Description
The mission of the project is to foster, or at least, add to the cultural and social paradigm shift that is to tackle nowadays’ environmental, economic and moral challenges, with a special focus on the problems and opportunities of vulnerable population of underdeveloped countryside areas imposed to the risks of unemployment, low income, poor living standards. On the local level it will carry out community and capacity building activities, develop a local community center, it is also to connect similar but isolated sustainability initiatives and to create mutual learning opportunities for them. Our outputs will also include the installation, operation and demonstration of a spinning room and a wool processing workshop, two community gardens, numerous community events combined with crafting workshops, ten short films documenting the events, study trips, a summer camp, 3 methodological forums as well as the development of a new production and its brand.
Summary of project results
This multi-element project, while focusing on wool processing, addressed complex problems of the target area (communities and farmland of/around Ópusztaszer and Kistelek) in relation to community life, lifestyle and livelihoods. A paradigm shift based on human responsibility, traditions and proactive approach was promoted and started by the means of awareness raising, capacity building, community and infrastructural development project elements. One of the most important outcome of the project is the “Stareye” Wool Processing Workshop that was set up in the educational and community centre of the association with a partial rebuilding of an old farmhouse and with the provision of the most important equipments (including a nearly 100-year-old teasel machine. To promote wool-crafting 16 winter workshops and a total of 22 sessions were held for 12 groups of 10 to 30 people with presentations and demonstrations on various sides of wool processing. 2 community gardens have been also set up: a traditional vegetable garden in Dóc and a botanical garden with herbs and painting plants in Ópusztaszer – these were presented to visitors in 20 open-air days and group sessions. A total of nearly thirty people were able to acquire wool-processing skills and knowledge through the "World of Wool" course and lecture series made up of 12 events and the following 12-workshop-long master course. These have been supplemented by 3 study tours that provided opportunity for visiting of traditional wool processing workshops and masters in South-East Hungary and Vojvodina (Serbia). For the sake of further awareness-raising and information dissemination 17 workshops and 2 family camps as well as a 2-day-long competition for school teams with the title of "Rokkalamajka" was held in the Ópusztaszer Historical Memorial Park and in the surrounding farms with the participation of 11 groups of 102 people, selected through a preliminary application process. In addition, 35 wool-processing demonstrations provided at various outdoor and village festivals, fairs and schools, and 5 flashmobs also pointed at the importance and beauty of both wool as a natural resource and to the close-to-nature farming and lifestyle. The experiences of the project were shared with two dozens of civil society organizations active in the area through 3 methodological civil forums.
Summary of bilateral results