Volunteering scheme: “El Forest”

Dear volunteer

We are very pleased that you are interested in getting to know our Forest School and collaborate with us.

 

We would like to briefly share our ethos and logistics with you, so that you might get enthusiastic and decide to come and visit us.

 

We are a nomad Forest School, we have a couple of base camps for fire pits, but most of the year we meet in different areas of the National Park we are lucky to live in, El Montseny (1h away from Barcelona). Families drop the children in different locations.

 

We have chosen the nomad way, as it offers us the opportunity to enjoy different settings, areas and places according to children interests and also seasonal invitations, ie. chestnuts trees area in the autumn, river side in summer, sunny or fire spots in winter, medicinal herbs fields in spring, etc.

 

Some of our golden principles:

• Learning is play based
• Emotional Intelligence guidance as rule for interaction
• Taking care of ourselves, others and nature
• Connection with nature, its cycles and rhythms

 

We have experienced the nomad tribe way since 2012.

 

We are a Forest School that offers different types of activities:

 

• Morning sessions
• After school sessions
• Week-end sessions
  

We are not a Monday to Friday school. As most Forest Schools, we run activities that complement other educational programmes.

 

Here you can find the list the groups and ages, days and times, we offer:

 

El Niu (The Nest), family baby group, children aged 0-14 months. Friday morning (every fortnight)

 

La Clariana (The Clearing), family group, children aged 14m to 3 years old. Tuesday morning 10-14h (every fortnight). Group 1

Friday morning 10-14h (weekly). Group 2

 

La Prada (The Prairie), children aged 3-5 years old. Wednesday morning 9:30-14h (weekly)

Saturday morning 10-14h (monthly) family group

 

La Boscana (The Forest), children aged 6-8 years old. Sunday morning 10-15h (monthly)

 

La Carena (The Ridge ), children aged 9-12 years old. Friday afternoon 17-19:30h (every fortnight)

 

Groups regularity:

Weekly group sessions on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Every fortnight sessions on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. Monthly sessions on Saturday and Sundays mornings.

 

What we offer:

• To discover our beautiful National Park.

 

• To be inspired by the children of the forest school and their discoveries.

 

• To share knowledge with the FS leaders.

 

• To enjoy the observations of our sessions. At a later time, and on agreement from both parties, the volunteer may participate in the sessions (offering a song, a story, participating in games, etc.)

 

We do not offer accommodation, but offer help to find it.

Tthere might be the possibility to stay in a very basic accommodation on a small campervan (outside toilet facilities) or with a family of the Forest School. For volunteers that wish to come for a longer period than 3 weeks, there is a leader from the Forest School that could offer a workaway/woofing type of arrangement in their property. In this case simple accommodation and/or some meals could get covered. If you are interested let us know and we will inform you of details.

There can be a possibility to camp.

 

 

What we ask for:

 

• To attend to all of the activities as an observer, until we agree on moving onto a more hands-on role.

 

• To have training or experience in Forest Schools (if you haven’t got any training or experience in FS, you still can come over but we would like to have an online video call beforehand).

 

• To do task collaborating with the FS (inventory, tidying materials, etc).

 

• To preferably have a car. As there is very little public transport in the area. We could arrange ways of getting around. We can discuss this beforehand.

 

• To engage in an on-line interview to discuss details.

 

Please do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have. Best regards,

Vicky Mateu

• children, nature and education ·

Founder and pedagogical coordinator of “El forest del Montseny”

 

 

“Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.” Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

 

Volunteering scheme: “El Forest”

 

Phase 1 – observation

 

• Amethyst phase: passive observation. (Being like a stone, mineral, rock)

During this phase you have the opportunity to observe the school dynamics, the environment, our values, what we offer, etc. You don’t interact or participate in the session; you are an observer, enjoy! Minimum 3 sessions (depending on training and /or experience).

 

• Heather phase: active observation. Being like flora, vegetation: branches that move, seeds that fly around, plants that climb up.

You can start to move around the setting to get a closer look to situations, activities, etc. Minimum 3 sessions (depending on training and /or experience).

 

This phase is like being a tourist in the forest school sessions.

 

Phase 2 – training

 

• Red-robin phase: occasional interaction and organisational assistance.

You can start to interact and participate in the group, but in small doses. (No boundaries or conflict intervention yet).

You can now start being a hands on person in relation to assisting and managing the “space”. Ex: help putting a tarp up, attending the fire, tiding up material. You might be invited to lead some simple activities (share a song or lead a game, etc.)

A few sessions (depending on training and /or experience)

 

• Honey bee phase: active interaction. You are now part of the group.

You start supporting the group and you lead some activities (teach a new game, show a craft, tell a story, look after the tool area, etc.). You can assist children and offer help when need it.

 

This phase is like being a traveller in the forest school sessions.

Escola de bosc

 

• infància i natura·
  

 

Phase 3 – volunteer

 

• Wolf phase: forest school leader. You are now part of the pack.

You lead, manage and enjoy the sessions!!

 

This phase is like being an inhabitant of the forest school.

 

Phase 4 – becoming part of the team (there aren’t any places available at the moment)

 

At this point there are different phases and roles also.

Initial phases preparing activities, more advance role programing a whole session, designing a semester, etc.

 

This phase is being an inhabitant of the forest school.