Ecovolunteering in the Archipelago Livonsaari

Saariston Savotta is non-profit grassroot association with focus on upkeeping sustainable lifestyle and improving wellbeing and employment in rural area.
The association organizes weekly activities for different aged people like the youth after school activities, coffee moments for elderly, garden workparty and hobbies. Saariston savotta is running communal laundry machine usage, car sharing, bicycles and sauna. Additionally it functions as a voice of Livonsaari and its residents.

Area description

Livonsaari is located in the beautiful Turku archipelago in the region of Southwest Finland 22km away from the nearest town Naantali and 35km from Turku city. On this direction from the town Livonsaari is the last island connected to the main land with bridges and the way here offers beautiful views over the part of Archipelago Sea, unique nature of the the largest archipelago in the world by the number of islands.
The island offers home to about 250 permanent residents and during the summer the island hosts up to 2000 summer residents.
In Livonsaari there is also an ecovillage community that has been in founded 2005.  The ecovillage area attracted people from all around Finland and abroad, and they built ecohouses in the area. Community consists of 100 members.  The volunteers will have some tasks related to the ecovillage, but the emphasis is in tasks serving the whole community.

Turku as the nearest city provides train connection, airport connection, long distance bus stop and the port. Livonsaari has a bus connection to city on work days and there is a network of car ride sharing from and to the island.

Accommodation & food

The volunteers will be accommodated in an apartment above the local shop, each volunteer will get to enjoy the privacy of their own room. The kitchen, shower room with laundry machine and toilet are shared with the residents of the apartment. There is a fireplace and sauna in the yard. The shop building is located close to the center of the island, short ways from the work activity locations. Volunteers will be provided with bicycles to use which offers possibilities to explore further destinations in addition to daily use to reach different work places.
During the work days the volunteers are provided with one warm meal and addition to that  a food allowance.

Work week
 

ESC volunteers` work consists of about 30 working hours per week.  Tasks vary  from seasonal work in the garden from planting the seeds to harvest, participation on youth activities and various projects around the island with focus on sustainability and maintaining biodiversity in nature. Additional to those we have planned five theme hours according to momentarily need (work schedule planning,  social media, Finnish language, tidying, mentoring).