Shintoku | NICE-24S-0828A | 2024-08-28 - 2024-09-10 | AGRI,ENVI,CONS | Age: 18 - 99

This project is actively working for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDGs 10 (Reduced Inequalities), organized together with Kyodo Gakusha since 1998, a cooperative community where people with various backgrounds such as mentally disadvantaged, people who are tired of city life, who wants to learn farming, just want to live in the nature, etc. They have 5 communities in Tokyo, Nagano and Hokkaido and grow animals and vegetables in ecological, organic way with utilizing bacterium and charcoal. Shintoku farm has 60 ha of land and 60 inhabitants including kids. Their cheese got the 1st prize in the global contest! The workcamp has been stopped since 2020 and revived this time! *Outcome of this workcamp: The workcamps have greatly shared the spirit of the community and also do some that is hardly done by their daily work such as construction of sheep farm, irrigation ditch, etc. In 2019, 7 vols. from 5 countries helped to harvest the vegetables, run the cafe, etc. and had a wonderful exchange in the school visit. Please see the long term goal of this project as Local SDGs at https://www.slideshare.net/nice-workcamp/n0-68540773 (only Japanese for the moment, but you can at least enjoy the pictures!)

Work: Volunteers will 1) join the farm work (weeding and harvest in the vegetable fields), 2) do some work with the supervision of the specialists (possibly, dismantling the barns) and 3) help and other community work especially cooking.

Accomodation and food: Houses in the community (female and male are separated). Meals will be cooked by volunteers together with the community people by turns. Sleeping bag is necessary.

Location: ShintokutownHokkaido

Location and Leisure: Shintoku town is an agricultural country side with big scale of nature and farms, at the foot of Mt. Milk and located in the center of Hokkaido island, near Obihiro and 120 km east of Sapporo. -20 degree in winter and 20 in summer. School visit, exchange and birthmonth parties, lecture and discussion with the community leader who has very big visions, etc.

Airport: SPK

Train/Bus station: The nearest airport is Obihiro for domestic and Sapporo (CTS) for international flights. From CTS to the meeting point (Shintoku station), it takes 2 hours by express train. Volunteers need to arrive at Shin-Chitose airport by 11:00 on Aug. 28 and can leave there after 18:00 on Sep. 08.

Requirements: Interest and motivation to work and live in this type of community. Respect to their life. 9,000 JPY (55 EUR by the rate on 2023 Nov. 18th) of "NICE Volunteers" fee need to be paid in advance either by Card or PayPal. This is used for the project preparation/ coordination such as the transportation of the camp leaders while the meals and the accommodation are provided by the local host by free.

Language: eng

Extra Fee: 9000 JPY

Similar types of communities in each country and networking (Social farms)