We have attended to “Volunteering for Nature Conservation Seminar” in the village of Vlahi, Bulgaria within the Erasmus+ supported project Mountain spirit – Strategic EVS for Nature Conservation. Mountain Spirit is a project of combining four nature persevering organizations among four countries that are Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Kosovo. Under the name of Mountain Spirit various events have occurred for nature conservation, as this seminar had hold between 24th and 30th of May hosted by Vlahi Nature School.
The 27 participants from all over Europe spent almost a week at the foot of Pirin Mountain National park. The seminar brought together young people with experience as volunteers for preserving wildlife and natural resources who are involved with environmental organizations and willing to get more engaged into organizing volunteer activities for others. The participants had the opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge of working with volunteers and reaching out to more people. Also seminar participants more familiar with financial tools to help them implement conservation ideas and initiatives through Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps and LIFE+ programs of the European Union. Thus seminar provided better solidarity opportunities for future nature conserving projects and opened space for young volunteers and nature conservers to create solid friendships.
Besides seminar meetings and educational lectures, young participants provided volunteer work for Vlahi Nature School. There was some work to protect the garden fence of the Nature School from weather and insects by covering it with linseed oil – the least harmful for nature. The participants in the international meeting also helped in the garden to take care of plants and other educational and demonstration elements in the School.
Participants also had a day off to visit Belasitsa Nature Park and learned about biodiversity of the environment they are around. Giving great importance to team work, young participants have created their own nature conservation project at the end of the seminar. Inspired by all the lectures and meetings, they tried to find out more efficient ways of writing and applying a project of their own. As they leave the seminar, they promised to volunteer at least five more days for nature conserving projects and received the bear totem of Mountain Spirit.
Berkay Üstün
Association of Back to Nature
