Volunteer and improve your Russian with GBT

Eco-Russian Camp

Project Manager: Dmitry Chuprikov 

Project dates:  August 10-21, 2010

Project Duration:  12 days

Languages:  Russian

Project Contribution Fee* 15000 Rubles: (approx $500 US, ˆ350) current exchange rate available at http://www.cbr.ru/eng/currency_base/daily.asp

Overview: GBT is seeking enthusiastic international volunteers with Russian language skills acquired during home life, academic/ private studies etc who are keen to develop their use of both Russian and Cyrillic.  In a friendly atmosphere at a camp on the shores of Lake Baikal participants managed by our specialist teaching staff and Project Managers will take part in Russian lessons and develop their linguistic ability whilst also experiencing the environment, learning about eco-tourism and helping with initiatives to improve the lakes trails.

This project runs for a period of 12 days and is based within the Pribaikalskii National Park to the south west of the lake, easily accessible for the city of Irkutsk. You and a maximum of  15 other volunteers + staff will spend 12 days living on the shores of the deepest and cleanest lake in the world, experiencing breathtaking scenery and taking in all this world heritage site has to offer. 

Day to day activities will be varied and challenging and with 7 years experience GBT hopes to make your time with us fun as well. Plus, you’ll gain from knowing that you are doing your bit to preserve the planet. Once at the site your time/efforts will be split across 3 core areas;

• Undertaking the Russian language program: Each and every day project volunteers will undertake at least 1 Russian session led by a qualified Teacher in addition to participating in ongoing discussion and dialogue with the rest of the group. Lessons will take on various forms including; vocab’ games, written Russian practice, open talks on contemporary subjects, role plays, formal instruction and grammatical usage plus much more. It’s a brilliant opportunity to increase your awareness of our wonderful language alongside Russian and Buryat cultures in a truly picturesque setting.

• Assisting with a range of eco-projects: You will also spend time working around the lake building pathways, creating eco-trails, maintaining the site and the surrounding areas and producing signage for the lake to be used for generations to come. You’ll have the chance to use Cyrillic and leave your mark on Russia in Russian for generations to come!

• Enjoying our extensive excursion program and camp life: Led by our project management team and experienced Baikal guides you will partake in trips to places of interest, sightseeing visits (including Bolshie Koty village and Cape Scriper), hikes around the lake and through the surrounding forests etc.  Volunteers also each play their own part in creating the community atmosphere of GBT camps and are requested to participate in various team building activities, cooking etc. 

The team at GBT knows that all this sounds like a lot of hard work but do guarantee that you will find reward not only in developing your language skills but also in learning about sustainable/eco-tourism, local cultures and by truly experiencing Lake Baikal. The GBT team operate practically with a fun and friendly vibe, ensuring that everyone involved in each project gets as much as they can out of their time participating. There are those who help us year in, year out and also new volunteers each summer, so why not join us? You could combine the project with an adventure along the Trans-Siberian railroad (linking Russia, Mongolia and China) or fly directly to Irkutsk. 

On completion of all GBT projects the team requests your feedback to ensure we can continue to improve our work. By delivering an excellent program and maximizing the functionally of Lake Baikal we can aid others in enjoying the environment for years to come whilst also ensuring its protection.

Interested in participating in this project? Fill in our GBT volunteer application form and read Background information.

For additional information contact Ms Yulia Misevich – Volunteer Coordinator gbt.volunteers@gmail.com +79500613927

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