At the beginning of March, the last educational workshop was held as part of the VOLUNTEER FOR NATURE! VOLUNTEER FOR YOURSELF! project. The project lasts until September 2019 and had two cycles of education and volunteer actions with students of the Craft Technical School in Split, Ivan Lucić High School in Trogir and the Center for Community Services in Split.
Our educators from Association Sunce and the League for Addiction Prevention designed and conducted a total of three workshops in each cycle – on volunteering, on protected nature areas and on social skills. All workshops, aimed at preparing students to participate in volunteer actions in protected areas, were realized through participatory methods of work. Thus, last year, two volunteer actions were successfully realized: one in the Krka National Park, and the other in the Biokovo Nature Park.
In Krka National Park, 100 meters of drywalls at the very entrance to the park have been renovated, and on Biokovo 15 meters of drywall, two paths, an educational board and a sub-wall with a bench that now serves as a resting place for excursionists were delivered. A total of 450 volunteer hours were invested in these two actions, and a total of 48 students participated. The students were mentored at the actions by members of the Dragodid Association and employees of public institutions for the management of the mentioned protected nature areas.
In the second cycle, two new volunteer actions are planned. The first is planned for April 12th, 2019. in the Vrana Lake Nature Park, and the second for May 17 and 18, 2019. in Telašćica Nature Park. A total of 50 students are expected to attend educational workshops and a dozen mentors from Sunce, the League for Addiction Prevention, Ivan Lucic High School, the Craft Technical School in Split and the Center for Community Services, with hosts from public institutions.
The goal of the action on Vrana Lake is to remove invasive plant species and clean vegetation and restore wooden paths, slabs and similar equipment, while on Telašćica we plan to monitor marine litter, clean the beach and possibly clean the underwater educational trail. The volunteer action on Lake Vrana will last one day, and on Telašćica two days.
Project holder: Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development Sunce. Project partners: League for Addiction Prevention, Craft Technical School in Split, Ivan Lucić High School – Trogir, Center for Community Services Split, Public Institution “Biokovo Nature Park”, Public Institution “Krka National Park”, Public Institution “Vrana Lake Nature Park” and Public Institution “Telascica Nature Park”. The project is funded under the Operational Program “Effective Human Resources” 2014-2020 European Social Fund and co-financed by the Office for Non-Governmental Organizations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.
The total amount of the project is: HRK 1,211,473.24.