Beglika '08 EVS
Description of the voluntary related action in the vicinity of Beglika (Southern Bulgaria)
Тhe aim of this action is to help the development of the area of Beglika as a destination for mountain biking, cycling, hiking and nature protection trough the creation of mountain bike facilities and organization of "outdoors festival". Leading organization in the actions is BIKEAREA ASSOCIATION (www.bikearea.org) with the assistance of other Bulgarian environmental and sport organizations.
Duration of the actions: 30 days - from the of 20th July until the 20th of August 2008.
Accommodation: tents and improvised showers and toilets.
Food: will be cooked daily by the volunteers and organizers on rotational principle. Will be able to try typical Bulgarian and international cuisine prepared by the different participants.
Activities:
- construction of wooden shacks and camp;
- construction of "north shore facility";
- execution of the outdoors festival "Beglika '08"
- after fest restoration;
- adventure bike trip along the Trans Rhodopean Trail;
Informal learning on the following topics:
- Bulgarian language;
- traditions and history of the Rhodopean region;
- surviving skills like bivouacking, orienteering, meteorology;
- mountain bike trails development;
- biodiversity and nature protection in the Rhodopes;
- organization and execution of outdoors fest.
Conditions: the area of Beglika is situated at an altitude of 1500 m above the sea in the western part of the Rhodope Mountains. Most of the territory is covered by old pine forests and widespread meadows full with herbs. There are four artificial lakes in the region which makes it picturesque and attractive, but also some mosquito can appear. In the summer months usually the weather is stable (sunny and some clouds, may be some rain) with high temperatures up to 25°C during the daytime and low temperatures down to 10°C during the evenings and nights. Therefore the participants should be prepared and have proper clothes (rain gear, warm jacket, warm sleeping back). There are no dangerous animals or flowers in the region and drinking water will be provided. Those who are keen on fishing may bring their fishing lines.
Equipment:
- mattress;
- sleeping bag with comfort temperature range 0°C;
- rain gear;
- warm jacket and sweater;
- mountain shoes;
- sunglasses, hat and sunscreen;
- personal hygiene kit;
- and optionally favorite tent and bike
More details and timelines
Volunteers will arrive in Sofia and they will be transferred to the town of Velingrad - nice spa resort located in the northwestern part of the Rhodope mountains, where they will spend five days in order to get to know each other, learn the language, learn about the history and traditions of the region and get prepared for the actual camp in Beglika.
After the 25th of July the volunteers will be transferred to Beglika where in the first few days they will be working on the establishment of the camp itself including carpentry work, some digging and light construction. In the meanwhile they will be introduced to biodiversity of the Rhodope mountains as they will have the chance to come close to the natural reserves "Mantaritsa" and "Beglika". They will also gain some knowledge and skills about surviving in the nature including bivouacking, orienteering, meteorology etc. By the 30th of July the volunteers should start working on the "north shore" which includes some digging and construction of small wooden bridges, ladders, pyramids and other obstacles typical for this kind of mountain bike trails. The volunteers will also be informed about different approaches in the development of mountain biking and cycling tracks and trails. In the period between the 1st and 7th of August the participants will be preparing the realization of an "outdoors festival" Beglika'08 which includes mountain biking, orienteering, kayaking, climbing, environmental workshops, paint ball, live music shows etc. The actual work includes preparing the site of the festival, working on the concept and realization of mountain bike orienteering race and so on. During the fest (8 - 10 August) they will be able to take part in the different activities and also help the realization as referees, jury, markers etc. During this period the volunteers will gain some knowledge about how to organize and execute such festival and also be able to meet a lot of interesting people who are involved in extreme sports and adventures. After the end of the festival they will help in the restoration of the area including some cleaning, trash depositing etc. In the last days of the period the volunteers will be able to participate in adventure bike trip along the "Trans Rhodopean Trail" and the they will be transferred back to Sofia.
If you are willing to participate in the activities you must contact our partner organizations in the following countries:
Portugal - ProAtlântico - Associação Juvenil at sve@proatlantico.com ; Ms Joana Cambeiro
Austria - Grenzenlos Interkultureller Austausch at Go-vienna@melange.at ; Ms Barbara Hutter
Czech Republic - DUHA at Marta.skolka@trochujinak.cz ; Ms Marta Skolkayova
Ukraine - Interregional Volunteer Organization (IVO) "SVIT-Ukraine" at julia@svit-ukraine.org ; Ms Julia Myasyshcheva
Russia - Ecological Center Zapovedniks (ECZ) at ecocenterzapovedniks@yahoo.ru ; Ms Irina Peshnova
Italy - TDM 2000 at pangelica@tdm2000.org ; Ms Angelica Perra
Turkey - Gaziantep University at seyhoandrea@yahoo.com ; Mr Seyho Bozkus
France - SCI France at sci@sci-france.org ; Ms Virginie Duval
