tree planting, the Rigneys offered inspiring hospitality, with singing round the fire, hot drinks, delicious food and inspirational storytelling.  

Another planting session was organised by Onkaparinga council staff at Hart Road Wetland, the traditional lands of the Kaurna people. Twenty adults and four children gathered to plant about 380 native plants. Several of these are endemic to South Australia, including Atriplex paludosa, Goodenia amplexans and Thomasia petalocalyx. These plants are not only unique to their particular area, but they are also critical to maintaining biodiversity. 

With their project in Toowoomba escarpment parks, A Rocha Australia goes beyond planting seedlings to protecting mature plants in Queensland. Partnering with Friends of the Escarpment Parks, A Rocha controls invasive weeds at three bushland parks which contain endangered ecosystems. At Redwood Park, A Rocha removes Cat’s claw creeper Dolichandra unguis-cati. This aptly named invasive plant is one of several that smother trees and shrubs, destroying the canopy and harming the ecosystem. Creeper control is slow and labourious work but highly rewarding as mature trees are cut free and seedlings are discovered underneath masses of removed creeper. The vulnerable Black-breasted Button-quail Turnix melanogaster has raised several sets of young under the semi-evergreen vine-thicket (‘dry rainforest’).  

In the eucalypt forest of Nielsen Park, A Rocha volunteers remove other choking weeds, allowing indigenous understory species to establish. And there are already positive results: bird surveys have found that several small bird species persist in the now generous cover of shrubs, including the first ever sightings of the ground-feeding Painted Button-quail Turnix varius in the park! 

International Coastal Cleanup Day banner

International Coastal Cleanup and World Cleanup Day – 17 September

Join A Rocha for the annual International Coastal Cleanup and World Cleanup Day this September. Founded by the Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup Day inspires over 200,000 people every year to restore beaches and waterways. Plastic pollution is one of many threats to our marine ecosystems, with over 8 million tonnes of plastic waste polluting our oceans, rivers and lakes each year.

Dr Robert Sluka, Lead Scientist of A Rocha’s Marine Conservation Programme explains in the video why Christians should care about plastics:

‘God commanded us to take care of the world he’s made… If we are going to love God and obey him by taking care of what he’s made, we need to do something about the plastic problem. We also need to love our neighbour. In order to love your neighbour better we have to think about how we use plastic, where it’s going and what’s happening to it.’

On 17 September, whether you live by an ocean or not, you can join A Rocha’s Marine Conservation Programme in this cleanup effort to help reduce plastic waste and create waters of hope! All waterways are important, and you can do a cleanup wherever you are – at the ocean, river, lake, park or even your neighbourhood!

Here are three ways you can get involved:

1. Join a local cleanup on 17 September and record the litter you collect using the Clean Swell app. Check with local environmental organizations to find cleanup events in your area.

2. If there isn’t a cleanup event near you, organize your own on 17 September with A Rocha’s litter cleanup guide and record your collection in the Clean Swell app, listing A Rocha as your group.

3. If you can’t get to a cleanup on 17 September, take any day this month and clean up a beach, waterway or neighbourhood near you.

Be sure to share your efforts on social media to inspire others to care for our oceans and waterways by using the hashtags: #ARochaMarine #WatersofHope and #WorldCleanupDay

A Rocha also provides additional resources to engage your church and community around plastic waste reduction. See our Plastics Toolbox for free resources to help you contribute to global efforts to fight plastic pollution. Resources include videos, a cleanup guide, devotionals and Bible studies in multiple languages.

Kruparna-pond-Filip-Lastovic

Have an A Rocha adventure!

If you have a hole in your schedule over the next few months and were looking for something worthwhile, fun and potentially life-changing to plug it, we can help! Here are two A Rocha opportunities to explore:

Volunteer week with A Rocha Czech Republic 13-21 August

Spend three days working in the living garden at the educational centre, a haven for flora and fauna with seven ponds, two bird hides and a whole lot of insect houses. You will also have a day in the Josefov Meadows Ornithological Reserve and a day in the Orlické Záhoří (Eagle Mountains).

Each day will start with a short Bible reflection in Czech and English, and in the afternoons there will be activities including catching and ringing birds, walks and shorter trips in the surrounding countryside, Czech traditional mushrooming (plus a simple mycological course), and monitoring nesting Kingfishers or Dippers.

The cost is only 10 Euros per night for simple accommodation, food and local travel. There are 30 places available. Please email [email protected] to book.

Volunteer for A Rocha Canada at the Brooksdale Environmental Centre

Whether you’re eager to get your hands dirty in the garden, help remove invasive species with the conservation team, or offer skills in your area of expertise, they would love to hear from you! If you’d like to come for two weeks or more, you’ll be staying in the Brooksdale Guest House an hour south of Vancouver BC. The rate is $40 per day which includes accommodation and breakfast. Lunches and dinners are $6 per meal. You will join along as a volunteer to help as needed in various program areas for about 20 hours a week. Find out more here.

You can find out about other opportunities to volunteer, intern or join as a staff member here.

Photo: Wildlife pond at the Kruparna centre in the Czech Republic (Filip Lastovic)
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France – European Solidarity Corps Volunteer

Reconciling biodiversity preservation and welcoming the public at Les Courmettes.

  • Location: Domaine des Courmettes – 06140 Tourrettes sur Loup – France
  • Date: from Monday the 3rd of January 2022, for a period of 12 months
  • Organization: 35h/week, mission including work on weekends and public holidays (2 weekends per month) and some school holidays (spring and autumn)
  • Positions to be filled: two, open to young European citizens from outside France
 

Activity description:

The project offers young people the opportunity to acquire experience in a project that includes both nature conservation and welcoming the public, a new issue that many natural sites worldwide are currently facing. By being involved in the management of the site of Les Courmettes, a beautiful and naturally rich site near Nice, volunteers will develop competences in environmental education, scientific studies and natural site management.

Volunteers will take part in raising awareness with the public through different media (panels, discussion, educational tools etc.), species and habitat studies (fieldwork, data analysis etc.), maintenance and management actions (trail marking, site defence etc.). Specific time (up to 10%) will be devoted to learning French and communicating about the ESC through different media (10% – video, stands, articles). 30% of the time will be spent on tasks related to the proper functioning of the Les Courmettes centre: welcoming visitors, maintenance of the estate and its park, various tasks related to community life etc.

Accommodation, food and transport arrangement:

Volunteers are housed at the Courmettes centre, which is also the logistical base for the projects, A Rocha France’s head office and the hub for running the life of the team. Rooms are shared (1 to 2 people of the same sex per room). Lunch and supper, prepared by a cook, are eaten together at fixed times during the week with the team and any other participants. When the cook is absent, team members take turns to prepare meals. Breakfasts are self-service. Vegetarian diets can be offered. Cars are available (with a fee) to get around. The modus vivendi ‘rules of life’ may be adapted due to the COVID situation.

Training during the activity:

Training will be provided on arrival concerning the modus vivendi of the centre’s community life and how the week, project and activities will unfold. Field work training is provided for the volunteer throughout project such as: species identification skills, protocols, use of observation tools and other field equipment. Training in welcoming public and environmental education will be provided on arrival.

Participant profile:

We are looking for volunteers who have a real interest in raising awareness and protecting the environment. They will need to enjoy rural life, contact with people and flora and fauna, which means sometimes putting up with difficult weather conditions and being ready to welcome visitors at Les Courmettes and talk about the site’s regulations. Volunteers will have to show that they can take initiative in the tasks they undertake and follow them through to completion. They should not hesitate to ask for clarification or direction if necessary for their projects. A basic knowledge of French is an advantage for the volunteers, but not a necessity.

Contact:

Send resume and motivation (with two references) to:

Coline Raillon, Nature Projects Officer at Les Courmettes

[email protected]

Czech-bird-monitoring

Czech Republic – Bird ringing

Krupárna, A Rocha Czech Republic’s environmental centre, is in the northeast of the Czech Republic. The centre and its ponds and bird hide enjoys many visitors – children, adults and wildlife. The team actively monitors and rings birds in nearby Special Protected Areas (SPAs) under the Natura 2000 / European Birds Directive.

The team would appreciate volunteers with at least a basic knowledge of ornithology or environmental conservation to help with the monitoring and ringing (in spring and summer) and research in general (at all times). The main monitoring work will be with Corncrake and Red-backed Shrike. Other activities that may be part of the work programme are building nest boxes, DIY, gardening, and general support of the field study centre. Volunteers are expected to be involved in work activities over usual work hours (6-7 hours per day). Speaking Czech is not necessary, but please be prepared that the team operates in Czech and has basic English.

Volunteers usually come for a period of two weeks minimum and are accommodated in single-sex dormitory rooms at Krupárna at the cost of 15 € per day for food and lodging. This opportunity could be a great fit for two friends who wish to volunteer together, as the residential community is small and may not be able to offer full-time support over weekends.

To apply, please fill out our volunteer application form.

Cruzinha-Lieske-de-Wilde-edited

Portugal – European Solidarity Corps

One or two volunteers are welcomed each year under the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) scheme: if you live in the EU, Iceland, Switzerland or Norway, are under 30 and are willing to spend six to 12 months working at Cruzinha, you could apply to be the next ESC volunteer.

This opportunity would ideally suit a gap year student or graduate looking for conservation experience, though it is open to anyone who fulfils the above criteria. ESC volunteers receive free flights to and from their country of origin (within the EU), free board and lodging, free language classes and about 100 € a month.

Successful ESC applicants would be based at Cruzinha, our bird observatory and field study centre set in the Alvor marshes in the Algarve. Cruzinha has a capacity to accommodate up to 14 people; volunteers are normally accommodated in male or female dormitories.

Please note that A Rocha Portugal’s participation in ESC depends on an annual application, submitted in October and subject to ESC’s decision early in the following year.

The ESC application process is separate from our general volunteer application process; please contact A Rocha Portugal directly for information at [email protected].