EuskoSare is calling young people of the Basque Diaspora to help in the construction of the Azkarate Palace from August 1-23, 2008.  The deadline for application is now June 15th.  Think about taking part in this special project.

Click on euskosare.org-azkarate center for the diaspora

EuskoSare, along with the Concordia Association and the town hall of Azkarate in lower Navarre, is reaching out to the youth belonging to the Basque Global Community who want to participate in another collaborative event to assist with the restoration of the Azkarate Palace. The plan is to create a building for the future International Center of the Basque Diaspora: Larregoien.

The town hall of Azkarate, a town close to Donibane Garazi (St. Jean Pied de Port), in lower Navarre, is driving the creation of an International Center for the Basque Diaspora: Larregoien in the town’s palace; and EuskoSare is participating in the momentum of this initiative.

From August 1st through the 23th, participants will collaborate in the rehabilitation and restoration of the palace. This will be the third year participants are collaborating in the palace’s restoration as the first event was held in August 2006, the second in July 2007.

EuskoSare will select young people that belong to Basque organizations throughout the world who wish to participate as volunteers in this project during the month of August. The candidates will only need to pay their airfare; the rest of the costs will be covered by the organizers.

The work to be done in the palace and the recreational activities during the stay in the Basque Country will be headed by the Concordia Association – specialized in organizing such international collaborative programs, and by EuskoSare, respectively.

The program is organized in the following way:

Date: August 1st through August 23th 2008

Application Deadline: June 1, 2008, at midnight, Basque Country time. It’s recommended that you don’t wait until the last hour to submit your application to avoid any problems that may arise.

What the volunteer work consists of: Various tasks in the areas of cleaning, painting, transporting materials, construction of a wall, etc.

How much time: 5 hours daily, Monday through Friday.

Recreation: During free time, various recreational and cultural activities will be organized, including trips to Hegolade (southern Basque Country), Lapurdi, and Xiberoa.

Application Requirements: Must be between the age of 18-35 at the time of applying. Belong to a Basque organization outside of the Basque Country. Completion of forms provided by the organizers. Send a copy of your passport and plane ticket before June 15, 2008.

Costs: Participants must pay their roundtrip ticket to the Basque Country along with an additional 22 euros.

Lodging and Food: The Concordia Organization and the town hall will take care of lodging (rural setting) and all food costs for the participants.

Those interested can send in their request for an application through EuskoSare’s Contact Form (Recipients: EuskoSare Global), and provide the following information in the body of the form:
• First and Last Name
• Drivers License or ID Number
• Passport Number
• Date of Birth
• Complete Mailing Address
• Telephone Contact
• What Basque organization do you belong to?
• Have you previously participated in a volunteer program?

EuskoSare will contact each applicant to send them the forms and to ensure that all application requirements are fulfilled.  Once these steps are completed and the documentation has been verified, EuskoSare will confirm with the applicant on the status of their application. If the number of applicants exceeds 20 spaces, EuskoSare will select the candidates (taking into consideration the diverse participants from different communities).
 

More information:
Azkarate is a small town located near Donibane Garazi (St. Jean Pied de Port), the capital of lower Navarre. This medieval castle will be converted into the future International Center of the Diaspora, which will house Basque descendents who wish to travel to the lands of their ancestors. It will be a place for cultural exchanges with the Basque Diaspora in which all kinds of Basque cultural resources can participate in.

2006 Participants
Azkarate community on EuskoSare 

2007 Participant’s blog
Diaspora (International)