Radi Vidi Pats
Zadini
Launkalnes pagasts, Smiltenes novads, Latvia
⭐️ Activity Title
Fruits and Campfires:Fall in Zadiņi
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🔷 Activity Details
Description
"Fruits and Campfires: Fall in Zadiņi" is a short-term volunteering activity designed to provide participants with hands-on experience in sustainable living, permaculture, and eco-community dynamics. The core goal of the project is to foster non-formal learning around self-sufficiency, ecological gardening, and natural building while actively supporting the homestead’s preparation for the winter season.
The project has a clear focus on social inclusion, creating an enabling space where young people with limited opportunities (facing educational, economic, geographical or social barriers) collaborate with their peers who have more opportunities. Through joint practical work and group reflection, the project overcomes social differences, promotes empathy and ensures equal access to non-formal education and personal growth.
Main Tasks & Learning Outcomes:
- Large-Scale Cooking & Meal Prep: Learning to plan, organize, and prepare nutrition for large groups.
- Food Preservation Techniques: Hands-on training in preserving harvested produce (fermentation, pickling, conserving).
- Permaculture Principles: Building no-dig garden beds and planting trees/bushes using permaculture methodologies.
- Natural Construction: Applied practice of using clay plaster in eco-building applications.
- Homestead Maintenance & Forestry: Forest cleanup, firewood preparation for winter, hay gathering, and daily homestead upkeep tasks.
- Community & Artistic Crafts: Participation in small-scale painting and craft work on site, alongside experiencing daily life in an inclusive eco-community.
Accommodation, food and transport arrangements
Facilities for groups in Zadiņi are conditioned by the resources of the place and framed under the sustainability principles of permaculture. Guests are accommodated in our roof attic Hay-hostel, wich is not hay anymore. Now there are beds and matraces. Here, everyone sleeps together on the same level, but the sleeping areas for each two beds are separated by curtains or tents.
It is important to understand that the shower here is outside, where the water is heated by the sun. There will also be an indoor shower, but at specific times. The toilets are also outside - they are bio-compost toilets. There is a sink in the same area to wash your hands and brush your teeth.
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Food-3 vegetarian meals per day; volunteers work in kitchen aswell. As one of the activity tasks is learning about sustainable food preparation, the kitchen will be a very important place during this project.
From your location you will have to get to Riga and from Riga International Bus station you will need to go to Zadini independently using public transport.
Info- https://canva.link/jhgxc5kz8cih34o
Training during the activity
The education provided is based on the principles of solidarity and learning by doing. Through practical work participants will gain:
knowledge of climate change,
environmental challenges-solutions,
the biological importance of diversity,
circular economy,
friendly consumption
Learning to engage in inclusive teamwork with individuals of all abilities and backgrounds to achieve shared goals and drive social integration makes decisions at both personal and group levels to design and execute original initiatives within the volunteer learning path, effectively leveraging mentor support.
Participant profile
We are looking for a person from 18 until 30 years old, who is interested in sustainable food preparation, discovering permacultural gardening methods and lifestyle; and who is not very picky with the countryside life conditions and is willing to work together with an international and diverse team, do community life, share their hobbies and interests and spend a nice time together.
1.Read the info pack carefully https://canva.link/jhgxc5kz8cih34o
2.Fill out the application form https://forms.gle/9iNM1ibWi8b4PEqa6
3.Apply for the activity here in the system!
If you apply by August 7th, you will receive a message from us very soon. See You! :)
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🔑 Key Information
Activity dates
From 06/09/2026 to 19/09/2026
Activity location
Launkalnes pagasts, Smiltenes novads, Latvia
Activity type
Volunteering teams
Looking for participants from
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine
Activity topics
Environment and natural protection
Nutrition and subsistence agriculture
Deadline for applications
Application deadline: 07/08/2026 16:27
Project code
2026-1-LV02-ESC51-VTJ-000402178
🔗 Official Project Page
https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/opportunity/53626_en
