European Wilderness Volunteer Diary

The Diary of the European Wilderness Society Volunteers
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Mid-term training experience

26 September 2024Lika kvizhashvili2 min readAdd comment

Believe it or not, I’ve already completed six months of volunteering, which means I’m halfway through my project. It has been an incredibly interesting and memorable experience so far, and I’m hopeful that the next six months will be just as fulfilling. At the halfway point of an ESC volunteering project, volunteers participate in a mid-term training session. This training focuses on personal reflection, reviewing our experiences in the ESC project so far, and assessing how well it has met our expectations. We also address potential challenges, work on solutions, and set goals for the....

My Volunteering Experience: Aurélien Rinaudo

29 August 2024Lika kvizhashvili6 min readAdd comment

This post is written by Aurélien Rinaudo. My name is Aurélien Rinaudo, and I am a French student. I completed a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) program for three months, from May to August 2024, in Tamsweg, a small town located in the heart of the Austrian Alps, in the Lungau region.  Context   I was with the NGO European Wilderness Society. The project I worked on was LIFEstockProtect. This initiative aims to develop measures for protecting livestock to enable coexistence with wolves in Austria, Bavaria, and Tyrol (Italy and Austria). This experience allowed me to understand....

Hiking around Tamsweg

17 July 2024Lika kvizhashvili2 min readAdd comment

Volunteering in a mountainous area has numerous advantages, especially for those who enjoy outdoor activities like hiking. Around Tamsweg, there are countless stunning locations waiting to be explored, and recently, I had the opportunity to visit one of these remarkable spots. Exploring Wetlands with the ALFAwetlands Project As a volunteer for the European Wilderness Society (EWS), I get an introduction to various EWS projects, one of them is ALFAwetlands. My interest in wetlands naturally drew me to explore a wetland area situated atop a nearby mountain. The hike to the wetland was quite....

My experience in the mountains as a volunteer

10 July 2024Lika kvizhashvili4 min readAdd comment

This post is written by Aurélien Rinaudo. My name is Aurélien, I am French, and I am currently volunteering at the European Wilderness Society. Based in Tamsweg, a small town in the heart of the Austrian Alps, I am making the most of this beautiful region. The town is very pleasant, and I greatly enjoy living in Austria. Passionate about nature and the mountains, I love spending my weekends exploring the surrounding mountains. Volunteering four days a week, I am fortunate to have long weekends to explore these landscapes during less touristy times, an experience I particularly enjoy. Outdoor....

New volunteer Aurélien

4 June 2024Lika kvizhashvili2 min readAdd comment

This post is written by Aurélien Rinaudo. My name is Aurélien and I’m a new volunteer, I will stay here for 3 months. I came here because the subject of the volunteering interested me but also because I love nature and mountains and I wish to discover the Tamsweg region.   Since I was a child, I’ve always been interested in agriculture. I already did internships in different kinds of farms in France where I was able to experiment with both intensive and extensive models of agriculture. This enabled me to understand how agriculture works and the issues surrounding it. Since I have....

My on-arrival training experience in Vienna

29 May 2024Lika kvizhashvili3 min readAdd comment

Last week, I had the most amazing experience during an on-arrival training organized by the National Agency for volunteers. This four-day training provided a wonderful opportunity to connect with other volunteers, share our impressions of Austria, learn about our projects, and get detailed information about Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. It was also a chance to voice our expectations and concerns about our time in Austria.   Making Connections   The training kicked off with a delightful walking tour through the picturesque streets of Vienna. This informal setting....