Volunteering in a gallo-roman farm

Looking for two volunteers

Trip type

ESC Volunteering

City + Country

Rochefort, Belgium

Dates of the next project

From 1st March 2023 to 29th February 2024

Deadline to apply

11th of December 2022

(11:59 PM)

Due to the Covid-19 crisis, activities might be subject to modifications.

Hosting organisation : Malagne Archéoparc

Malagne Archéoparc is a non-profit organization managing a Gallo-roman archaeological site since 1993.

Its aims are:

to enhance and protect the heritage: the oldest archaeological remains (part of the World Geopark Unesco Famenne-Ardenne) in the area as well as a preserved natural site;
to pass on and share knowledge about Gallo roman history through know-how and techniques: crafts, gardening, building, animal species and care and experimental archaeology;
to make the past alive through scientific research based on experimental archaeology, through animals living on site, through crafts(wo)men gatherings, through workshops such as bread baking, forging…;
to stimulate creativity and imagination thanks to land art, workshops, visits, rediscovering of old techniques which might be useful again nowadays.

Its actions are rotating around 3 axis:

heritage: with archaeological excavations, historical re-enactment, experimental archaeology, resource center…;
nature: preserved natural site, vegetable gardening faithful to Gallo-roman techniques, livestock farming constituted of ancient breeds;
culture: temporary exhibitions, land art and artistic path crossing the domain.

In order to pass on and share knowledge, Malagne opens its doors to a lot of different people and is now a high ranked touristic attraction. Malagne welcomes two main types of public:

tourists and families on holiday which are welcomed to walk around the place;
schools coming with pupils from 3 until 17 years old.

The team of the Archéoparc of Malagne is composed of 24 people divided into different teams: technical team, pedagogical team, administrative team and reception team. The people are between 23 and 56 years old, with many different experiences and skills: agronomy, archaeology, teaching, pedagogy, carpentry are some of the many areas of competence of the staff.

CBB host in total 21 international volunteers around Wallonia. The ESC team of CBB tries his best to connect this network of volunteers together trough different collective activities, seminars, etc …

Support organization : CBB

In addition to this, the hosting organization is supported by the Association des Compagnons Bâtisseurs, aka CBB located in Marche-en-Famenne. CBB is a non-profit, non-political youth organisation recognized and financially supported by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The organisation proposes different kinds of activities, based on volunteering and non-formal education: local and international workcamps, medium and long term voluntary services (including ESC), and leisure time activities for and with disabled people, campleaders trainings…CBB is active within the different European Programmes of volunteering and non-formal education since 1997 and also hosts ESC volunteers each year.

CBB’s role as support organization is to:

Promote the project and link between local and the international networks;
Support in the selection and preparation of European volunteers before arrival;
Managing administrative matters: budget allowances; support in the creation of the bank account and enrolment at the municipality; enrolment in insurance (if not done by sending organization); preparation of the activity agreement;
Provide pedagogical support for the volunteer and the hosting organization: ensures the participation in the NA seminars; organization of auto-evaluation meetings for the volunteer and the hosting organization to reflect on learning outcomes;
Handle practical arrangements: information about health insurance system in Belgium; indications about French lesson possibilities; online language tool…
Create networking between all ESC volunteers of the hosting organizations we support.

The two volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in all our activities. According to their wishes and competences, they will be working together and/or separated. Please bear in mind that most of the work will be carried out with the technical team. The language to communicate will be french, knowing a little bit of French before arriving would be very helpful.

The first weeks will primarily consist of discovering the different activities in which the volunteers can get involved.

As a lot of tasks are outdoor, the work rhythm is very different according to the period of the year. Indeed, it has to follow 2 cycles: the natural one (for gardening, maintenance of the green area, buildings…) and the touristic one.

The volunteers applying for this project have to be aware that the project has some very intense periods, and other quieter, and that the work will be mostly physical .

Basic tasks, which will be done together with the staff:

Maintenance and enhancement of the heritage site: mowing, mulching, clearing, pruning, weeding, repairing fences, renovating the damaged parts of the building, doing pyrography, painting, tending the vegetable gardens …
Animal care: every day, feeding and taking care of the animals (guiding them to allow access to children), walk some of them out, Brush and clean horses and donkey, fixing and building hurdling fences when needed, cleaning of animal’s habitats, changing the straw, gardening etc…
Preserving the ruins, building footbridges above the ruins, small renovations using lime…
In the next few years, Malagne is planning to extend the small pedagogical farm by adding a building as well as close two existing buildings
Re-enactments and festive events: help set up the arbors and the tables, guide and help the craftspeople set up their stands, manage the bar…
Support to pedagogical activities: after being trained, the volunteers will be asked to show to the children the traditional ways to cook bread, to forge, to use a bow… They will be asked to help as well with the global supervision of the groups and assist during the weeks of internship: feed animals with children, animation with horses, etc…
Once a year, around July, the volunteers will be asked to help harvest the diverse crops being cultivated on site such as the harvest of hay bales, a job requiring a good physical condition.

Tasks according to the volunteer’s interest:

Scientific researches: in the years to come, the three mains experiments Malagne is dedicated to achieve are the reproduction of a Vallus (a Gallo-roman harvester), the production process of the Cervoise (barley beer) and reproduction of a gallo-roman oven to cook pottery . If the volunteer wishes, they can, additionally to the basic tasks, bring support to these projects (for example, the manufacture of cob ovens) by facilitating the communication between the technical team and the archaeologist, by helping report and document the different field experiences.

Accommodation in Rochefort

The Malagne Archéoparc is located 1.6 km away from Rochefort, in the Belgian province of Namur. The Archéoparc is totally isolated with no shop nor any facility closer than Rochefort.

The place where the volunteers will live is Rochefort. It is a small town of around 12 000 inhabitants with an active cultural center, a youth center, a library, a swimming pool during summer, a few bars and historical landmarks, and some shops.

Nevertheless, the closest train station is 5 km away from the town. Buses run every day, though on Sunday they are less frequent. Hence, the volunteer must be aware that rural areas in Belgium are not very well connected, but remain close to the cities. Marche-en-Famenne and Dinant are the closest towns. Bigger cities like Namur, Bastogne and Liège are reachable through bus and train.

The volunteer must appreciate living in a semi-rural area such as Rochefort.

This project is therefore very suitable for volunteers who are not attracted by a very lively nightlife, but mostly by quiet evenings and outdoor activities during the week-end.

The country - BELGIUM

Squeezed between the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France, Belgium is one of Europe’s tiddlers.
The north is flat, the south dominated by the picturesque Ardennes and the 65km North Sea coastline monopolized by resorts, except for a few patches of windswept dunes. The 4 seasons are well divided, cold and white winter and warm and sunny summer… But be ready to grey sky at least a half part of the year.

But the Belgian population is usually warm. A lot of cultural and free events in the streets happen during the year, which can make your journey in this little country fun and resourceful.

This project will be taking part in the south of the country which is French speaking. Be therefore ready to learn and speak French! Especially in this project involving kids.

Specialities : FRIES, BEERS and FESTIVALS
AREA: 30,518 sq km
POPULATION: 11.420.163 million
CAPITAL: Brussels (pop: 1.191.604)
REGIONS: Flanders (North), Wallonia (South), Brussels – Capital
COMMUNITIES: Flemish, French and German speaking community
LANGUAGE: Dutch (±59%), French (±37%) and German (±1%)
CURRENCY: Euro

Practical arrangements

Working Hours

Working hours will be from 8:00 till 16:00 with one hour break for lunch. The working days will be from Monday till Friday all year around. During high season, participation in weekend activities might be requested. Five days per week will be worked on average/ Days off will compensate the extra shift hours if necessary to keep an average of 35 hours a week.

Insurance

All participants in cross-border activities have to be covered, throughout the activity period, by the obligatory European Solidarity Corps insurance plan set up by the European Commission. This coverage is only complementary to the mandatory coverage of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which must be obtained prior to departure.

In certain cases, when national rules deprive participants of coverage under EHIC for the duration of the placement, CIGNA will provide full coverage. However, participants must provide proof that obtaining the EHIC in their case was not possible and they should contact their National Agency in order to seek tailored advice, for their specific circumstance.

The participant must read carefully the insurance-related information found online here: https://www.cignahealthbenefits.com/en/plan-members.

Accomodation

The volunteers will have a private room in a fully-equipped shared house or apartment in the municipality.

Language course

OLS + French lesson: an online language course is provided as part of the project support from the Commission allocated on the basis of a level test to complete before the activity starts. The volunteer is also encouraged to join free French lessons given in the municipality or around if possible.

Food

The volunteer will receive a budget and will take care of the meals by her/himself.

Pocket Money

Participation in the European Solidarity Corps is free of charge for the participant, except for exceptional contribution to travel costs. The volunteer will receive free board and lodging during the whole activity. In addition, she/he will receive a small allowance (pocket money) for personal expenses throughout the duration of the activity, including holidays.

Profile of the volunteer

The age requirement to take part in the ESC programme: 18-30 years old
Prior to departure, the volunteer should be in contact with a support (sending) organization in order to receive information and preparation. Look up for a support organization in your region via this link: https://europa.eu/youth/volunteering/organisations_en
Our project is open to anybody motivated by volunteering and who wishes to be involved in our organization and working in the field of inclusion and youth work, regardless of their nationality, religion, believes, diploma, professional experience.
We expect the volunteer to be very motivated to join the activity; to be open-minded and pro-active. We would appreciate that the volunteer shares with us the interest for inclusion and shows willingness to learn more about pedagogical and playful activities.
Experience in animal care is more than welcome
Knowing already basic in french in order to be able to communicate at start is also more than welcome

We wish that the volunteer:
– has some basic in French and will be motivated to learn French.
– will feel comfortable with any type of public and able to take initiatives
– will want to introduce us to his/her own culture while respecting the other’s
– will be ready to meet new people, from different backgrounds and with different life experiences
– will look for ideas and inspirations for youth, playful and pedagogical activities prior to arrival
– has a great interest for animation
– likes informal and flexible working environment
The volunteer has to provide the support and hosting organization with a copy certificate of good conduct related to the work with minors before starting the activity.

Eloi , volunteer in Malagne from march 2022 to march 2023

First of all, the most important thing for me is my project: the reason why I am here today. The Archeopark Malagne is huge and works in various kinds of fields such as history, education and agriculture. One of the things I am learning is gardening. A specific sector where you can find the most popular and relevant plants used since ancient times. How and when they were harvested, what kind of plants were used for medicine, what cereals were used to produce beer, etc.

Of course, I am not alone. I have a good team who teach me all the tasks and help me if I have any questions. They all have a lot of experience in farming, farm animals, handicrafts and everything else we need. From baking bread to driving a tractor.

And I can’t forget the animals, because without them Malagne would not be the same. They have given meaning to the settlement in this area for more than 2,000 years. I’ve never worked with animals before, but I think it’s a really incredible experience. For example, this is Capucine, a donkey that always comes to you for company. There are more types of animals in the archeoparc, but I want to mention the sheep. They are the most abundant in Malagne and recently most of them have given birth to offspring like this one, a Roman breed. Another experience I will never forget.

On the other hand, I like living in Rochefort. A beautiful tourist village in the Walloon countryside and in the middle of the protected natural area of Famenne-Ardenne. It is a medium-sized village where I can find everything I need for my daily life.

During the last two months I have had the opportunity to visit and enjoy other territories. One of them was the visit to Brussels, the capital of Belgium during the training period with the BIJ. We went to see some buildings of the European Parliament, the main EU institution, and it was very interesting and didactic.

Thanks to the same training, I met more volunteers from other countries in the same situation as me but doing different projects. Sharing experiences and points of view was enriching. But we also took the opportunity to make plans together like going on a trip to Liège.

Finally, I would like to dedicate a few words to the people around me. Especially my housemates and the volunteer neighbours of Rochefort, who are very kind and nice people. They always motivate me to do many activities and help me in some complex situations. I am very happy to have them close to me and I hope that we can continue to share good moments”.

Orhan, Turkish volunteer at Malagne in 2019-2020

How to apply ?

Deadline: 11 December 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (brussels time).

1. Answer the questionnaire below (NB: you will be asked to attach a CV at the end of the form)

2. In the frame of the new program of the European Commission, the European Solidarity Corps, you first need to create a profile on the new data base: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en (“JOIN THE CORPS”).

3. Find the project and click on “apply” > HERE – To apply

4. (optional) if you’re feeling creative, please feel free to send us any additional material related to your application: esc@compagnonsbatisseurs.be

The application through the ESC portal and fulfilling the form are compulsory for us to take your application into consideration.

In the days following the 11 December the pre-selected volunteers will be contacted for a skype interview.

ESC Malagne / Apply form and motivation letter

Step 1 of 4 - Personal Data

Personnal data
By filling the information below, you provide us with personal information. You are aware of the fact and agree that the pieces of information will be used in the frame of the call for candidates for the Erasmus+ volunteering project. Your personal data will be used by the persons in charge of the selection of volunteers in the sending and coordinating/hosting organizations. Each part mentioned takes the responsibility of erasing the documents containing your personal data once the selection procedure is over.
Name*
Surname Name
PNR (if you already have it: it’s a super long number you receive when you get registered into the PASS)*
E-mail*
Birthdate*
Day
Month
Year
Phone number*
Current address*
Street Address City ZIP / Postal Code Country
Languages spoken*
Please specify which level you have whenever possible
Availability period for the project (preference will be given to the volunteers able to join the project for the whole period)*
Have you ever taken part in a volunteering project under ERASMUS+?*
- YES
- NO
If yes, what was it and for how long ?
Sending organization (Name, Accreditation or PIC number, post address, phone number, contact person’s name and email address)*
What are your (long term) travel experiences?*

Here you get more into the AMO Le Cercle project
What are your general motivations to join a long term volunteering activity abroad?*
What do you like about this specific ESC project at Malagne?*
According to you what is the role of an organization as Malagne?*
How do you see your role, as volunteer, within these activities?*
What are your weaknesses and qualities for our project?*
What do you think about working in a team?*
Do you think you might have some difficulties during the project? If yes, which ones? If not, why?*

Can you explain how you see your typical week (working hours, tasks, colleagues, location...) of a volunteer in our project?*
How do you feel about physical work?*
Do you have any ideas about a personal project (or activity) to develop during your volunteering experience?*
What do you like to do in your free time? What do you think about working and living in a semi-rural environment?*
Regarding the recent Covid-19 crisis, how do you see yourself adapting to possible measures that might come in the future (social contacts, work and traveling) considering that you will be living in a foreign country?*
How do you feel about experiencing a collective international life?*

And now, Write down in (1500-3000 caracter) +- 20 lines, your motivation letter*
Please add your CV*
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