Read about this years volunteers from the “Respect the past – build bridges of the future” project
Youth and “andecha”
There is a word in Asturian that our people are starting to forget. We call “andecha” the custom of people from a village coming together to help a fellow resident complete a task and finish it with a meal or perhaps some beer. It is just exchanging kindness for kindness. Just like our language, it is starting to be less heard. I could bet most of my Asturian friends don’t know the word’s meaning.
When applying to this project, this was the word that came to my mind. Working on the restoration of a small house in a Slovenian town from which I hadn’t heard not even the name before. An unknown place in the mountain located on a mining basis, and the mine is not running anymore.
This description perfectly fits my hometown. Mieres is becoming a ghost town faster and faster. Even with the struggles and excellent work of the town Major to bring life to our place, the growth of big cities and the consequent migration of young people to them is emptying it. We thoroughly search for opportunities and find none, then move to bigger places.
That’s what I found the most interesting about this project. My guess was that Idrija was a similar place with similar problems. When I saw a project that would gather youngsters from all around Europe working on some “andecha” I felt awed that somebody was taking care of keeping this kind of place alive.
“Respect the past and build bridges for the future” is a combined project from MC Idrija and ID20 that gathered 18 people from nine different countries and put them together to work on two different projects. “Bridge people” would paint, fix and decorate the bridge in front of Idrija’s school while “House people” were restoring the Giser house, a house built by and for miners two centuries ago. I was a “house person”.
The planned work at the Giser house basically consisted of restoring the house doors and building a new kitchen in two weeks of teamwork. Most of us hadn’t done any woodwork before and were not used to this kind of job. After all, youngsters like us dedicate our lives to study or work sitting down. We couldn’t just try to get away with working on our own. Under Matevž and Matija’s command, we managed to go from seven separate people to a whole group of workers who helped each other and stuck together to find and do the work most efficiently. Doing that reminded me of those villagers helping each other because they knew the actual recipients of the situation were all of them. Every type of teamwork requires a bit of kindness; every act of kindness is rewarded with closer bonds between us. That’s why when we saw the doors restored and when the last kitchen cupboard was built, every one of us felt not only proud but grateful for an experience that brought strangers together to become a tiny community of workers.
We were also part of a bigger community in the Youth Center. Eighteen Europeans in their twenties would share the same hostel for twenty days, each with different manners and habits. It sounds like the recipe for chaos. And it probably would have been a not-so-pleasant main course if we hadn’t sat down on the first day and organised ourselves (special mention to Alex, youth center’s long volunteer; she helped us a lot to organise and find stuff in the hostel). We all came up of a system of a cooking and a cleaning team for each day and managed to make this work without any failure. Nobody stays hungry in this house.
That was the main task of our stay: cooperation, patience and comprehension between each other. Those values were the key to forging bonds that some of us know will remain after we leave. I am amazed by how close we got to each other after meeting for the first time two weeks ago. I guess that’s the consequence of sharing, which is necessary for such a heterogeneous group. In these 20 days, we learned about each other’s countries and characters. This was primarily seen in the “Cultural Nights”. We would cook traditional dishes from our motherlands and enjoy them all together. Not only were those delicious, but it helps you to realise that in the end, our differences eventually enabled us to get closer to each other. It is one of the most important lessons one can learn these days: differences are enriching, neither dangerous nor separate us.
For us, spare time was a real opportunity to get to know our surroundings. We walked through the streets of Idrija, found the places related to the mines and get to know the vibes of such a small town. Trips and hikes were also carried on: Ljubljana, Bled, Croatia… Some of them went sideways, but we improvised and had the funniest times. Because every youngster worldwide has the same hurry and desire to make the most of these years. After all, these were also holidays for us.
When I try to think of a general idea, I would brief it in one phrase: Praise youth and “andecha” and mix them into something bigger. Youngsters are usually associated with social experiences in bigger places, visiting capital cities and having great adventures worldwide. This project shows that the youth doesn’t belong to any concrete site or activities. That youth’s beautiful experiences can flourish everywhere as long as the effort is made. That these forgotten places are not dead and we are decided to not let them kill it. I hope we all start realizing about this before it is too late.
Sergio
“I’m still sanding”
The first time I saw the front door to house Giser, the old miner’s house we were about to be repairing for the next three weeks, it was nearly falling apart. I couldn’t imagine then how many hours we would spend sanding, applying putty and painting during the following days. I also couldn’t imagine how much fun I would have working with other volunteers from all around Europe and how much I would learn not only about restoring old doors but also about life and teamwork.
The opportunity to work with the skilled carpenter Matija Hiršenfelder in his workshop in the medieval town of Škofja Loka was one that I will cherish forever. Matija taught us to work in the most ergonomic way by telling us to not “work like bananas” and to “listen to our work”. He never showed any signs of frustration when we didn’t know which type of sanding paper we should use for which part of the door or when we did everything three times slower than him. Watching him work every day with so much joy, pride and knowledge in his work it seemed to me he was changing the world one door at a time. It also convinced me that whatever job I’m going to have after my studies, I want to experience the enthusiasm he had for his work.
Looking back, I can see that repairing the door was so much more than just using different tools, scraping off layers of paint and rolling sanding paper to not damage the door’s carvings. It was also the early car rides across the hills to Škofja Loka, changing the lyrics of Elton John’s “I’m still standing” to “I’m still sanding” and singing it while working, eating in Škofja Loka’s lunch restaurants, floating in the river, sharing stories with other volunteers and showering each other with air at the end of the work day to remove dust from our skins. It was listening to Matija’s life lessons and thinking that I should write it all down later and carving a surprise birthday gift for Matevž while he was in the workshop with us and all of us working together to distract him.
When the door was finished and brought back to Idrija and we saw how it looked with its new coat of paint and shiny handles, it was hard to believe we had all been a part of that transformation. It felt like we had done something meaningful: brought back to life a piece of history that had been forgotten. Now each time I see an old door it reminds me of how Matija said it would take him more than 200 hours to repair one. If that is how long it takes to repair one, I can’t even imagine how long it must have taken from the builder who built it around a century ago.
Now that we have finished our work and don’t spend our days covered in dust anymore, I can’t help but feel incredibly lucky to have shared this time with our “house people”. These past three weeks have been filled with laughter, good music, painting hearts on each other’s arms and learning together. We have helped one another, had interesting conversations while working on the details and come up with jokes that only we can understand. These weeks have taught me the importance of preserving cultural heritage, skills for woodwork and most importantly how much fun working in a group of people who are all dedicated to achieving the same goal can be.
Ella
Work on the bride
Our work on the bridge felt like breathing new life into something of importance to the local community.
The team was composed of 10 volunteers from all over Europe and people from MCI that joined together for this amazing cause. Together we put our cultural differences aside and reached our goal of making Idrija, that was already beautiful, a little bit prettier.
We worked many hours in the sun but it was not hard for us because we were proud of our work and seeing people from Idrija passing by, smiling, and appreciating what we were doing encouraged us to keep going. We are happy with our work and we are filled with gratitude towards the community. In just 3 weeks this small town became a second home to us. The bonds we forged, the memories we created, and the impact we made will forever hold a special place in our hearts, a testament to the power of unity and shared purpose.
Experiences in Idrija
Idrija is one of those towns you get enamored with the second you reach it.
The hikes are tough but the views are breathtaking and worth it. We never got used to the picturesque hills, the green trees and the graceful, soothing sound of the river. Despite how cold the water is, we enjoyed swimming in the river and feeling the fresh water on our skin. The Zlikrofi festival gave us a taste of the beautiful slovenian culture. However, what really makes Idrija so great are the earm-hearted people that always greeted us with a smile on their faces. Although we don’t speak the same language, by bringing us ice cream, pizza or coffees, they filled us with their contagious happiness and made our job so much easier.
With this experience we found so many new and interesting things about a little town that now means so much to us. The stories woven into its lacework, the historical mines that provided livelihoods for many, and the rich cultural heritage that graces every corner of the city have made this journey one of the best experiences of our lives. Idrija is in the heart of Europe and we will forever feel connected to this town.
To the wonderful people of Idrija, we extend our deepest gratitude for embracing us and for sharing your beloved home with us. Thank you for inviting us to discover the hidden gems and enduring charm of your town.
Aktivnosti izvajamo ob podpori Evropske solidarnostne enote, Evropske prestolnice kulture Nova Gorica – Gorica 2025 in Ministrstva za naravne vire in prostor Republike Slovenije.
