We are Maxim from France and Tatyana from Russia volountering at Brandbjerg folk hight school (Brandbjerg Højskole). Because we did our solidarity project together we decided to make only one project description for both.
Why should we make sheep great again ?
We start our Solidarity project from adapting to the place, listen to the needs of the school and try to find some common ideas we could work with.
The school have lent a field to a neighbor who had his sheep on it for few years. The idea of the school is now to have their own sheep. We both though that it could be a nice to have somehow a link with animals in our project. We then agreed to renovate this area in order to have sheep at school on a long term.
The main goal of having sheep on the school it’s manage grass in a sustainable way, using pasture to control different areas instead of mowing machine and human craft. The presence of sheep also gives the opportunity to the students to get familiar with animals and involve them in a sort of “farm” in a small scale. It’s also a great opportunity to open a home made yarn workshop and find some new project around sheep.
Overall connection with animals and more generally with nature may gather even more the local community on Brandbjerg.
From brainstorm to sheep ceremony
At first, we brainstormed about opportunities and requirements to have sheep on the school in order to setup some basics questions like: Why do you want sheep on the school? What does a sheep need? Where could they be? …
During a long period, we collect all information and visit some farms around. We had made big document with all information and budget of materials. Then we present budget to the direction of the school our ideas and a budget of the renovation of the place (fence, house, water and all the practical things around it).
After approval we started the biggest part of our project – practical work. We ordered all materials that we need, took out old fence, prepared field, and set up the fence. In the practical work we involved students to help and be a part of the process. It was a good opportunity for them to learn new skills and feel as a part of the project.
When we finished with the fence, we helped the neighbor to shave sheeps and transport them to the school.
Then we shared with the students some information that we already have learned about sheep (how to communicate with them, how to care them…). And we made a ceremony with the students and the people living on the school where we gave them, sing some songs, give some food and have fun.
Sheep are so cute !
We finished the biggest part of the project; we succeed to do a lot of practical work and finally receive 8 sheep on the area. We also prepared some documents, budget, list of materials so the next volunteers can improve the project and use some mobile fences to move the sheep on the school. We are happy to see that the sheep attract so many students and a part of the local community often come to visit them when they nearby ‘Grejsdalstien’. And we also was enjoyed a lot to work with animals and students.
From this project we learned how to manage hole project from the idea to realization. We also learned a lot ofabout relations with animals, practical skills that can really help us in our life. One of the most important knowledge we get it is how to work as a team, where we learn to have different view – ideas, ways of communicate, culture- and still go ahead together caring eachother.
TaTy & MaX
ESC Solidarity Projects 