Volunteer With Our Horses

Horseriding is one of the many activities offered at the estate. There are also numerous books, articles, studies etc in the library for anyone interested to use in their studies and projects.

The Skyros horses' breeding program is run by an English lady, who is the supervisor, and a fulltime groom. The supervisor watches the physical condition of the horses, coordinates all stages of the reproduction program and supervises all the work in the stables and the environment of the horses. Our volunteers also work under her supervision, they help with the grooming and training of the horses and participate in our many informative and training actions to sensitize the public on the Skyros pony.

Therapeutic horse riding and horse therapy are taught and supervised by a specialized Brazilian teacher. Our volunteers work under her advice for the preparation of the horses, the facilitation of the horse riding sessions and they help to ensure the safety of the patients, riders or not.

Our volunteers are constantly under supervision of trained personnel, while there are all kinds of safety gear available for use (riding helmets, gloves, protective goggles, etc). Moreover, SILVA serves as a First Aid station for various wild animals of the island. More than 40 wild animals are brought to us every year,including owls, flamingos, turtles, herons, hawks, beavers, etc, for basic treatment of wounds by a veterinary surgeon, Mrs. Steen and the volunteers, who can usually take care of the animals before they are set free. In case of more serious injuries, the animals are sent to special centres in other parts of the country /(Athens, Aegina, Paros, etc)
Volunteers find residence in one of two mansions built around 1820 on a large property in a privledged location very close to Corfu town. They share rooms with people of the same sex unless they come as a couple.

Our EVS background and Volunteer Application Dates

We are pleased to accept volunteers through the "Youth in action - European Voluntary Service" programme, with our first arrivals starting in December 2009, for which we have started accepting applications. The on-arrival seminar in Athens is scheduled for the 14 through the 19 of December 2009 by the "Youth in action - European Voluntary Service" offices in Athens. We also wish to emphasize that we welcome volunteers with financial and/or geographical problems or cultural differences.

Our participation in a European Voluntary Service gives us the opportunity to accommodate volunteers from a lot of countries throughout the world. Our main aim is to promote the exchange of knowledge, skills, cultural elements, as well as learning foreign languages, acquiring of special skills that contribute to the intellectual, social and professional development of the volunteers. In addition, we intend to motivate young people to be aware of global social issues, to be able to express their views and critically ponder on the views of their fellow volunteers, to develop initiatives, to be able to compromise and cooperate, to enhance empathy for other people. We aim to bring forth the value of collective effort, of the economy of allocation of duties and effective organization and of taking up responsibilities. We believe that such experiences will enrich their personalities and will improve their general well being.

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. Due to the nature of our volunteer programme, we request that volunteers be fond of animals and motivated to help us in the activities described above. Finally, for their own health and well-being, we require that volunteers have no known alergies to animals. We have been welcoming volunteers since 2005 though not through the EVS programme.

You can also find our details on the European Commission site at:
European Commission - Youth - EVS Accredited Organisations
European Commission - Youth - EVS Accredited Organisations - SILVA

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