Annika and Florian's Voluntary Ecological Year (FÖJ) will come to an end at the end of August. The two young people have no regrets about applying to the Saarpfalz district last year. "We were pleasantly surprised by the wide range of tasks and the high degree of personal responsibility we were given when completing them. One highlight for us was working on the development and planning of the new VIA REGIA long-distance hiking trail, which also passes through the Saarpfalz district," they both report in unison.
You should be weatherproof and enjoy working in the great outdoors if you are doing your FÖJ at the Sustainable Development and Mobility Centre. Hiking trails are a big issue there: they have to be maintained, repaired, planned and, if necessary, rescheduled. The preparatory and mapping work is part of the activities in the office, as are the reporting and documentation, but most of it takes place outside. Sometimes a storm-damaged tree at the edge of the path has to be sawn down or a wooden footbridge that is threatening to sink into the mire has to be repaired. Checking the condition of the paths, benches and signposts is just as much a part of the day-to-day business as gardening at Lochfeld House, landscape conservation work in the Bliesgau biosphere reserve or maintaining tourist facilities.
There is also plenty of variety for Annika and Florian in the area of mobility and public transport: they get to know the biosphere region really well during route inspections and tours.
So if you have already finished school and want to orientate yourself in the field of sustainability/ecology before going to university or starting a career, the FÖJ at the Homburg district administration is the perfect place for you.
If you have any questions about the FÖJ at Saarpfalz-Kreis, please contact Christian Stein on (06841) 104-7156 or by e-mail at [email protected].