Project: Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge is a commune in the southwest of France, located in the heart of the Charente countryside, near the forest of La Lande and a short distance from the banks of the Gironde estuary. This commune is a historical partner of the association, with whom we realized the first workcamps on the territory of Charente-Maritime in 1996. After ten years of stopping projects in this area, the municipality wanted to rediscover the intercultural dynamics of the workcamps in 2019, and in particular to use them to renovate the school in the municipality. The 2022 project will continue the work done previously, namely to finish the renovation of the wall of the college. Your actions will be in accordance with the objective 11 of sustainable development (UN) in favor of sustainable cities and communities.
Work: Supervised by two technical referents specialized in masonry, you will work on the restoration of a wall at the entrance of the College of Saint-Genis-De-Saintonge. At first, you will have to dismantle the part of the wall, in very bad condition. Then, you will have to recover the reusable stones. Then you will have to reassemble the wall thanks to traditional techniques of stone cutting, laying and joints. You will work an average of 5 hours per day, in the morning.
Accommodation & food: You will stay in mixed dorms, with all facilities (bathroom, kitchen...). Please bring a sleeping bag and a pillow. Bikes will be available to go on the worksite and to have a ride on the island. The meals will be prepared, in turn, by you, especially for lunch and dinner while respecting environmental values and local resources, as well as the culture of each and everyone (hot and cold dishes as well as vegetarian and vegan will be prepared).
Location: Saint-Genis-De-Saintonge, Charente-Maritime, 80 km from Bordeaux.
Leisure activities: Share your cultural heritage with the locals and Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge organizations. Tour of the region will be collectively planned as you wish (visits, ocean, museums...). There are regional cities to enjoy like Bordeaux, La Rochelle, St Emilion... Free time will favor encountering locals, in particular with the middle school’s young people, waiting for you!
Time and directions to the meeting point: At Clion-sur-Seugne train station, between 4pm and 6 pm. The facilitators will shuttle between the station and the place of accommodation.