About deAmicitia

De Amicitia is an NGO (Non-Governmental Association) and not for profit or any political ties, registered since 1998.
We have the accreditation of the Erasmus+ Program for sending, hosting and coordinating volunteer projects. Our OID number is E10014498.

De Amicitia’s main activity is local development and the environment using international volunteer camps (workcamps) as a tool for non-formal education.
De Amicitia offers an opportunity for volunteers, both young and adult, to participate in local and international volunteering activities, especially about the protection of the environment and sustainable development.

Our workcamps take place in small, rural communities with groups of 7 –15 volunteers and 1 – 2 camp leaders. It is expected the volunteers to be self–sufficient during the camps, meaning they will cook their own food, share a living space with other volunteers. The working schedule is laid out for 4–6 hours per day for 5 days a week. Usually, the two free days are Saturday and Sunday — but this can vary. The camp languages are English and Spanish for all camps. Spanish knowledge is not required but can be useful.
In all our camps, there will be an all–vegan food day (upon agreement of the volunteers) to promote environmentally sustainable lifestyles and an intercultural evening in which all volunteers present their culture — this should be prepared and thought of before arrival. This can be done in all sorts of forms from a simple presentation to preparing a typical dish. The camp program you will find below is provisional and there can be changes in the dates, tasks and accommodation We will be confirming more projects in the upcoming days.

 

 

OUR PLANNED PROJECTS:

 

34 WORKCAMPS

• 16 Adult Workcamp
• 16 Teenage Workcamp
• 2 ESC Volunteering Teams

 

 

Requirements

 

The projects with kids require a motivation letter and a criminal record. The motivation letter should be sent just along with the application and the criminal record must be sent just before the project starts. Also, we have some art projects which require portfolio/video and skype interviews.

Teenagers have to send us the parental authorization just before the camps starts and bring the original with them.

 

Our teenage workcamps (14–17 y.o.) have an extra fee of 250 €. We have one special project for 13–15 y.o. volunteers.
Adult workcamps are for everyone over 18, the extra fee is 50€.

 

The extra fee has to be paid by card using the payment platform on our website: www.demicitia.org
In exceptional cases, we can accept bank transfers as well 3 weeks before the camp as a confirmation of participation. If we don‘t receive the fee and the flight/bus tickets of the volunteer, we will consider that she/he will not attend to the project and we will give the opportunity to other volunteers that are on the waiting list.

 

 

Good to know

 

We provide a pick–up service for all teenage projects. Our camp leaders meet the teenage volunteers at the closest airport at 17:00 on the first day of each camp and take them to the accommodation by public transport or by De Amicitia’s cars.

ARRIVALS: ALICANTE AIRPORT AND MADRID BARAJAS AIRPORT
Also, on the last day, our camp leaders take the volunteers to the airport at 09:00 in the morning.
All our camp leaders contact the volunteers 5 days before the camp starts and create a WhatsApp group so that they can be in contact with the other volunteers too.
The volunteers have to bring sheets or sleeping bags for all of our projects. In most of our projects, we provide beds but no sheets.

 

 

Camp selection

 

1) URBACT I –VI  10 vols, 15-17 y.o.

Project numbers and dates:
ESDA–0122 – 28–06–2022 → 08–07–2022
ESDA–0222 – 09–07–2022 → 19–07–2022
ESDA–0322 – 20–07–2022 → 30–07–2022
ESDA–0422 – 31–07–2022 → 10–08–2022
ESDA–0522 – 11–08–2022 → 21–08–2022
ESDA–0622 – 22–08–2022 → 01–09–2022
Location: Callosa d‘en Sarrià, Alicante, Spain
Work: The aim of this workcamp is to preserve the natural reserve area surrounding called “Fonts del Rio Algar“. The work will be mainly dedicated to parks and gardens maintenance or “arboretum”: removing the over– grown grass, weeding some parts of the grasslands and the edge of the woods, maintaining footpaths,... but also the environment, cleaning the river bends, and maintaining the area. Volunteers will also take part in the clean–up of some areas of the reserve where building waste has been found and if time allows it, they will carry out some painting works around the centre. The work will be quite physical!
Accommodation and food: In a small rural house, some kilometres away from the village centre, with 2 different rooms. No need to bring a mattress but bring lower sheets and a summer sleeping bag are necessary. The centre is equipped with showers and WC. The food is provided by our camp leaders and the volunteers will be cooking in groups by the guidance of our camp leader.
Location and leisure: Algar Waterfalls is at only 15 km from Benidorm and 3 km from the center of Callosa. It is a park about the importance of water as an environmental resource, economical and cultural. The visit is a route through a circuit of 1.5 km in length along, where you can walk through the bed of the river Algar, see the spectacular waterfalls and the numerous sources, the “tolls“ (pools of water) where you can take refreshing swims in crystal clear water, the old dam, the imposing century–old canal and ditches still in use.

 

2) FOOTPRINTS ON THE GREEK I-III – 7 vols, 20-30 y.o.

Project numbers and dates:
ESDA–2422 – 01–07–2022 → 20–07–2022
ESDA–2522 – 22–07–2022 → 10–08–2022
ESDA–2622 – 10–08–2022 → 30–08–2022
Location: Colunga, Asturias, Spain
Work: The aim of this camp is that volunteers communicate with children in English, to encourage them to overcome the fear of speaking in a foreign language through non–formal educational methods. In the first two days of the workcamp participants will get a formation by Fundacion Cruz de los Angeles in order to get to know the local environment and to understand the legal context of working with children under state protection (that includes signing confidentiality contracts and to comply with some restrictions). Children we‘re going to work with are aged from 6 to 18, therefore our group will be split into two non–fixed teams, rotate and organize different activities according to the kids age group. We will prepare activities and materials in English on different topics, such as archaeology, music, food, animals. With the older kids – teenagers, we will spend time in the afternoons, and mornings are for the younger kids.
Accommodation and food: The accommodation will be done In a house situated near Colunga. Volunteers will stay apart from the group of children. Food will be provided by the Fundación Cruz de los Ángeles. Breakfasts will be prepared by volunteers, lunch and dinner in the house or together with kids, depending on daily activities.
Location and leisure: The province of Colunga lies on the Cantabrian Sea and is located in the north of Spain, which is considered the green area of Spain. Playa de la Griega is a beautiful place and it is the nearest beach to the center town of the province, Colunga. This place is famous for one particular thing – here the footprints of dinosaurs were found. East of the beach on the cliffs is the famous and spectacular site of dinosaur footprints. The enormous size of these footprints, some of them reach 1.30 meters in diameter, allows it to be considered ones the largest footprints discovered so far. Village Lastres was listed as one of the most beautiful villages in whole Spain and definitely deserves a visit, actually, you‘re going to live nearby. Going to the lighthouse (Faro de Lastres) will offer you some great coastal views.

 

3) CASA JAZMÍN I – V – 12 vols, 15-17 y.o.

Project numbers and dates:
ESDA–3522 – 29–07–2022 → 09–07–2022
ESDA–3622 – 10–07–2022 → 20–07–2022
ESDA–3722 – 21–07–2022 → 01–08–2022
ESDA–3822 – 02–08–2022 → 12–08–2022
ESDA–3922 – 13–08–2022 → 23–08–2022
Location: Sanet y Negrals, Alicante, Spain
Work: The work has environmental and constructional tasks. The idea is to help renovate a house that is serving as a volunteering centre and to establish environmental–friendly and sustainable agriculture in the gardens of the centre. La Casa Jazmín is recently renovated but there are still some pending tasks to complete. Volunteers will carry out some basic tasks like painting, throwing out extra materials and organising spaces. But the main focus will be creating an ecological garden that will be a start of a new ecological project. This might include planting, harvesting fruits and processing them into a jam and distributing them to the local community. There may be some other tasks that will require creativity and handcrafts, for example, to prepare and paint jars for honey or jam. Also, there may be some tasks for the community like painting the urban furniture.
Accommodation and food: The volunteers will stay in a volunteer house, with three rooms with several bunk beds and bathrooms. They will share rooms 4–6 other volunteers. The house includes a nice kitchen in which the volunteers will cook for themselves under the guidance of the camp leaders. Sheets need to be brought by the volunteer, sleeping bags are not necessary.

Location and leisure: Sanet is a small town in the southwest of Spain close to Dénia (Comunidad de Valencia). It lies in the beautiful countryside, surrounded by hills which are great for hiking – there are a lot of hiking trails to discover. There is a local swimming pool available. The house is located right in the middle of town, so there are great opportunities to interact and socialize with the locals and to truly experience the Spanish countryside. Furthermore, the volunteers can make excursions to Denia, Ondara and El Vergel or other towns close to Sanet. There will also be day trips to the beach which is about 15 minutes by car from Sanet.

 

4) Find more camps by deAmicitia here

 

ESDA CAMP PROGRAM 22