Work & Volunteer Tasks

• Dry-stone restoration: restoring dry-stone agricultural margins between Ordal and Sant Pau d'Ordal, as well as repairing a traditional shepherd’s stone hut near the Subirats Archaeological area.

• Heritage mapping: locating and documenting dry-stone structures using the Wikipedra platform in collaboration with local historical experts (CESUB).

• Civil war heritage: restoring and maintaining historical Civil War trenches to improve access for visitors.

• Community maintenance & environment: maintaining public benches and a local children's playground in Sant Pau d'Ordal, plus building and installing bird nest boxes.

• Schedule: technical tasks run Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 13:00 (with a morning rest/snack break), subject to minor adjustments based on weather.

Hosting Organization: Grup d'Esplai Vidrerenc (GEPV), a non-profit youth organization based in Vidreres. Operating on a voluntary basis, they focus on non-formal education and leisure activities for youth aged 3–17 during the winter, while hosting summer day camps (Casal-Casalet, Casal Jove) and international/local volunteer workcamps.

Description of Location and Leisure

• Coexistence Space & Venue: Takes place at Escola Salvador Espriu on the outskirts of Vidreres. The school's gymnasium serves as the living quarters with individual mattresses and shelving, nearby showers, and a canteen for meals.

• Daily On-Site Amenities: A municipal swimming pool located right across from the school is used daily by volunteers, and the Vidreres town center is a 10-minute walk away.

• Cultural & Group Cohesion Activities: Designed to build group awareness, foster respect, and fulfill camp objectives through activities such as ice-breaking games, town scavenger hunts, mask-making workshops, non-contact sports nights, stargazing, orienteering races, group dynamics, outdoor dinners, and movie nights.

• Catalan Traditions: Cultural immersion workshops introducing traditional Catalan dances, games, and Catalan bowling matches.

• Excursions & Regional Travel: Group trips to local tourist highlights, including Banyoles Lake, nearby Costa Brava beaches, Tossa de Mar, Sils Lakes, and the historic city of Girona.

Work & Volunteer Tasks

• Archaeological excavation & registration: Main project focus centered on Sant Iscle Castle (Castell de Sant Iscle). In small rotating teams, volunteers learn and apply excavation techniques based on the nature of the findings, mapping sectors, and discovering Catalonia's cultural heritage.

• Archaeological processing & cleaning: Manual cleaning, sorting, and registering of recovered historical materials and artifacts.

• Heritage conservation & site upkeep: Active conservation tasks to combat site abandonment, clean surrounding brush/debris, and protect the ruins against structural deterioration.

• Community & cultural engagement: Participation in town scavenger hunts, local excursions (such as Banyoles Lake, Girona, or the beach), Catalan culture workshops (bowling, traditional dances), and group dynamic activities.

Work & Volunteer tasks

• Path recovery & clearance: mowing overgrown spring grass and bushes to make traditional valley paths comfortably accessible on foot.

• Trail maintenance & debris removal: clearing fallen stones from pathways and stacking them neatly along the edges.

• Dry-stone wall repair: rebuilding simple sections of fallen dry-stone walls along the trails.

• Waymarking & signage: updating and repainting trail tracking marks according to the guidelines of the Alt Pirineu Natural Park.

• Cobblestone restoration: repairing and relaying worn cobblestone/paved sections of the ancient trails.

Hosting Organization: Olesa de Bonesvalls City Council, in collaboration with Fundació Catalana de l'Esplai (Fundesplai). Established over 30 years ago, Fundesplai is a prominent Catalan non-profit focused on youth education, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and leisure activities, annually reaching over 400,000 individuals across Catalonia.

Description of Location and Leisure

• Coexistence Space & Venue: Takes place at the Centre Cívic d'Olesa de Bonesvalls in the town center next to the City Hall. Features a large shared sleeping room (bunk beds, non-gender separated), indoor restrooms and showers, a recreation room, an outdoor porch, and access to a small kitchen area with refrigerators, a microwave, a sink, and a coffee machine.

• Daily On-Site Amenities & Group Dynamics: Daily access to a nearby municipal swimming pool, group games, workshops, and leisure dynamics centered around local traditions.

• Protected Natural & Cultural Landscape: Set in the El Penedès region—Catalonia's premier wine and cava producing territory—situated between the Vilafranca plain and the Ordal mountains, characterized by historic terraced vineyards supported by traditional dry-stone architecture (UNESCO Cultural Heritage).

• Cultural Traditions & Community Integration: Direct participation in local events, including attending rehearsals of a castellers human tower group in Vilafranca del Penedès and assisting with the organization of the annual Festival Música Clàssica Pedra Viva Molins (August 7–8) at the historic Hospital de Cervelló.

• Excursions & Regional Travel: Group visits to local historical sites, museums, a wine and cava production facility, Vilafranca del Penedès (the Catalan wine capital), and the medieval 13th-century Hospital de Cervelló complex along the ancient Camí Ral (Royal Road).

  
  

Work & Volunteer Tasks

• Dry-stone restoration & heritage preservation: Repairing and maintaining UNESCO-recognized dry-stone vineyard boundary walls, terraces, and traditional shepherd's stone huts.

• Trail & historical road maintenance: Clearing, cleaning, and adapting local paths and trails, including restoration work along the medieval Camí Ral and public areas around the Hospital de Cervelló.

• Animal sanctuary support: Assisting the Forest Horses association with maintaining pastures, repairing fences, and arranging water troughs for rescued horses.

• Public space & municipal upkeep: Engaging in general maintenance and improvement projects for local public infrastructure alongside community members and heritage experts.

Hosting Organization: Emys Foundation (Fundació Emys), a non-profit organization established in 2003 and based at Can Moragues (Riudarenes). They specialize in nature conservation, land stewardship, environmental education, and university-partnered research, focusing primarily on wetland restoration and protecting Catalonia's endangered European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis).

Description of Location and Leisure

• Coexistence Space & Venue: Takes place at the Sala Cultural de La Laguna in Sils. The center's main theater/dance hall serves as a shared sleeping area, complemented by ground-floor multi-use spaces, gender-divided restrooms and showers, an upper-level space ("El Galliner"), Wi-Fi, and a basic functional kitchen for rotation-based cooking.

• Daily On-Site Amenities & Group Dynamics: Access to the local municipal swimming pool, daily team-building dynamics, and self-management activities ("Do It Together").

• Protected Natural Environment: Located in Sils, a town of ~6,100 inhabitants in the comarca de la Selva. Work and free time are set around Sils Lake (Estany de Sils), a protected wetland area within Catalonia's PEIN network and the European Natura 2000 network that preserves rare Mediterranean flora and fauna.

• Cultural Traditions & Community Integration: Stargazing workshops and cultural exchanges with local residents, including joint sessions featuring traditional Catalan dances.

• Excursions & Regional Travel: Group visits to Can Moragues (Emys Foundation headquarters in Riudarenes), the historic city of Girona, coastal towns along the Costa Brava, and Farners Castle (Castell de Farners).

  
  

Work & Volunteer Tasks

• Wetland restoration & habitat management: Physical, hands-on environmental work to clear, restore, and maintain the protected Sils Lake natural area.

• Biodiversity monitoring & land stewardship: Learning directly from university-backed researchers and conservation technicians about wetland ecosystems, land stewardship practices, and the protection of Emys orbicularis.

• Environmental awareness & education: Participating in environmental education workshops on ecological impact, responsible consumption, resource management, and regional conservation realities.

• Community interaction & diffusion: Engaging with local residents during evening activities and taking an active role in sharing values of cooperation and environmental respect.

Work & Volunteer tasks

• Path recovery & clearance: mowing overgrown spring grass and bushes to make traditional valley paths comfortably accessible on foot.

• Trail maintenance & debris removal: clearing fallen stones from pathways and stacking them neatly along the edges.

• Dry-stone wall repair: rebuilding simple sections of fallen dry-stone walls along the trails.

• Waymarking & signage: updating and repainting trail tracking marks according to the guidelines of the Alt Pirineu Natural Park.

• Cobblestone restoration: repairing and relaying worn cobblestone/paved sections of the ancient trails.

Work & Volunteer tasks

• Path recovery & clearance: mowing overgrown spring grass and bushes to make traditional valley paths comfortably accessible on foot.

• Trail maintenance & debris removal: clearing fallen stones from pathways and stacking them neatly along the edges.

• Dry-stone wall repair: rebuilding simple sections of fallen dry-stone walls along the trails.

• Waymarking & signage: updating and repainting trail tracking marks according to the guidelines of the Alt Pirineu Natural Park.

• Cobblestone restoration: repairing and relaying worn cobblestone/paved sections of the ancient trails.

CAT11ESCVT/26 "From restoring an old well, kayaking, and taking trips to the sea, to cheering for Spain in the World Cup, this workcamp was an incredible adventure."

I have very good relation with leaders and volunteers because with the activities we aquiere skill like communication, team Work and leadership."