La Choza de Trasmulas

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Finished 04 / 04 / 2016
Funded!
Received
€ 9.765
Minimum
€ 8.300
Optimum
€ 15.950
96 Backers
Channel
  • Contributing € 10

    FIND YOUR NAME ON THE PARTHERSHIP WALL

    Your name will be added to the wall of acknowledgements in the Choza de Trasmulas and on our web site.

    > 07 Backers
  • Contributing € 20

    FIND YOUR NAME ON THE PARTNERSHIP WALL AND GET A PERSONAL THANK YOU NOTE

    In addition to the inscription of your name on the wall of acknowledgements we will send you a personal thank you note created by the team of the Choza.

    > 16 Backers
  • Contributing € 40

    AROMATIC HERBS FROM THE GRANADA VALLEY FOR YOU

    In addition to the inscription on the acknowledgements wall and the personal thank you note we will send you a selection of aromatic herbs from the area around our center to spice up your dishes or make natural tees.

    > 10 Backers
  • Contributing € 70

    AROMATIC HERBS AND PROMOTIONAL T-SHIRT

    In addition to the inscription on the wall, the personal thank you note and the selection of aromatic herbs we will send you an organic Choza de Trasmulas T-shirt. (Shipping restricted to European countries).

    > 04 Backers
  • Contributing € 120

    INVITATION TO A MEET AND GREET WITH THE TEAM OF THE CHOZA DE TRASMULAS

    In addition to the inscription on the wall, the personal thank you note, the selection of aromatic herbs and a promotional T-Shirt, we invite you to come and meet us, the village and the Choza de Trasmulas first hand. Share the dream of LA CHOZA with us! This includes meals and accommodation for one night.

    > 07 Backers
  • Contributing € 250

    INVITATION TO ONE OF OUR WORKSHOPS

    In addition to the inscription on the wall, the personal thank you note, the selection of aromatic herbs, a promotional T-shirt, a guided tour and a dinner with our team, we invite you to participate in one of our workshops. We will send you our list of trainings from which you can choose your favorite workshop (CreaVideo, Anti-Bias, Acro Yoga, reed construction…) Share the dream of LA CHOZA with us! This includes meals and accommodation for two nights at the Choza de Trasmulas.

    > 07 Backers
  • Contributing € 500

    INVITATION FOR A WEEKEND AT OUR RURAL HOSTEL

    In addition to the inscription on the wall, the personal thank you note, the selection of aromatic herbs, a promotional T-shirt and a guided tour and dinner with our team, we invite you to spend a weekend with your partner or a friend at “La Choza de Trasmulas” in a rural environment, exploring and enjoying the place with us. (This may include guided tours to places of interest in the Granada valley, natural parks or Granada city as well as mini workshops in bio-construction, environmental protection or Acro Yoga.) Share the dream of LA CHOZA with us! This includes meals and accommodation for two people for two nights at the Choza de Trasmulas.

    > 00 Backers

About this project

A rural hostel and Center for Lifelong Learning

Needs Material Minimum Optimum
Kitchenware
Pots, pans, griddles, deli slicers, crusher, blender, utensils, plates, cutlery, glasses, cups...
€ 3.800
Household Items
We only have a minimum equipment to date. To host groups we need to buy more towels, sheets, comforters, pillows, quilts, tables, chairs, curtains...
€ 4.500
Valorization of the natural heritage
Replanting of native species for green areas in the ravine. Cost: plants, stones, fertilizer, etc.
€ 950
Technical equipment for workshops and socio-cultural events
Sound system, screen, projector, bulbs.
€ 2.600
Needs Task Minimum Optimum
Green roofs
Walkable flat roofs covered with soil and native plants which improve the energy efficiency of the building and serve as herb garden. Cost: material for the foundation, plants, irrigation, green roof expert fee.
€ 1.800
Reed pergola
Reed pergola from the banks of the river Genil which provides the necessary shade to use the patio during the hot season. It also improves the energy efficiency of the building and helps maintain a comfortable microclimate in the house. Cost: mounting material and tools as well as reed construction expert fee to guide and train the volunteer team.
€ 2.300
Total € 8.300 € 15.950
Necessary
Supplemental

General information

Don't miss the video! Clic on top of the CC button for English subtitles

Two years ago we started to realize our dream: a hostel and center for lifelong learning in a rural environment, a place where all kinds of social groups can meet, share, dream, reflect, learn and create. Active education, local sustainable development and social economy are the key elements of this dream.

The place that received us most warmly was Trasmulas, a small village in the Granada valley with just 200 inhabitants, located next to the river Genil, 20 minutes away from the city of Granada. This rural area is gradually depopulating and offers hardly any opportunities for young people. Together with our partner organization, the association “Intercultural life”, we decided to offer socio-cultural activities and active education in order to promote civic participation, equal opportunities and inclusion of socially disadvantaged groups like young people with fewer opportunities or the rural population. The neighbors support the project because “the Choza revives the village”. We offer activities for all ages and foster an exchange between “foreigners” who stay at the Choza and the rural population so that everybody can learn from each other.

Building this center with natural materials like clay and straw has been a unique experience. It is a bio-construction pilot project which was realized with the help of nearly 100 volunteers who contributed their bit and were trained in techniques of sustainable construction at the same time.

Do you want to know more about our project?
Follow us on Facebook: https://es-es.facebook.com/pages/La-Choza-de-Trasmulas/570782142952969
And on our website: www.lachozadetrasmulas.com

Description of the project. Main features, strengths and differentials.

The Choza de Trasmulas is a social project and a pilot project for bio-construction and at the same time a rural hostel and center for lifelong learning. The Choza has got many faces but always the same goal: to contribute to rural sustainable development in the Granada valley through education and through socio-cultural and environmental activities. For this purpose we created three working areas: active education, social and environmental action and rural tourism as an incentive for youth employment.

  1. Active education
    Together with the association Intercultural life and its volunteers we offer educational opportunities for everybody, especially for disadvantaged social groups like young people with special needs or the rural population. We believe in the power of active education as a key for personal and social development, an education that is based in the individual with their needs and capabilities. We use artistic creation (video, music, theater …), experiential education and international exchange as tools for education.
    We welcome groups from many European and Mediterranean countries in order to learn from each other and to promote mutual respect, inclusion of socially disadvantaged groups and civic participation. We raise consciousness for environmentally responsible lifestyles and we support social initiatives.

  2. Social and environmental action
    We have dedicated a space, a multipurpose room, to activities with people of all ages from the rural area and with volunteers from the Neighborhood Association of Trasmulas and the association Intercultural life: we have already had dance, handicraft, sports and environmental awareness workshops and a street art photo project. The latest wonderful idea that some neighbors have come up with is the creation of a modern library which we call “half a loaf and a book” after Federico García Lorca who said in a speech that we can’t live on bread alone. “If I were hungry and defenseless in the streets, I would not ask for a loaf, but for half a loaf and a book.” (http://cpt.soup.io/tag/Lorca) It’s culture which offers real opportunities for the rural population.
    During the bio-construction of our center we conducted several workshops with volunteers not only from Andalusia but also from Catalonia, France, USA, Israel, Denmark, Russia, etc. to fill all the walls with straw clay. It was a unique, especially positive and very rewarding experience! Through training courses and volunteering we were able to spread the much needed knowledge about this form of sustainable construction in which we strongly believe. We were also able to form networks with people involved in projects of social economy, sustainable development and mutual support.

  3. Rural tourism and youth employment
    We offer rural tourism stays for families and other groups. Our idea is to provide a cozy, quiet and comfortable space, a special place to fully relax while you discover and appreciate the countryside, enjoy social life in the small village of Trasmulas and discover all the treasures of Granada and its surroundings. This also gives us the chance to train the rural youth to offer activities of active and sustainable tourism because we see rural tourism as an incentive for youth employment.
    The hostel also supports the local economy by buying local products and services, hiring unemployed rural people, and cooperating with local enterprises, both for the construction of the center and for the activities.

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Why this is important

With our educational activities we primarily address the rural population and certain demographics in disadvantaged city districts such as young people with social difficulties or learning disabilities and their educators and teachers but we are also open to everyone who is interested in our issues and who would like to live an experience of active education. The center is accessible for people with disabilities.

Relying on our own center and being able to host the participants of our workshops, training courses or retreats is very important for our work because it allows us to adapt to the possibilities and needs of each group. In order for everyone to work and learn joyfully and to form a good group, a suitable infrastructure, namely enough space, technical equipment, time flexibility, good food and above all a harmonious, cozy and comfortable atmosphere is essential.

Our own center at our disposal also reduces the cost of activities so that we can have more activities or give the space to the local community for free. Thus the center allows us to realize many cultural activities in the region, establish a “meeting space” for all ages, and promote dialogue between people who come from other countries to the “Choza” and the local population. The local seniors welcome groups as if they were family and miss them when they leave; the younger ones are getting curious despite their fears and their families’ skepticism (out of ignorance) and want to participate in international projects, one of our main objectives. The center offers the opportunity to create a space where children and young people find an “alternative to the street and the screen”, a place where they will not only stay away from bad habits but also gain social and intercultural competences and basic skills for personal development and full participation in our society.

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Goals of the crowdfunding campaign

Thanks to the efforts and dedication of more than 90 volunteers who participated in its construction and thanks to the financial and moral support of friends, family, helpers and neighbors from Trasmulas, the construction of the Choza de Trasmulas is finished.
The project has been financed mainly by private loans and contributions of the eight members of the social enterprise. The only grant requested and approved for the construction of the center comes from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development in disadvantaged areas EAFRD and we have only received part of the approved amount to date.

We have now reached a crucial and difficult point in the development of our project. We have finished the work and have to begin to repay the private loans. Therefore we need to open the center as soon as possible but we don’t have enough money to equip the hostel.
We are starting this crowdfunding campaign to equip the hostel and center for lifelong learning and to start running the place as soon as possible. We urgently need kitchen and hostel equipment. We also want to furbish up the outdoor spaces according to the values of sustainable construction. We plan to build a pergola with cane to shade the terrace, finish the green roofs and replant native species in green areas, all with the goal of improving the energy efficiency of the building, extending the useful area and enhancing the natural heritage.

“La Choza de Trasmulas” is a pilot project and the largest sustainably constructed clay and straw house in Spain. The lack of experience with this type of construction was obvious during the whole construction process. It was very difficult e.g. to comply with all the building codes and regulations without official material testing results, and there were some surprises which forced us to make improvements during the construction process which made for increased project costs.
With the support of many people in our private and professional environment we were able to cope with the additional costs. We have achieved a building with excellent thermal and acoustic insulation and highly efficient energy and water saving systems. We are now very proud to have achieved the energy efficiency category A for the building.
In order to give back to everyone, we will publish a guide for auto-construction with natural materials (straw-clay, cob and lime) so that everybody can learn from our experience, and to facilitate the work for future promoters of similar projects.

We need your help to move forward and make this dream come true!

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Team and experience

The team behind the activities of “La Choza de Trasmulas” consists of educational professionals who specialize in working with young people with fewer opportunities and/or learning disabilities, and volunteers from various countries with complementing experiences and skills, trained in social and intercultural education, psychoeducational intervention or socio-cultural animation. The two entrepreneurs boast over 20 years of experience in the field of active education and management of international projects.

Many international projects as well as numerous workshops, training courses, youth exchanges and European Voluntary Services (EVS) vouch for our experience. With these activities we offer lifelong creative learning opportunities that enable participants to develop their skills in interaction, reflection and social action. The international projects give us strength for the local work we are doing with the rural population.

Some of these projects have been:

The two-year project “Education against Discrimination” with professionals and volunteers from Germany, Poland and Spain active in the field of cultural diversity and migration - Project video in Spanish with subtitles in English: vimeo.com/61092729. The documentation in Spanish: www.intercultural-life.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Librillo-EAD_E.pdf

The youth exchange “Borders in my mind” with young people with different abilities from Italy, France, Turkey and Spain took place from September 7 to 16, 2015, in Trasmulas. Project video: vimeo.com/140218642

“Scientific Animation” workshops with students from 8-12 years in rural schools in Trasmulas, Fuensanta, Peñuelas and Castillo de Tajarja - Project video:

The street art project “Inside out” (www.insideoutproject.net/fr/group-actions/espagne-trasmulas-granada) with neighbors of all ages from Trasmulas with the slogan “Trasmulas, a small village, a big family” - Project video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRIwW2TBnD4

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Social commitment