Le Fagotin

CODE: BE-SVI-fagotin

Work:

Volunteers will decide, according to what they prefer to do, what they will do. They can either take part in the pedagogical project or work on the farm. Those who will work on the pedagogical project will supervise groups. Those who prefer manual work will work on the farm (feed animals, clean the barn). Volunteers must be aware that working in a farm can be very physical and tiring. Working with animals is a concrete job (feeding animals, cleaning the barn) and not a romantic one (a cow is not a nice stuffed animal). Volunteers will always be supervised, they will not be alone. They will help adults who work on the site. Workers will teach them how to do the different tasks. The aim is that they slowly become more and more independent. Work schedule will depend on the moments. The farm works 24h a day. At some moments, there will be work for more than 8 hours. In summer, there are sessions for children. During those sessions, children will have activities from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m (walking in the forest, taking care of the animals, making bread). After 4 p.m., it will be necessary to organize games, dinner, showers, night walks and breakfast. Children are between 3 and 15 years old (for those who do not stay there at night) and between 6 and 15 years old (for those who stay at night).

Accomodation and food

About the accommodation:
Volunteers must sleep in a tent during the summer (with or without access to showers and toilets). They must bring their tent, their mattress. It is possible to sleep in a residential center, but it costs about 350 euros. The participation fee per day / per person will vary according to the option chosen by the volunteer.

About the food:
The volunteer has to buy and cook his own food, there is a kitchen available.

Location and leisure

About the project location:
Our partner association is in Stoumont, in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes. It is a quiet village, surrounded by forests. It is the perfect place to go for a walk in the forest. It has already worked with volunteers. Each year, about fifteen interns come and help on the farm. They make it available to the organization. It has bought another building in which work will be done. It will be converted into a residential center.
Stoumont is a very special place in the province of Liège. Difference in altitude within the municipality is around 400 meters and it has many water sources. This is the perfect place to really get to know. It is a very small town with very few activities.

About the leisure activities possible:
Computers, cameras can be kept in a secured room in the main building. Volunteers will have access to the internet.
The project takes place in a remote village, the ideal spot for those who enjoy forest walks.

Project hosted by

Le Fagotin is located in Stoumont, in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes. It is a quiet village, surrounded by forests. It is the perfect place to go for a walk in the forest. It has already worked with volunteers. Each year, about fifteen interns come and help on the farm. The farm building belongs to the family. They make it available to the organization. They have bought another building in which work will be done. It will be converted into a residential center.

Since its creation in 1995, the Fagotin association has progressively developed its activities until it became a major educational and touristic actor in the Belgian Ardennes. Today, the association is a combination of a «Nature Center», an «Animation Farm» and a «Meeting and Accommodation Center». Their values are centered around four key notions: CITIZENSHIP, SUSTAINABILITY, SOLIDARITY, GOODWILL.

Both in summer and winter, the Fagotin team, made up of experienced animators, offers camps, field trips, workshops, walks, guided tours, training sessions, meetings, etc. in order to promote the wonders of Wallonia’s natural heritage to everyone, especially to young people.

Usually (out of the COVID period), the team is made up of 16 employees who welcome more than 10,000 people each year.

Directions to meeting point

21, Boucle des Métiers, 1348 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Arrival days are from Monday to Friday between 11am and 4pm. Outside these hours we recommend you to take a hotel room on your own.
To get to the meeting point you can take the train from the airport: https://www.belgiantrain.be/en.

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