B02 Repairing the eaves and the roofing of historical barns

Rooms open for those

Who come along

not empty buildings, but places with visible and invisible traces of

history, places which have grown and decayed over centuries, places

which were shaped by those people who lived there long ago as well as

those who only left yesterday – places which will be shaped by all of

those who will live there or who will come as guests.

rooms which want to be filled with dreams and ideas, with meetings and

exchanges, by people of different backgrounds, different cultures,

different generations and different ideas and visions.

 

 

Workcamps

Building Weeks

World Heritage Volunteers

Mid Term Volunteering

 

 

The Idea of Open Houses Network

 

Open Houses – rooms open for those who come along. Open Houses – not empty buildings, but places with visible and invisible traces of history, places which have grown and decayed over the centuries, places which were shaped by those people who lived there long ago as well those who left only yesterday – places which will be shaped by those who live there or who come as a guest. Open Houses – rooms which want to be filled with dreams and ideas, with meetings and exchange, by people of different backgrounds, different cultures, different generations and different ideas and visions.

 

The history of Open Houses Network dates back to the mid-1980s, when a group of young people started to restore village churches in East Germany in voluntary work to protect them from decay. The engagement for these buildings united people who enjoyed the freedom these activities provided and who filled these rooms with life again in ways which by far exceed the craftsmen's work done – through exhibitions, concerts, making music together or just sitting by the camp fire.

 

Meanwhile, rooms free of political and ideological pressure are no longer urgently required; however, places have become rare where people can meet without commercial pressure, free of bureaucracy and institutionalism, free of nepotism and the exclusion which it produces.

 

What should be easy – to go somewhere in order to meet people and to work together – has become difficult. The tightrope walk between, on the one hand, public activities in a monetary and functional sense, and the retreat into private life on the other, is very difficult, and it requires a lot of power and permanent efforts to tackle red tape and financial restrictions.

 

Free spaces are less and less understood as common property, and are permanently being cut back. The idea of public property seems to have gone out of fashion, and places of common responsible work have become rare.

 

Open Houses Network tries to create and protect such spaces. In this process, we do not want to be the do-ers, but be people who have a vision, who want to initiate something, but who also are aware of depending on the co-operation of others. We understand our projects and events as offers – as offers to create space for commitment, for changes, for meetings.

 

The different types of Open Houses' projects

 

Workcamps

For the last 25 years Open Houses has organised international Workcamps at historical monuments and buildings. The projects are mostly situated in the countryside and the places are surrounded by beautiful nature. The Workcamps offer the possibility to live together with people from different countries in basic conditions. The volunteers will take care of the surrounding area and will carry out small renovation works.

 

Often, the mix of different cultures and the willingness to do volunteer work inspires the inhabitants of the region to a new way of working and results to a new view on their own historical buildings especially in rural regions where the old buildings had rarely received any public attention.

 

The volunteers of our Workcamps work six hours per day five days a week. The afternoons and evenings can be used for nearby cultural attractions, games, group activities, campfires and other similar things. On the weekends the volunteers have the possibility to visit nearby places.

 

 

Building Weeks

In addition to the Workcamps Open Houses offers something totally different: Building Weeks. These special projects are tightly linked with the aims and idea of Open Houses: to restore and protect public places with common responsible work.

It is important for Open Houses to allow the buildings to preserve their particular spirit, history and atmosphere. Within the framework of the Building Weeks both, skilled manual workers and those with no manual training, but a certain interest in the topic, are working together to restore historical monuments and carrying out other construction works. Participants of the Building Weeks have a bigger possibility of gaining real experience in handcraft, restoration and other manual tasks and to expand their knowledge.

 

Another aim of the Building Weeks is that the volunteers should share their skills and experiences. To make the work in the Building Weeks as productive as possible, it would be welcome if the volunteers would already have some technical skills and it also would be an advantage if they have previous experience in working on a construction site.

 

Each Building Weeks project lasts for at least two weeks and the groups are small. It is also possible to take part for a shorter time, like just for one week. We offer this opportunity for those who are tied up in working life and haven’t got so much free time.

In Building Weeks the emphasis lays on the manual work and the daily working time is seven hours. On the weekends the volunteers have the possibility to visit nearby places.

 

The different types of Open Houses' projects

 

World Heritage Volunteers

The World Heritage Volunteers initiative was launched in 2008 in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme in order to mobilise and involve young people and youth organisations in heritage preservation and promotion. Since 2008 more than 200 projects at more than 100 World Heritage Sites situated in 46 different countries throughout all five UNESCO regions have been organised, in which more than 3,500 volunteers from over 70 countries worldwide have taken part.

 

The European projects of World Heritage Volunteers are since 2014 coordinated by European Heritage Volunteers, a branch of Open Houses.

 

In the World Heritage Volunteers scheme groups of international volunteers engage in projects on sites inscribed on the World Heritage List or on the Tentative List of the particular countries. World Heritage Volunteers projects last between ten days and one month and combine practical work for the protection, conservation and restoration of cultural or natural heritage with the aim of spreading knowledge about World Heritage among a wider public.

 

The projects' activities include practical work at the World Heritage Sites and hands-on training and workshops geared towards encouraging young people to acquire basic preservation and conservation skills. There are also lectures, guided tours and workshops which follow up the topics of World Heritage as well as the history of the sites. The projects also include contacts and interaction with local initiatives, educational institutions and other local partners.

 

Mid Term Volunteering

Open Houses also offers the possibility to participate for a longer time in volunteer projects. This kind of volunteering gives the opportunity to get to know the hosting organisation and its work and aims in a deeper way. In a time frame between six weeks and four months the volunteers will get the chance to learn a lot about Germany, the culture, language and its people.

 

From June till October Open Houses is looking for around fifteen Mid Term Volunteers. There are two different kinds of MTV projects: Social Camp Leading and Technical Camp Leading.

 

For the time of the voluntary service accommodation, food and insurance are covered by Open Houses. Even more the volunteers get a small pocket money. At the beginning of their service the Mid Term Volunteers will as a kind of introduction for about two weeks take part in a Workcamp as regular volunteers in order to get familiar with Open Houses and the atmosphere of volunteer work.

 

 

Terms of Organisation

 

CHARGES Open Houses' projects are free of charge for participants sent by Alliance Member Organisations or Alliance Partner Organisations.   AGE In general participants have to be at least 18 years old.For MTV projects theage minimum is 20 years.   PARTICIPATION TERM Participants of Workcamps and World Heritage Volunteers Projects have to take part for the whole time of the project. At Building Weeks it is also possible to take part just for one week of the project. This possibility is especially an offer for people who are tied up in their job and often do not have enough time to take part at the whole project.   LANGUAGE In general the language spoken in the camps is English. But in all camps there is also the possibility to practice German with other volunteers, camp leaders and the local people.   INSURANCE In cases of accident, illness and liability all participants from foreign countries are insured by Open Houses. Nevertheless individual travel insuranceis recommended. Participants from the European Union should bring their European Health Insurance Card.   FINANCES All costs linked to the project are covered, including food, accommodation, insurance and transportation during the stay at the project. Travel costs to and from the camp place are not covered. Participants should organise their journey to and from the project place by themselves and on their own expenses. Furthermore participants should bring their own pocket money.

ACCOMMODATION In most of Open Houses' camps the volunteers will live at the same places they also work on, what means that they live more or less on a building site. The accommodation is very simple; there are shared rooms with mattresses. Shower, toilet and kitchen are at the place, but sometimes not in the same building. The equipment is simple but fair. After work, when everybody wants to take a shower, it may happen that there is a limit of hot water.     FOOD The meals will be prepared together as they are part of the community life, what means that every participant will be responsible for the meal at least once during its stay. So it would be very nice if the participants could bring typical recipes from home in order to introduce each other to the preparation of food from all over the world.     LEISURE TIME The camp places are mostly situated in small villagesin rural areas, so the participants should not expect busy places and normal city activities for the leisure time during the working days. Small trips in walking distance are possible in the afternoon. On the weekends it is possible to organise an excursion to nearby cities or to have other leisure activities.   ARRIVAL DAY AND TIME Open Houses' camps start mostly on Sundays or Mondays, the World Heritage Volunteers Projects on Saturday or Sunday. The first day is always the arrival dayand we ask the participants to arrive between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. So all the volunteers can already get to know each other and can have their first common dinner before the work will start at the following morning.

 

Terms of Organisation

 

TRAIN AND BUS TICKETS We recommend to use only local train transportation(RE or RB) and to buy your ticket directly at the railway station in Germany. Intercity trains and similar fast trains (IC or ICE) are very expensive. In Germany there are regional tickets and weekend tickets, which are not too expensive and can be used by up to 5 people in the specific region or all over Germany with local transportation. Additionally, since 2013 there had been established a long distance bus system in Germany. The tickets for the busses can be bought in advance by internet and are often cheaper than those for the trains. Participants will receive further information for the arrival to the camp in the infosheet.   HOW TO GET TO THE CAMP PLACE Most of Open Houses' places are connected to local transportation like busses and trains. On some places the local transport is not operating on weekends, but in this case the camps will start and end on weekdays. Short distances, up to five kilometres from the station to the camp, the volunteers should walk. At other camp places, where the connection to local transportation is very bad and the distance is more than five kilometres, we offer the possibility to pick up the volunteers from the station. We will inform about the local transport of the particular camp sites and about the walking directions in our infosheets in time.     LEAVING THE CAMP As during the camp the participants will make new friends and may make plans for travelling after the camp, we recommend not to buy train tickets for the return trip to the airport in advance.Furthermore, volunteersshould plan if possible some more days for travellingin Germany after the camp.

WHAT TO BRING Usually average temperatures in Germany during the summer time are about 20° to 30°C, during the night it will get colder. It is possible that there may be three weeks of non-stop sunshine, but every day rain is not impossible either.   è Passport è Insurance Certificates (EU-members should bring their European Health Insurance Card; those which have an individual travel insurance should bring the certificate) è sleeping bag è strong shoes really appropriate for practical work è appropriate clothes, waterproof coat è mosquito protection lotion è dictionary è typical recipes, sweets, music, instruments and games from the participants' home country è ideas, games and equipment for group activities and workshops (juggling equipment, poi, handcrafts, etc.)     Please note Open Houses does not provideinternet access or phoneat the sites. So it will be not possible for the participants to check emails or to make phone calls from the project place. The next public phones are at most of the places far away and there are no internet cafesnearby. In case that participants will need access to internet or phone they should prepare themselves in advance. Furthermore washing machines are notavailable at the camp places.

 

World Heritage Volunteers   Parks and Gardens of Classical Weimar Parks und Gärten des Klassischen Weimar

ENVI/STUDY OH-H01 30.07. - 13.08.2016

 

ACCOMMODATION: shared 6- or 8- bed-room in a hostel in the city LOCATION: Next towns:Erfurt (20 km), Jena (20 km) Region: Thuringia TERMINAL: Next railway station: Weimar Next airports: Halle/Leipzig(LEJ, 120 km) Berlin (TXL, SXF, 275 km) AGE: at least 18 WHAT TO BRING: stable work boots, appropriate and waterproof clothes NOTE: Basics of German are very helpful, Motivation letter and CV + photo required

 

Weimar is a beautiful small city, located in the middle of Germany in the state of Thuringia. In the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries this small town saw a remarkable cultural flowering. Enlightened ducal patronage attracted many leading German writers, composers and artists to the town, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller and Franz Liszt, thus making Weimar the cultural centre of Europe at that time. This development is reflected in the high quality of many of the buildings and parks in the surrounding area.

“Classical Weimar” was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1998, the 20^th site in Germany to be recognised as World Heritage. “Classical Weimar” comprises twelve individual buildings and ensembles,all of which portray tangible and intangible elements of Classical Weimar’s cultural heritage. Weimar’s City Castle, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library, Goethe’s and Schiller’s residences, the Town Church, the Ducal Vault with the Historic Cemetery and many others are included on the World Heritage List.

Weimar’s historical parks and gardens connect the historical buildings and their surrounding grounds and are a key feature in the “Classical Weimar” collection: the Park on the Ilm with the Roman House and Goethe’s Garden House, Belvedere Park with its Castle and Orangery, Tiefurt Park and Castle and Ettersburg Park and Castle.

 

During the 20^th century Weimar became the birthplace of the Modern Movement in architecture and aesthetics. “Bauhaus” was developed by merging the Grand Ducal School of Arts and Crafts and the Weimar Academy of Fine Arts. “Bauhaus” had, and still has, a profound influence upon developments in art, architecture, design and typography. The “Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau” are listed as UNESCO World Heritage, too.

For all this historical marks Weimar became in 1999 European Capital of Culture.

World Heritage Volunteers   Parks and Gardens of Classical Weimar Parks und Gärten des Klassischen Weimar

 

The project be will be very intensive and will consist of two parts – a practical working part and a study part.   The practical working part will last six hours per day and take place in the first half of the days. In the afternoons and evenings study and educational activities will be organised.

 

Continuing the World Heritage Volunteers projects having taken place since 2012 at the World Heritage site Classical Weimar the project will support the revitalisation of abandoned parts of Belvedere Park. The volunteers will – based on historical plans and in intensive cooperation with the site management – uncover and restore historical paths which had been disappeared some decades ago.

A part of the group will – alternating from day to day – carry out different gardening and preservation works in other parks belonging to the World Heritage site in mixed groups of international volunteers and local workers, in the same time enabling the participants to get to know the diversity of the World Heritage site Classical Weimar. In these parks are many sloping areas where it is only possible to deal with manual work. The volunteers will support the works as cutting grass, cleaning paths, etc.

 

The study part will give the theoretical background for the project. Depending on the interests of the volunteers there will be lections and guided tours about Classical Weimar mostly organised by Classic Foundation Weimar, the main project partner. The study part will also bring theproject and the World Heritage Volunteers programme in general into a wider public. It will include meetings with the press and presentations held by the participants about World Heritage sites of their home countries.

In their spare time the volunteers will have the possibility to visit museums and exhibitions – for the duration of the project they will have free entrance to all museums managed by Classic Foundation Weimar.

The best way to be mobile in a town like Weimar with a lot of gardens and parks is to discover it by bike. Therefore the participants will have during their stay bicycles for their disposal, which they also have to use to reach the different working places.

Depending on the interests of the volunteers an excursion to another historical complex will be organised on the weekend – to Gotha Residence Castle with its park, which is one of the biggest parks in Germany and includes the eldest English garden outside Great Britain.

World Heritage Volunteers   Maintenance of the Cultural Landscape Middle Rhine Valley Pflege der Kulturlandschaft Mittelrheintal

ENVI/STUDY OH-H02 04.09. - 17.09.2016

 

ACCOMMODATION: shared rooms with mattresses in the Cultural Centre of Kaub, warm showers and toilets LOCATION: Next towns:Koblenz (45 km), Wiesbaden(48 km) Region: Rhineland-Palatinate TERMINAL: Next railway station: Kaub Next airports: Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN, 52 km) Frankfurt/Main (FRA, 72 km) Köln/Bonn (CGN, 136 km) AGE: at least 18 WHAT TO BRING: sleeping bag, stable work boots, appropriate and waterproof clothes NOTE: Motivation letter and CV + photo required

 

The 65km-stretch of the Middle Rhine Valley, with its castles, historic towns and vineyards, graphically illustrates the long history of human involvement with a dramatic and varied natural landscape. It is intimately associated with history and legends and for centuries has exercised a powerful influence on writers, artists and composers.

 

 

As a transport route, the Rhine has served as a link between the southern and northern halves of the continent since prehistoric times, enabling trade and cultural exchange, which in turn led to the establishment of settlements. Condensed into a very small area, these subsequently joined up to form chains of villages and small towns. For over 1,000 years the steep valley sides have been terraced for vineyards.

 

 

The landscape is punctuated by some 40 hill top castles and fortresses erected over a period of around 1,000 years. Abandonment and later the wars of the 17^th century left most as picturesque ruins. The later 18^th century saw the growth of sensibility towards the beauties of nature, and the often dramatic physical scenery of the Middle Rhine Valley, coupled with the many ruined castles on prominent hilltops, made it appeal strongly to the Romantic movement which in turn influenced the form of much 19^th century restoration and reconstruction.

 

 

World Heritage Volunteers   Maintenance of the Cultural Landscape Middle Rhine Valley Pflege der Kulturlandschaft Mittelrheintal

 

The project will consist of two parts – a practical working part and a study part.   The practical working part, which will take place at different parts of the site, will last six hours per day. In the evenings and during the weekend there will be time for the educational and cultural activities.

 

The project will focus on the diversity of the cultural landscape Upper Middle Rhine Valley and illustrate - both during the hands-on part and the educational part - different aspects of the maintenance of the World Heritage site.

 

The conservation of the area is partly in a bad state because of the fact that the vineyards are more or less out of use, that the maintenance both of the biotopes and the dry stone walls is physically demanding and that the knowledge about traditional techniques is disappearing.

Under the guidance of experienced masons the volunteers will the restore parts of the historical dry stone wall system between the former vineyards.

 

Furthermore, the participants will support the conservation of the former defensive system of Marksburg Castle, one of the most picturesque German castles. The stability of one of the walls could be in the future endangered because the raining water flows behind the wall. So it will be necessary to dig the slope and to reconstruct the original way of the water.

 

Another important task will be the maintenance of biotopes as cutting several hectares of long-grass meadows and working with brush cutters. The volunteers will gain different practical skills and will learn about biodiversity and the endangered fauna and flora.

 

The study part will give the theoretical background for the project.

 

During the European Heritage Day on September, 11^th, the public can usually visit heritage sites which are or otherwise not open to the public. The participants of the World Heritage Volunteers project will held guided tours and will explain to the public about special aspects of the World Heritage site, about the work they are carrying out and about the World Heritage Volunteers Initiative. In connection with this event the volunteers will present World Heritage sites of their home countries to the public.

 

Building Weeks   Lohra Castle Burg Lohra	CONS OH-B02 19.06. - 02.07.2016 CONS OH-B03 03.07. - 16.07.2016 CONS OH-B05 31.07. - 13.08.2016 CONS OH-B06 14.08. - 27.08.2016   ACCOMMODATION: shared rooms with 2 - 5 beds in 3 guest houses, warm shower (limited hot water), WC inside, camp kitchen (cold water), coal-burning stoves
In June, July and August Open Houses organises Building Weeks and Workcamps in the same period at Lohra Castle.   The two working groups are living together and they are one community. The only difference between the two projects is the topics they are working on. During the camp it will be possible, that volunteers join the other working group, because of their skills or their own interests. Therefore please also see the Lohra Castle Workcamps descriptions.	LOCATION: Next towns: Bleicherode(6 km), Nordhausen (20 km), Erfurt (75 km) Region: Thuringia TERMINAL: Next railway station: Gebra/Hainleite(5 km) Next bus station: Großlohra, Friedrichslohra/Wartehalle Next airports: Leipzig/Halle (LEJ, 155 km) Frankfurt/Main (FRA, 280 km) Berlin (TXL, SXF, 300 km) AGE: at least 18 WHAT TO BRING: waterproof and strong work boots, rain jacket, appropriate clothes, sleeping bag NOTE: Motivation letter and CV + photo required

 

Lohra Castle is situated in the heart of Germany in Northern Thuringia. The castle, which is surrounded by a scenic hilly landscape, is located on the edge of a nature reserve area. Being one of the largest castles in Thuringia, the history of the castle Lohra begins in the Middle Age. The castle is more than 1000 years old. Today, it includes 20 buildings from different times: medieval fortifications, remnants of a tower from the 11^th century, a roman chapel, a manor from the Renaissance period as well as stables and granaries from the 19^th century.

 

The ensemble is situated in the centre of a beautiful forest. For years Lohra Castle was vacant. In the 1990s Open Houses started to restore the castle and to revive it by cultural activities. Since that time, a large number of Workcamps, Building Weeks, art-workshops, exhibitions, concerts and international meetings took place in the castle.

 

Building Weeks   Lohra Castle Burg Lohra

 

Project Descriptions

 

Project Description

Project Description

Project Descriptions

Project Descriptions

The historical stone bridge crossing the castle moat has to be restored in the future. The therefore necessary replacement bridge will cross the moat on another place than the original bridge did. Therefore the volunteers will construct new paths and stairs so that it will be possible the reach the replacement bridge. Furthermore they will dig holes for the foundations of the replacement bridge as well as for new fences surrounding the ground.

Additionally, the participants will clear up different parts of the ensemble and take care of the green area around by cutting grass, mowing lawn and digging up the garden.

Project Descriptions

The projects of Open Houses are based on sustainable principles. So also the activities at Lohra Castle combine ideas of cultural heritage preservation and ideas of natural heritage preservation.

On one hand the volunteers which are participating at the Building Weeks repair and restore the historical buildings of the castle complex,on the other hand the participants of the Workcamps carry out works in the green areas and the forests around the castle.

 

W01

Lohra Castle is located on the edge of a nature reserve area and surrounded both by beech forests and fruit trees. The site has a stupendous size of ten hectare, most of them green areas for which the volunteers will take care – by cutting and collecting the grass at the meadows and pulling up weeds.

 

W02, W03

Nearby the youth accommodation houses which are part of Lohra Castle complex there is a campsite which can be used by groups of youngsters, too. An abandoned former agricultural building will be rebuilt into a sanitary house for campers. Therefore it is necessary to construct a water line to this building. An excavator will dig the line and the volunteers will accompany this work by collecting stones and bringing in an insulating layer of sand. Later they will under the guidance of a craftsman lay the water pipes and put afterwards the material which had been digged out back into the ditch. The remaining material will be used to fill holes and to level the ground at other parts of the castle. Furthermore the participants will take care of the outdoor area.

 

W04

Because around the outer walls of the castle trees had been grown up during the last two decades, actually the castle is partly not seen from the valley. So, besides taking care of green areas the volunteers will help to cut the trees around the walls in order to expose the view to the castle and will transport the wood to the storage place. Furthermore, they will also clean the paths around the castle.

 

W05, W06, W07, W08, W09

The hilly massive near Lohra Castle is listed as National Nature Reservation and Open Houses supports the Nature Reservation since several years with volunteer activities.

In a forest around four kilometres from the castle the participants will remove trees and bushes which are not corresponding with the protection aims and will collect the wood remaining after maintenance works, load it on a truck and unload it at the castle to store it for wintertime. The smaller material will be used, too, to build traditional fences.

The volunteers will continue the cultivation of the green areas around the castle, too.

Workcamps   Klein Dammerow Manor Gutshaus Klein Dammerow

ENVI OH-W22 04.07. - 15.07.2016 ENVI OH-W23 18.07. - 29.07.2016 ENVI OH-W24 01.08. - 12.08.2016 ENVI OH-W25 15.08. - 26.08.2016

 

ACCOMMODATION: common sleeping room with mattresses, warm shower and toilets LOCATION: Next towns: Plau am See (17 km) Region: Mecklenburg-West Pomerania TERMINAL: Next bus station: Klein Dammerow bei Retzow Next railway station: Lübz (20 km) Next airports: Berlin (TXL, SXF, 160 km), Rostock (HRO, 120 km) AGE: at least 18 WHAT TO BRING: strong shoes, waterproof clothes, sleeping bag

 

Klein Dammerow Manor is located between Berlin and the Baltic Sea and surrounded by nature reserves with many fields, woods, ponds and rivers. The Manor is a very interesting brick building from 1892/93 with a beautiful interior. The walls are covered with clay and painted with lime casein paint. The historical wooden floor planks are revealed and renovated. Most of the rooms are equipped with historical furniture, what gives the house a magnificent attraction.

 

In the huge garden surrounding the Manor House a stone-oven invites to experience conventional bakery, and the fireplace assures nice evenings in the nature, too. The sports area with a football-ground and volleyball-net is just beside. The participants can also enjoy their leisure time discovering the Mecklenburg Lake District. This place is ideal for having a great summer.

 

 

Project Description

The work in Klein Dammerow will mostly consist of gardening and cleaning up the historical park around the house, which has been unused for a long time. Year by year, Open Houses brings back to life another part of the huge garden area. The participants will mow the lawn, cut bushes and trees and reconstruct paths.

 

Beside that the volunteers will carry out small handcraft works as repair a storage house for fire wood, paint fences and similar tasks.

 

Project Description

The participants will work on the reconstruction, recultivation and maintenance of the historical park which had been abandoned for a long time. This will include cutting trees and bushes, constructing small walls from natural stones, levelling the ground as well as cutting and collecting grass. Furthermore the volunteers will lay out new paths in the park and pave them with stones.

Additionally, some small handcraft works will be carried out like painting a storage house, building new fences in traditional style and constructing benches, possible some handcraft works in the historical rectory will be carried out, too.

Because the large park which originally had extended till the lake is hilly and inaccessible for vehicles every material has to be transported by the volunteers with wheelbarrows. The participants should be aware of physically demanding works.

Mid Term Volunteering   Camp Leading Lohra Castle and all other camp places of Open Houses' 2016 programme

SOCI OH-C01 03.06. - 08.10.2016 SOCI OH-C02 03.06. - min. 16.07.2016 SOCI OH-C03 03.07. - min. 29.08.2016 SOCI OH-C04 14.08. - 08.10.2016

 

DURATION: Between six weeks and four months, in exceptional cases less or more The beginning dates are fixed because of the introduction course ACCOMMODATION: Depending on the camp place. Please have a look at the camp place descriptions. AGE: at least 20 LANGUAGE: very good level of English, basics of German, other languages are helpful WHAT TO BRING: alarm bell, calculator, purse, working gloves and strong shoes, waterproof clothes, sleeping bag NOTE: Basics of German, Motivation letter and CV + photo required

 

Organising and leading an international Workcamp is an interesting challenge for those who enjoy working together with young people from all over the world, which are willing to take over a big responsibility and who look forward to a great summer in Germany. The camp leader's role lies in building a bridge between the participants of the Workcamp, the organisation as well as the technical leaders who guide the practical part of the camp. S/he supports the group of volunteers from a social and intercultural point of view.

 

Open Houses is looking for people who are highly motivated and responsible, open minded and which already have some experiences in handling with other people. They should be able to speak English fluently and basics of German.

The main tasks are to organise the social life for all volunteers during the camp period. The leader will welcome the volunteers and make them familiar with the camp site. S/he will prepare the daily schedule, indicating the working and eating times including breaks and will furthermore be responsible for organising the cleaning and cooking teams, alternating within the group. The camp leader will buy the food for the volunteers, having an eye on the everyday changing cooking teams with their individual dishes. Additionally, s/he organises leisure activities after the working days and is welcome to prepare campfires, barbecues, games or other group activities. For the weekends the camp leader should be ready to plan little trips to bigger cities or other activities. A camp leader has rarely time for personal things during the Workcamp. S/he is always the person in charge of everything and contact person in any questions and needs of the volunteers. This should be clear to all applicants.

Mid Term Volunteering   Camp Leading Lohra Castle and all other camp places of Open Houses' 2016 programme

 

It is also important that the social leader stays in close contact to the technical leaders, who are organising the working groups and know which work has to be done. It is helpful to support the technical leaders by taking over the responsibility for a working group, if there are no other works to be done for the social leader. At some camps, especially in environmental camps, it can happen that the functions of social and technical leaders are running more together. So it is good to be prepared also to organise a little bit the working part.

The social leader is also responsible for managing the deduction and finances of the camp and to take care of the documentation – writing down what has been done, taking pictures and leading the evaluation of the camp. It is important to do this documentation with a certain care, so that the social leader which will lead the following camp will know what happened in the past and doesn’t need to look for the same information or to do the same mistake a second time.

 

Project Description

The social camp leader has to be able to work independently as well as in a team. Since most of the camps are organised by several camp leaders (one or two social and one or more technical leaders) it is necessary to agree upon several issues in a team.

All in all, leading a camp means a lot of work and empathy as well as a lot of fun. Open Houses gives the camp leaders the opportunity to be creative and to take over responsibility for their own work. Of course, they will not be left alone in their role.

 

Before getting active as a camp leader s/he will take part in one camp as a volunteer, parallel will be time for the introduction as camp leader. It will be a good experience to be an “ordinary participant” for one or two weeks and to get to know the camp leader's tasks from the participants' point of view. After experiencing the atmosphere of the first camp and after Open Houses and the potential camp leader have gotten to know each other better, Open Houses will decide if s/he will be able to lead camps or not or if s/he would need an additional introduction time.

During the summer season Open Houses organises a lot of Workcamps in different places in Germany. Depending on the camp leader's interests and abilities Open Houses and the potential camp leader will decide together where s/he will lead camps. In general, Open Houses offers two possibilities: The volunteers can lead several successive camps in one place (at Lohra Castle, partly also at Klein Dammerow Manor) or can lead different camps at various places.

 

For each real camp leading week the volunteer gets 50? pocket money. S/he does not have to pay for food and accommodation. The camp leader will receive the pocket money after the camp, when all the camp documents will be checked by the office staff and everything will be fine.

 

Mid Term Volunteering   Support of Technical Leading of Workcamps Different camp places of Open Houses

CONS OH-C05 03.06. - 08.10.2016 CONS OH-C06 03.06. - min. 16.07.2016 CONS OH-C07 03.07. - min. 27.08.2016 CONS OH-C08 14.08. - min. 24.09.2016

 

ACCOMMODATION: Depending on the camp place. Please, have a look in the camp place descriptions. AGE: at least 20 LANGUAGE: English; basic knowledge of German and other languages are helpful WHAT TO BRING: working gloves and strong working shoes, waterproof clothes, sleeping bag NOTE: Motivation letter and CV + photo required

 

Organising and leading an international Workcamp is an interesting challenge for those who enjoy working together with young people from all over the world and which are willing to take over responsibility.

For young and older people more interested in the technical side of the works than in the organisation of the social life Open Houses offers the possibility to support the technical leading of Workcamps and Building Weeks in the framework of Mid Term Volunteering. This could be an interesting task for skilled craftsmen, for those which have own manual experiences or for those which want to train their organisational skills.

 

The leading of the technical side of the Workcamps lies in the hands of one of Open Houses' technical leaders. The volunteer which supports him can overtake a part of the technical leaders' responsibility. Depending on the wishes, the skills and the experience of the volunteer this can be the organisation of the schedule of the working day, the responsibility for tools and material, the leading of a smaller group of volunteers or more special tasks.

 

For students of architecture, building engineering and similar fields this kind of voluntary service can be recognized as internship for their studies. Open Houses will offer the necessary certificates.

Because of the big variety of the individual curricula and experiences Open Houses will create for every volunteer an individual plan of the voluntary service, including introduction, supervision and evaluation.

 

Per every week the volunteer supports the technical leader s/he receives 50? pocket money. S/he does not have to pay for food and accommodation and can take part in all cultural activities and excursions of the camps.

 

 

 

 

 

Goetheplatz 9 B   Goethplatz 9 B D – 99423 Weimar   Tel.: ++49 / (0) 3643 / 50 28 97 (only German speaking) Fax: ++49 / (0) 3643 / 85 11 17   Web: www.openhouses.de

 

g General Co-operation Bert Ludwig

Mobile: ++49 / (0) 172 / 77 46 913

[e-mail]

 

 

g Incoming Sarah Renner

MTV Mobile: ++ 49 / (0) 176 / 188 08 116

[e-mail]

 

g Outgoing Sarah Renner

[e-mail]

Rooms open for those

Who come along

not empty buildings, but places with visible and invisible traces of

history, places which have grown and decayed over centuries, places

which were shaped by those people who lived there long ago as well as

those who only left yesterday – places which will be shaped by all of

those who will live there or who will come as guests.

rooms which want to be filled with dreams and ideas, with meetings and

exchanges, by people of different backgrounds, different cultures,

different generations and different ideas and visions.

 

 

Workcamps

Building Weeks

World Heritage Volunteers

Mid Term Volunteering

 

 

The Idea of Open Houses Network

 

Open Houses – rooms open for those who come along. Open Houses – not empty buildings, but places with visible and invisible traces of history, places which have grown and decayed over the centuries, places which were shaped by those people who lived there long ago as well those who left only yesterday – places which will be shaped by those who live there or who come as a guest. Open Houses – rooms which want to be filled with dreams and ideas, with meetings and exchange, by people of different backgrounds, different cultures, different generations and different ideas and visions.

 

The history of Open Houses Network dates back to the mid-1980s, when a group of young people started to restore village churches in East Germany in voluntary work to protect them from decay. The engagement for these buildings united people who enjoyed the freedom these activities provided and who filled these rooms with life again in ways which by far exceed the craftsmen's work done – through exhibitions, concerts, making music together or just sitting by the camp fire.

 

Meanwhile, rooms free of political and ideological pressure are no longer urgently required; however, places have become rare where people can meet without commercial pressure, free of bureaucracy and institutionalism, free of nepotism and the exclusion which it produces.

 

What should be easy – to go somewhere in order to meet people and to work together – has become difficult. The tightrope walk between, on the one hand, public activities in a monetary and functional sense, and the retreat into private life on the other, is very difficult, and it requires a lot of power and permanent efforts to tackle red tape and financial restrictions.

 

Free spaces are less and less understood as common property, and are permanently being cut back. The idea of public property seems to have gone out of fashion, and places of common responsible work have become rare.

 

Open Houses Network tries to create and protect such spaces. In this process, we do not want to be the do-ers, but be people who have a vision, who want to initiate something, but who also are aware of depending on the co-operation of others. We understand our projects and events as offers – as offers to create space for commitment, for changes, for meetings.

 

The different types of Open Houses' projects

 

Workcamps

For the last 25 years Open Houses has organised international Workcamps at historical monuments and buildings. The projects are mostly situated in the countryside and the places are surrounded by beautiful nature. The Workcamps offer the possibility to live together with people from different countries in basic conditions. The volunteers will take care of the surrounding area and will carry out small renovation works.

 

Often, the mix of different cultures and the willingness to do volunteer work inspires the inhabitants of the region to a new way of working and results to a new view on their own historical buildings especially in rural regions where the old buildings had rarely received any public attention.

 

The volunteers of our Workcamps work six hours per day five days a week. The afternoons and evenings can be used for nearby cultural attractions, games, group activities, campfires and other similar things. On the weekends the volunteers have the possibility to visit nearby places.

 

 

Building Weeks

In addition to the Workcamps Open Houses offers something totally different: Building Weeks. These special projects are tightly linked with the aims and idea of Open Houses: to restore and protect public places with common responsible work.

It is important for Open Houses to allow the buildings to preserve their particular spirit, history and atmosphere. Within the framework of the Building Weeks both, skilled manual workers and those with no manual training, but a certain interest in the topic, are working together to restore historical monuments and carrying out other construction works. Participants of the Building Weeks have a bigger possibility of gaining real experience in handcraft, restoration and other manual tasks and to expand their knowledge.

 

Another aim of the Building Weeks is that the volunteers should share their skills and experiences. To make the work in the Building Weeks as productive as possible, it would be welcome if the volunteers would already have some technical skills and it also would be an advantage if they have previous experience in working on a construction site.

 

Each Building Weeks project lasts for at least two weeks and the groups are small. It is also possible to take part for a shorter time, like just for one week. We offer this opportunity for those who are tied up in working life and haven’t got so much free time.

In Building Weeks the emphasis lays on the manual work and the daily working time is seven hours. On the weekends the volunteers have the possibility to visit nearby places.

 

The different types of Open Houses' projects

 

World Heritage Volunteers

The World Heritage Volunteers initiative was launched in 2008 in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme in order to mobilise and involve young people and youth organisations in heritage preservation and promotion. Since 2008 more than 200 projects at more than 100 World Heritage Sites situated in 46 different countries throughout all five UNESCO regions have been organised, in which more than 3,500 volunteers from over 70 countries worldwide have taken part.

 

The European projects of World Heritage Volunteers are since 2014 coordinated by European Heritage Volunteers, a branch of Open Houses.

 

In the World Heritage Volunteers scheme groups of international volunteers engage in projects on sites inscribed on the World Heritage List or on the Tentative List of the particular countries. World Heritage Volunteers projects last between ten days and one month and combine practical work for the protection, conservation and restoration of cultural or natural heritage with the aim of spreading knowledge about World Heritage among a wider public.

 

The projects' activities include practical work at the World Heritage Sites and hands-on training and workshops geared towards encouraging young people to acquire basic preservation and conservation skills. There are also lectures, guided tours and workshops which follow up the topics of World Heritage as well as the history of the sites. The projects also include contacts and interaction with local initiatives, educational institutions and other local partners.

 

Mid Term Volunteering

Open Houses also offers the possibility to participate for a longer time in volunteer projects. This kind of volunteering gives the opportunity to get to know the hosting organisation and its work and aims in a deeper way. In a time frame between six weeks and four months the volunteers will get the chance to learn a lot about Germany, the culture, language and its people.

 

From June till October Open Houses is looking for around fifteen Mid Term Volunteers. There are two different kinds of MTV projects: Social Camp Leading and Technical Camp Leading.

 

For the time of the voluntary service accommodation, food and insurance are covered by Open Houses. Even more the volunteers get a small pocket money. At the beginning of their service the Mid Term Volunteers will as a kind of introduction for about two weeks take part in a Workcamp as regular volunteers in order to get familiar with Open Houses and the atmosphere of volunteer work.

 

 

Terms of Organisation

 

CHARGES Open Houses' projects are free of charge for participants sent by Alliance Member Organisations or Alliance Partner Organisations.   AGE In general participants have to be at least 18 years old.For MTV projects theage minimum is 20 years.   PARTICIPATION TERM Participants of Workcamps and World Heritage Volunteers Projects have to take part for the whole time of the project. At Building Weeks it is also possible to take part just for one week of the project. This possibility is especially an offer for people who are tied up in their job and often do not have enough time to take part at the whole project.   LANGUAGE In general the language spoken in the camps is English. But in all camps there is also the possibility to practice German with other volunteers, camp leaders and the local people.   INSURANCE In cases of accident, illness and liability all participants from foreign countries are insured by Open Houses. Nevertheless individual travel insuranceis recommended. Participants from the European Union should bring their European Health Insurance Card.   FINANCES All costs linked to the project are covered, including food, accommodation, insurance and transportation during the stay at the project. Travel costs to and from the camp place are not covered. Participants should organise their journey to and from the project place by themselves and on their own expenses. Furthermore participants should bring their own pocket money.

ACCOMMODATION In most of Open Houses' camps the volunteers will live at the same places they also work on, what means that they live more or less on a building site. The accommodation is very simple; there are shared rooms with mattresses. Shower, toilet and kitchen are at the place, but sometimes not in the same building. The equipment is simple but fair. After work, when everybody wants to take a shower, it may happen that there is a limit of hot water.     FOOD The meals will be prepared together as they are part of the community life, what means that every participant will be responsible for the meal at least once during its stay. So it would be very nice if the participants could bring typical recipes from home in order to introduce each other to the preparation of food from all over the world.     LEISURE TIME The camp places are mostly situated in small villagesin rural areas, so the participants should not expect busy places and normal city activities for the leisure time during the working days. Small trips in walking distance are possible in the afternoon. On the weekends it is possible to organise an excursion to nearby cities or to have other leisure activities.   ARRIVAL DAY AND TIME Open Houses' camps start mostly on Sundays or Mondays, the World Heritage Volunteers Projects on Saturday or Sunday. The first day is always the arrival dayand we ask the participants to arrive between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. So all the volunteers can already get to know each other and can have their first common dinner before the work will start at the following morning.

 

Terms of Organisation