Together in the forest 2

CODE: LUNARTEEN17

Work:

Participants will live and work at Cascina Rapello, experiencing life on a rural social farm. Each day will include around 6 hours of work, while the remaining time will be dedicated to organized activities and workshops. Volunteers will engage in a variety of tasks, from cultivating vegetable gardens and fruit trees to restoring the ancient woods and building structures using materials found on site. They will also take care of the farm’s animals and facilities, and help prepare meals using fresh organic produce. Beyond the practical work, volunteers will take part in social and inclusive activities, welcoming local groups, including people with disabilities and youngsters from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Accomodation and food

Cascina Rapello includes a 9 hectare terrain, 3 hectares of agricultural fields and 6 hectares of chestnut forest. The volunteers will sleep in tents of 4 people, divided by gender. The tents will be provided, but the volunteers will have to bring their camping mattress and sleeping bag. The camping site is also equipped with 2 compost toilets, made of wood and handmade showers with hot water with tendons for privacy.
Volunteers must carry their belongings in a backpack, as they will arrive at the farm on foot.
Electricity and hot water will be provided by photovoltaic and solar panels, therefore there won’t be internet connection and the use of electricity will be very few.
The food will be prepared by the volunteers, who will eat together in a big tent or open air. . Drinking water is provided normally. Participants can bring typical food of their countries to share but alcohol and drugs are not allowed in the camp.

Location and leisure

The workcamp is located in Aizurro, an hamlet of the municipality of Airuno in Lombardy with around 180 inhabitants. This area, located near the Lombard Prealps, is characterized by a rich natural landscape of forests, meadows, lakes, streams, and mountains, creating a continuous dialogue between rural and urban life, tradition and modernity. The closest place with facilities like small shops, train stations or other services is the town of Airuno (3 km away from Cascina Rapello).
Free time will be managed within the camp, including through supervised activities. Since this is a group experience for minors, for whom the cooperative will be responsible, it will not be possible to leave the area independently. During free time, excursions in the area, games, and activities will be offered.

Project hosted by

Cooperativa Sociale Liberi Sogni, is a small no-profit organization that has organized, since 2006, social, cultural and environmental projects in the districts of Lecco, Bergamo and Monza e Brianza, in the region of Lombardy. Liberi Sogni always considered the intercultural topic very important. Many people that work in the Cooperative experimented directly with how important it is to promote solidarity and attention towards cultures, especially among young people. Since 2012 Liberi Sogni has hosted international summer camps with Lunaria, Youth Exchanges and EVS volunteers under Erasmus Plus Programme.
Cascina Rapello, the hosting place of the workcamp, is a welcoming and innovative center dedicated to reconnecting with the earth and rediscovering ancient knowledge and traditions, while also serving as a space for experimenting with new ideas, forms, and languages.In 2020, Liberi Sogni acquired the eighteenth-century Cascina, nestled among terraced fields and chestnut woods—a place long abandoned that we chose to regenerate as the new home for our activities. Today, it hosts a wide range of social, cultural, and environmental projects for children, youth, and adults.

Directions to meeting point

Closest Airport: Bergamo BGY, Milan Malpensa MXP, Milan Linate LIN
Closest train/bus station: Airuno train station

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