The terms – upcoming Tamjdems in 2012

Tamjdem = non-formal volunteer weekends of Duha association. You have an opportunity to help a non-governmental organization to spend a weekend a bit different and to meet Czech and foreign volunteers and you can easily practice your Czech and English. If you are interested in Tamjdems for the year 2012 just write us at tamjdem(at)duha.cz and we file you into our volunteers database. You will be informed about upcoming Tamjdems two times in a month. It is worth it.

The bit different weekends take place in various NGOs with wide field of activities (ecological centers, community centers, leisure time centers, alternative theaters, festivals and castles). What we do?  We built, we destroy, we paint, we milk goats….sometimes we try to bake apple cakes. Thanks to e-mail invitations you will have a chance to choose the right Tamjdem for you IN TIME.

Where are we heading to in 2012? We start in February!

Are you interested in hippotherapy, ecology, maintenance of historical buildings or something else? Let´s explore all the places you might wish to see.

Let us know about your interests and help us create Tamjdem events according to your wishes. It´s very easy! Just press Like under the organization you´d like to work with.

The association working with handicapped people.

On the foothills of Železné hory, at the little village Modletín exists a Benediktus Community Center. It is a community house where handicapped and non-handicapped people live, work and have fun together. The question is: What does the Benediktus organization work on?  A) An historical spa building B) A handicraft room C) Tourist Info center D) A music group. The answer is: All of the above! Through Tamjdem you get to know the true story of the spa and how the tourist center will look like. Do you want to know more? Read an article here.

ALKA is a non-profit organization in Příbram with the aim to gather children with hard physical and combined handicaps and their parents alike. They provide their clients by therapies, social, health and pedagogical services and they indeed use a horse´s power to help the clients – hiporehabilitation. Tamjdem has already explored the organization once, helped with building new fences and constructing benches. It rained like hell, we roasted sausages on a pan, tried to sit on a horse back and saw unusual things. See more photos here.

Protection of cultural heritage

The organization Propolis, which is settled in the small town Chříc (just half way between Prague and Plzen), set out to transform a dilapidated brewery into a living place, which will soon become a cultural and social center. They organize festivals or carnivals. There is a lot of work to be done, between construction tasks, taking care of the forest or of the garden. Do you know how many functions can an old brewery be used for? You can also be helpful and help Propolis achieve its goals. You can find the pictures of our hard work here.

And more:

Hartenberg is an old and mystic castle, which is situated in the forest of Karlovy Vary. The aim of the Hartenberg association is the protection of cultural and natural heritage. Do you want to know how to build a castle? Do you think that a wheelbarrow can be pulled down a staircase? And what about using eggs to make mortar? During our last visit, we learned not only about the castle, but also about it’s connection with Goethe.

Alternative culture and religion

The Buddhist Cultural Society is hidden in Vyhlídky, near České Budějovice. Over the years, they gradually transformed an old pig farm into a Buddhist temple.  They organize meditation sessions, art workshops and seminars of philosophy. Do you believe it is possible to chop wood while meditating? So lets explore and learn more about Buddhists and how they live in the countryside. Can you paint a doghouse in green?

And from Buddhists to the ecological centers…

Ecological center, nature protection and ZOO

Zoopark Zájezd association is not a common ZOO. The Zoo presents their visitors with a lot of activities such as constructing an aviary with natural materials and tries not to interfere with the original landscape character. Do you know what it’s like to sleep next to a camel and feed lemurs? Do you want to see, with your own eyes, chameleons that are not bigger than a pinkie toe?  Or help the local workers with the preparations for the season? You can find the Zoo’s “behind the scenes” report here…

The Kapral’s mill is located in the Moravian Carst, near Brno, and is being reconstructed in order to become an ecological Scouts center. The mill is teeming with experts on the surrounding nature – plants, animals, sometimes tourists or bizarre mill mechanisms. What is the role of the vodník(water-sprite) in the mill and where can you find the best beer in the surroundings? Do you want to stretch your muscles and help moving on with the construction of the building?

The Renata association runs two eco-centers, eco-consulting centers and builds eco-pathways. Eco-center Renata situated in Bělá u Jevíčka is one of the biggest centers in Czech Republic. It is settled in an old farm and surrounded by large meadows, fields and forests – just a perfect place for Tamjdem! The association has been reconstructing the farm since 2001 and has extended the variety of activities and services they offer to the wide public. They have some farm animals there, hold lectures, have ECO exhibition and they build eco buildings. We are heading there to explore all the interesting things about the organization, take a walk on the eco-pathways and help with spring manual work outside at a bio-garden.

17. February, 2012   Tamjdem in Benediktus

The first Tamjdem of 2012 is going to take place in Benediktus Community Center, during the weekend of February 17-19. The organization is settled on the foothills of Železné hory, at the little village Modletín. It is a community house where handicapped and non-handicapped people live, work and have fun together. The organization is inspired by an international network of communities called Archa (www.larche.org). Benediktus has been reconstructing two old houses in Modletín, but it is not ordinary houses, but historical buildings of a former spa. They are reconstructing it with the aim of creating a community center for clients and workers, handicraft rooms, and information center with a small version of a pub for tourists. Through Tamjdem you get to know the true story of the spa and a miraculous water! Do you want to know how it was in our last project? Read an article here. Or you can check out the photos here and here. (more)

HAVE OWN IDEAS HOW TO SPEND A WEEKEND IN AN ACTIVE WAY?

Do you have an idea for a weekend project that you would like to organise in your organisation? Or simply with an NGO that you know or would like to discover? Contact us and lets set a date!

The Tamjdem team will help you to run your own  weekend project! Tamjdem wants to give you new opportunities to be involved in changing volunteering activities in CZ.

Do not hesitate to contact us on tamjdem(at)duha.cz!