Great Baikal Trail - News & newsletter

Non-profit organization Great Baikal Trail (GBT) of Irkutsk, ran a project between Waldorf Schools of Freiburg, Germany, and Irkutsk, Russia. The schools cooperated on a trail building project around lake Baikal. German students came to Russia on an exchange program, part of which is volunteering with GBT. It is the third year GBT and Waldorf Schools have worked together near Bolshoye Goloustnoye village, building a trail to Svataya Mountain.

This year the team, aged 16-17, worked on a loop on the trail, which will give hikers an opportunity to see more of the area. The students work with GBT not only to help on the trail, but also got to experience village life, including Buryat and Russian culture, understand environmental issues in the region and enjoy the beauty of Lake Baikal. The students worked together building and cooking food over a campfire. They built an incredible 303 meters of perfect trail in just three and a half working days. During the project we celebrated three birthdays, which meant three delicious cakes from the local bakery. We also learnt the ‘trail builder dance’ – so much fun!

Evenings included football with the locals and feeding half-wild horses, as well as many evenings singing and chatting around the campfire.

Homestays are an important part of any volunteer program. Our volunteers had the chance to experience a Russian banya (a type of sauna), Russian food, and to try to speak Russian. They even drove in a track body.

It was really enjoyable to work with this group of Germans and Russians, and it looks like the students had lots of fun too.

25.04.2010. Lake Baikal, the deepest, oldest lake in the world, is more than a magnificent lake that holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water. Baikal is a spiritual experience. Baikal will touch your heart and stay there forever. Its transcendent beauty will mesmerize you and make you want to share your adventure with everyone you know.

But the Russian government does not see that. This January Russian premier-minister Putin shocked environmentalists and everyone who cares about the future of Baikal, by allowing a bankrupt pulp mill to dump its waste directly into the world's cleanest lake. Instead of putting money into tourism, the Russian government changed the law protecting Baikal to allow more pollution. Saying they need to provide 1,500 Baikalsk pulp mill workers with jobs, they give money to Russian oligarchs who make money off local people and nature.

They don't believe in sustainable development of the Baikal region. But we do. So we are working to create a real alternative to pulp mills and waste-burning factories. And we need your help to make it happen. This summer we will be organizing more volunteer camps to build eco-friendly hiking trails around Baikal, trails that will let tourists see the beauty of our pristine Lake, and help locals live decent lives without killing nature. Come and help us show the people of Baikal that the world cares about their future.

Linguistic Camp “Smile”

The House of children’s creative work of Kabansk together with GBT organizes Linguistic Camp “Smile” in children’s camp “Orlyonok”, which is located in Republic of Buryatia, Kabanskiy region, Posolskaya station. Volunteers are needed for work with children, teaching English language and international communication. The volunteers can be both students of pedagogy departments or people under 50 with great experience working with children. Playing musical instruments skills and going in for sports are very welcome. Volunteers main tasks are preparation, helping in preparation and participation in camp activities, sport activities, English lessons 1-2 hours a day, hikes.

Volunteers are provided with accommodation in separate building in double room, meals 4 times a day, shower, banya (Russian sauna), first-aid post, transportation.

Camp dates are the 2^nd - 22^nd of August, 2010. Children’s age is 13-15 years old.

Ñontact: Elena Chubakova lena-chubakova@yandex.ru