Art Flow Activity : "Exploring Ecocommunity Sekier Volunteering" began at the Zaježová Education Center, where European volunteers from Sekier joined youth exchange participants for an informal discussion over tea. Volunteers shared their personal stories, motivations, and everyday experiences of living in an eco-community, and introduced the ESC volunteering program to the group.
Afterwards, the whole group set off on a hike to Sekier. The walk itself became part of the experience — moving through the landscape, observing the surroundings, and arriving at the community on foot.
At Sekier, participants explored:
🌱 Permaculture gardens and greenhouse — learning about food growing, composting, and sustainable land use
🐐 The farm — meeting the animals and understanding the role of small-scale farming in self-sufficient living
🏡 The community space — getting a sense of how the community is organized and what daily life looks like
The day ended with a shared experience of making pizza in a wood-fired outdoor oven, guided by facilitator Eponine and the Sekier community. The informal setting created space for deeper conversations, laughter, and genuine connection between participants and volunteers.
Goals
The excursion to Ekokomunita Sekier was designed to bring participants closer to real-life examples of sustainable living and community-based approaches to environmental challenges.
The key goals were:
🌱 To provide direct experience of permaculture principles and sustainable land management
🌱 To foster intercultural dialogue between participants and European volunteers living at Sekier
🌱 To raise environmental awareness and inspire reflection on sustainable lifestyles
🌱 To introduce participants to volunteering opportunities within the European Solidarity Corps
🌱 To support active citizenship and encourage participants to consider their own role in building sustainable communities
🌱 To promote physical well-being through outdoor activity and time spent in nature
Results
The excursion to Ekokomunita Sekier proved to be one of the most memorable activities of the ART FLOW youth exchange. Participants left with:
🌍 A deeper understanding of sustainable living — seeing permaculture not as a theory but as a functioning, everyday reality
🤝 New connections across cultures — meaningful conversations with European volunteers from different countries broadened participants' perspectives on community and solidarity
💡 Inspiration and new ideas — many participants reflected on how they could apply principles of sustainability and community-building in their own lives and local environments
🌱 Awareness of ESC volunteering opportunities — several participants expressed interest in exploring European volunteering after learning about the program firsthand
🔥 A shared memory — the wood-fired pizza brought the group together in a way that no formal session could, reinforcing the value of informal learning and shared experience
🧠 Practical knowledge — from gardening techniques to understanding how a self-sufficient farm operates, participants gained hands-on insights they could take home
The activity demonstrated that learning happens everywhere — in a garden, on a hillside, and around a fire. It embodied the core values of ART FLOW: creativity, sustainability, and international connections.
