ESC Shared life in a diverse community

CODE: SDA 26-ESC-A7

Work:

Volunteers will take part in various finishing, construction, and maintenance tasks, including improving the garden and orchard, painting, raking, cutting, decorating, and helping with cooking. The work is not physically demanding and does not require previous experience. Volunteers will use basic tools such as gloves, safety glasses, shovels, hoes, rakes, wheelbarrows, and drills, with guidance provided on site. In case of rain, indoor activities will take place, including painting or work related to sheltered workshops and their maintenance.

The worksite site is where the accommodation is situated.

Accomodation and food

Volunteers will stay in the Benediktus complex in Modletín, in a former spa building. Accommodation is in one large attic room with a shower and two toilets. Volunteers sleep on mattresses or mats with sheets and must bring their own sleeping bag and pillow. Facilities include a washing machine, refrigerator, kitchenette, and Wi-Fi. All meals are provided by Benediktus, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Volunteers are welcome to help prepare Czech or international dishes. The accommodation is located directly at the project site, so no transport is needed.

Location and leisure

The Benediktus community is located in the village of Modletín, between Horní Bradlo and Rušinov, in the Iron Mountains. The area includes historically significant buildings that are being restored and used for housing, work, and cultural activities, along with an orchard, vegetable garden, and traditional fruit dryer. The village is small and has no ATM, but a pharmacy is available at the project location. Mobile phone reception is reliable throughout the area.

Modletín is located in the protected landscape area of the Iron Mountains, offering many leisure options such as hiking, swimming in a nearby dam, mushroom picking, and sightseeing, including castles, chateaux, historic villages, natural monuments, and geomorphological formations. Volunteers may also attend local cultural events such as concerts, exhibitions, and openings. Sports activities are possible directly in the Benediktus area, and volunteers can also spend their free time together with people with disabilities and their assistants.

Project hosted by

Benediktus is a community of people with and without disabilities and a member of L’Arche, an international movement based on Christian principles that supports people with intellectual disabilities through shared community life. Benediktus provides social services, a day-care centre, therapy workshops, sheltered housing, and sheltered jobs such as gardening, fruit drying, organising public events, and restoring historic buildings. The aim of the project is to learn about the daily life and work of people with intellectual disabilities in a community setting and to support inclusion and equal opportunities, contributing to SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Directions to meeting point

The journey will last approximately 5h and will need from 3 to 4 changes.
We will provide more details in the specific infosheet.

Additional comments

Study part: Volunteers will receive an introduction to the Benediktus and L’Arche communities, including their history, values, and mission. They will learn through direct participation in daily community life and work alongside people with intellectual disabilities. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to organise a themed workshop, such as cooking food from their home country, and to present their culture and traditions, supporting mutual learning and intercultural exchange.