Mindya Community – A Short Term ESC Project: 10th of August – 21st of September

Mindya Community is a long-term community and volunteering initiative based in the village of Mindya, near Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.  Developed within the framework of the European Solidarity Corps, the project creates a space where young people can experience a different rhythm of life — closer to nature, local people, practical work, and community engagement. This is year the project activity will start on 10th of August and will last 42 days until 21st of September.

The project invites volunteers to step outside the fast-paced and often highly digital environment of everyday life and spend time in a small rural community. In Mindya, participants are encouraged to slow down, live more consciously, reconnect with nature, and discover the value of simple, shared, and responsible living. The village becomes not only a project location, but also a living environment where young people can learn through daily experience, cooperation, and direct contact with local life.

A central part of the project is the idea of learning by doing. Volunteers take part in practical outdoor and terrain activities around the shared house, garden, and community spaces. These activities may include building compost systems, wooden tables and benches, painting, improving common areas, supporting the maintenance of the house and garden, and contributing to small creative or practical tasks. Through this hands-on work, participants develop basic manual skills, independence, responsibility, teamwork, and a better understanding of sustainable living.

At the same time, Mindya Community is not only about physical work. It is also about people, stories, and shared moments. Volunteers live together, organize their daily routines, support each other, and take part in the social and cultural life of the village. The project gives them the opportunity to experience rural Bulgaria from the inside — not as tourists, but as temporary members of a local community.

The program includes free time, travel opportunities, and informal group activities such as movie nights, table tennis, karaoke evenings, creative gatherings, and other initiatives organized by the volunteers themselves. These moments are an important part of the experience, helping participants build friendships, create memories, and feel part of a group.

One of the key elements of the project is the connection between volunteers and the local community. Participants may support community activities in Mindya and contribute to the organization of local events. At the end of each project period, volunteers and local residents can come together for a final event, creating a shared space for music, food, conversation, celebration, and cultural exchange.

The project also has a strong media and communication dimension. Through E-volution Media and the wider Mindya Community platform, volunteers are encouraged to document their experience by creating photos, videos, stories, interviews, and social media content. In this way, the project becomes visible beyond the village itself and contributes to a broader conversation about rural life, youth participation, volunteering, sustainability, and alternative forms of community living.

Mindya itself plays an important role in the identity of the project. Located in central Bulgaria, close to Veliko Tarnovo, the village is surrounded by green hills, forests, traditional houses, and a calm rural atmosphere. It offers young people a chance to experience a place where nature, local traditions, and community life are still part of everyday reality.

Mindya Community is a project about volunteering, but also about personal change. It gives young people the chance to leave their usual environment for a while, discover another way of living, gain practical and social skills, and reflect on their own choices, habits, and future direction. Through shared work, cultural exchange, and life in a small village, the project creates space for learning, connection, creativity, and solidarity.

The project is funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps.