Heritage: a common good, a common responsibility. Erasmus+/Youth in Action European Voluntary Service Project Presentation

Transcription

1 Heritage: a common good, a common responsibility Erasmus+/Youth in Action European Voluntary Service Project Presentation

2 1. Coordinating and host organisation: Palombar Palombar - Associação de Conservação da Natureza e do Património Rural (Association for Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation) is a non-profit organisation, founded in 2000, whose main goals are conserving agricultural, wild and forest ecosystems, as well as preserving its built heritage and respective traditional construction techniques. Even though its intervention territory has been expanding, it has mainly worked in Trás-os-Montes, Portugal. By acting continuously in diverse areas, Palombar intends to dynamise rural territories which have often been left abandoned, prioritising not only direct action in the field, but also the transmission of knowledge that has guided sustainable landscape management by local communities throughout centuries. Its mission is thus to preserve natural and built heritage, ensuring their continuity by conserving resources and transmitting knowledge, through a pedagogical and cooperative approach which is expected to be enriching to individuals and to bring dynamism to the rural world (both economical and social). 2. Sending organisation: AVRIL AVRIL Association is involved in education about the environment and the protection of natural systems, mainly aquatic ecosystems as wet zones. One of its main objectives is the preservation of the water quality by developing eco-citizenship. In order to achieve this aim we strive to bring awareness to the public through underlining the importance of maintaining running water sources. Its main activities are water classes for children, training courses for adults, volunteer works, tourism activities, European Youth exchanges, European training courses, hosting and sending EVS. AVRIL was created in 1983 by 5 volunteers who meant to work on litter recycling (today, this activity is no longer the main one). It comprises 95 members, 15 volunteers, 9 members of the Board of Directors meeting once a month in order to decide the objectives of the association. Their decisions are enforced by a team of 10 employees: 1 headmaster, 6 persons running nature activities, 1 international coordinator, 1 maintaining man and 1 secretary. It is located in St. Pierre de Coutances (in a former water station converted by the Coutances Township Council, who placed the building at the association's disposal), 2 kms away from Coutances' town center ( inhabitants), 90 kms away from Caen and 120 kms away from Rennes.

3 2. The context: what is it like? Trás-os-Montes is a region that carries isolation and marginalisation in its own name - it literally means "behind the hills", which points to the distance that separates it from the central power and the big cities. Being historically peripheral, its inhabitants have always had difficulty accessing education, culture, payed jobs and even basic services (medical care, etc.). The fact that up until the 1950s their livelihoods were completely ingrained with agriculture and its cycles made them culturally isolated as well. Although contemporary communication means have allowed for some openness, this region is still isolated, desertified and aged, which is why the action of an organisation such as ours has such an incredibly relevant role in rural development and promoting local dynamism. Our activities are centralised in Uva, a small village in the municipality of Vimioso, known for its landscape filled with traditional dovecotes. It has about 50 inhabitants, of which only one is under 40, and most of them are retired, but still doing subsistence small-scale farming. Uva does not offer any public services (including school, transportation, health centre) and its only establishment is a café which is usually open for about only 6 hours per day; itinerant sellers pass by every day, bringing different, specialised produce every day (meat, fish, bread, fruit, groceries). Currently, Palombar has 8 of its employees and volunteers living there, contributing significantly for its revitalisation. That is where we have our main office, the Traditional Dovecotes' Interpretation Centre, a native tree nursery, a sustainable vegetable garden, and our main storage room. Consequently, it is where most of our work is done - however, it is also the point from which we depart to work in the broader region (Mogadouro, Miranda do Douro, Alfândega da Fé, Torre de Moncorvo, etc.). Due to its size and lack of structure, Uva is highly dependent on Vimioso, a town, head of the municipality, which is located about 20 kms away. Roughly tucked between three rivers - Sabor, Maçãs and Angueira -, and having had most of its territory farmed until about 60 years ago, Vimioso's surroudings are a biodiversity hotspot. As for the town, it concentrates all public services (school until the 9th grade, health centre, town hall, library, cultural centre, court house, firefighters, Loja do Cidadão, buses connecting to Oporto, Lisbon and Bragança), as well as other important establishments and shops (chemists', supermarkets, banks, cafés, restaurants, etc.). It is not directly connected to any highway, but it is not too far from two main roads: A4 which connects to Oporto, and IC5, which runs South; it is not connected by train or boat. The two nearest cities, both about 70 kms away, are Bragança, towards the North, and Zamora, in Spain, towards the East; the region's connection to Spain should not be overlooked, as mobility (physical and economical) is rather common, both ways.

4 3. The EVS project: Heritage - a common good, a common responsibility Project summary Northeastern Trás-os-Montes is one of the most isolated, deserted, aged and economically depressed of Portugal: youth has been migrating to other European countries to look for better opportunities since the 1950s, birth rates have been alarmingly low ever since, and the abrupt changes in the productive system due to agriculture s mechanization (which happened around the same period) are still taking their toll in the economy. Simultaneously, however, this region is one of the richest and most diverse in terms of cultural and natural heritage: its isolation throughout History created very particular livelihoods and customs, and the multiplicity of its habitats associated with the almost complete abandonment of previously farmed lands for over six decades resulted in a unique booming biodiversity. As one puts together these two opposite dimensions declining and prosperous - of the same reality, an obvious question arises: who will look after and pass down such incredible natural and cultural heritage? Palombar and its workers have been entirely devoted to that since its foundation, but it s still not enough: there is yet much conservation work to be done and more awareness needs to be raised, especially amongst local youth. This project, thus, intends to be a creative and proactive answer to the question asked above. By bringing together international volunteer work and local heritage conservation/transmission, emphasis is being given to the fact that the latter is, always, a common good, and that we are all responsible for its protection; and passing down this message to youth - both the actual participants and the local youngsters with whom they will be in touch is absolutely essential, as they are the ones who will determine the future of heritage. Simultaneously, we intend this project to contribute to the personal growth of all the young people who it will reach. In a more immediate level, two participants will have a unique learning opportunity by integrating, for 6 months each (May to November, November to May), Palombar s professional team and by contributing to the development of its day-to-day work in nature conservation and rural heritage preservation; the personal experience is also expected to be enriching, as volunteers will be living and working in a different cultural context, feeling useful and, hopefully, more self-confident. Indirectly, as local youngsters will be in touch with the project s participants, they will become more aware of its goals and of the role that they might still play in the preservation of their heritage. In the same line, this project means to make the entire region especially the village in which the volunteers will be living - more dynamic: it will contribute to its revitalisation and it will fight its isolation and cultural stagnation. We do believe that the participants interaction with the local community will, at the same time, provide it with a general sense of well-being (particularly where lonely seniors are concerned) and have a direct impact on awareness raising to this issue amongst its members. Duration of the project: 14 months Duration of the mobility periods: 185 days each (approximately 6 months)

5 Project dates: 01/05/2017 to 30/06/2018 Mobility dates: 1) 15/05/2017 to 15/11/2017 (flexibility to postpone the departure up until 30/05/2017) 2) 15/11/2017 to 18/05/2018 Mobility location: Uva, Vimioso municipality, Portugal Partner organisations: Palombar, AVRIL Association Participants per mobility period: 1 Total number of participants: 2 Main activities to be developed by volunteers: - Maintenance of dovecotes, artificial feeding units and vulture feeding sites; - Monitoring bird population; - Participating in the native forest project; - Forest fire surveillance and prevention; - Preparation and maintenance of the communal vegetable garden; - Restoring traditional architecture elements; - Provide support during international volunteer workcamps; - Individual project; - Monitoring and self-assessment sessions. Accommodation: A house, in Uva, equipped with a kitchen/living room, bathroom and two rooms one belonging to Palombar s staff and the other to two volunteers (one of whom is the EVS participant). How to get to Uva: The easiest way is to fly to Porto and, from there, take the bus to Vimioso; someone from Palombar will then drive the volunteers to Uva. If you are interested in applying, please write to Agi Musset from AVRIL Association through international@associationavril.org