It’s now often enough for deserving the name of traditon: Messzelátó cloth exchange event was organised in our office the 26th of April, with a very selective list of guests (actually the first people who inscribed themselves but the value doesn’t decrease).
The point, as for the last cserebere, was to bring some clothes on a good shape but that you don’t like anymore and exchange them against other ones! Major difference with cserebere, the very few people present and the much more intimate atmosphere as a result, as you can notice!
It will probably happen again, check our website for infos!
Have a very good day!
Marianne
Since the month of January, Messzelato try to organize some hiking sessions around Budapest, for the pleasure of members and Facebook fans, or friends of members , family of Facebook fans… In one word, for everybody who is interested in it and wish to meet new people!
The last one was taking place at the end of February, on Janos Hill and our feet led us to Normafa.
During March and April, we haven’t been really lucky with the weather (quite bad until quite late as you may possibly have notice!) and our own work timetable but we arrive to some other plans: the next hiking session will probably lead us to the “holdvilág árok” (moodshaped fosse), that would be a 15-20 km trip. From hospital of Kiskovács via “holdvilág árok” to Lajos spring and “Dömör kapu”, and back to Kiskovács or up to north to Pilisszentlászló!
No special day for now but if you follow our Facebook page or website, there is a lot of chances that you will hear about it!
Photos from there will arrive soon after, for now, you can have an idea of what we have been doing!
Have an excellent day and enjoy Labour Day tomorrow!
Puszi puszi!
Marianne
A little bit of backdated update!!!
This is a little strange writing about it now, but we had so many events and we are trying to catch up and post a little bit about all of them here on our EVS blog.
What were left out from all the blogging are some very very VERY important events in an EVS year and those are the On-arrival Trainings and the Midterm Evaluation Meetings organized by the National Agencies for the EVS volunteers.
Unfortunately because of some governmental problems, the Hungarian National Agency could not organize any On-arrival or Mid-term trainings from the time Me and Marianne arrived until the end of this January. In late January we were already at Messzelátó for 5 months, so
1: it made no sense to do an On-arrival after 5 months;
2: we were told we should go to the Mid-term meeting instead.
So we waited a little bit and when the announcement came out, we filled out the form and voilá!!!
In March we, the Messzelátó EVS volunteers, had the possibility to participate in the EVS midterm meeting in Hungary. The training course of the programme took place in Balatonföldvár between the 25th - 28th March 2013.
The main objectives of the training were:
• to share personal experiences
• to clarify practical matters, problems and difficulties in EVS projects
• to get acknowledgment with the Youthpass process
The program was very interactive, with lots of non-formal educational methods, games and discussions (small group and large group discussion). We learned about the different ways of learning, about the main 8 key competences, we had discussions about how to continue the remaining part of our EVS and brainstormed about future possibilities after the EVS life.
During the program we also had time to do free-time activities (thou the huge snow didn’t really give us a lot of options). We had visits to the local Cultural Center, got to know more about Lake Balaton and the history of the town.
And by the time the training finished, on the last day the sun came out and spring has finally started to arrive :)
~ Aliz
Did you know this? Messzelátó is also organising some pasta making since last year, with the help of our pasta teacher Virág!
Eggs and flour are the main ingredients, there is plenty of ways to make your home made pastas more interesting, adding beetroots, carrots or spinach for a funny color and a nice taste! Spices also are of course welcome!
See you later!
Marianne
Now than the weather seems to become more like summer than even spring, we will continue the gardening! This year it was in middle March that we put our feet (and tools) in the garden for the first time.
On the other hand, we start at the beginning of April to grow bigger our indoor and outdoor office garden. Some of the plants quite resist this still on winter and dead ones still leave us with seeds to put back in soil.
The worms are alive, healthy and their indoor winter time let them occasions to make a lot of babies!
We have been waiting for the spring a long long time but we are not disapointed!
Marianne
Spring is here!!! The season of planting has begun!!!
This time, Messzelátó Association, on its regular Spring Plant-Exchange combined forces with MÜSZI and the Cothes Swaps that they are organizing.
In this regard people could not only exchange potted little green friends with each other but could also go home with a new wardrobe, or home deco.
The new concept in the Messzelátó-MÜSZI event was that you could exchange anything to anything! Skirts to plants, toys for seeds, sprouts for necklaces, etc. Everyone received coupons on which it was marked the number of items they brought; this could be then exchanged to the same number/amount of clothes, books, plants, etc. In case people couldn’t exchnage all their items, the coupons can be used next time at the MÜSZI Clothes Swaps.
A lot of people came, there were lots of clothes, books, plants and seeds to exchange!
The plants that didn’t get an owner are in the care of Messzelátó untill the next plant exchange and are growing happily :)
The left over clothes are selected and kept until the next Clothes Swap at MÜSZI and some of them will be upcycled.
We will organize again our own Messzelátó Clothes Swap event on the 26th April 2013, between 16.00 - 20.00 at the Messzelátó headquarter :)
Follow us on http://www.facebook.com/messzelato?ref=hl for future events!
~ Aliz
Filed under plant exchange clothes swap upcycling
“Craftissimo” - Boost your social enterprise!
Between 3-11 March 2013, Messzelátó Association organized a workshop entitled „Craftissimo” - Boost your social enterprise! in Budapest, with the financial support of the Grundtvig’ s Lifelong Learning Programme. The aim of this workshop was to give a chance to disadvantaged persons to start their own social business.
Before the workshop participant were undertaking a 5 week preparation phase with the purpose to get more information, get acquainted with the topics and get used to the terminologies used in business. During the 7 days of the workshop in Budapest, participants were introduced to several local social businesses, they had the chance to consult with the owners of the business as well as with the workshop’s trainers and a business consultant.
The workshop covered topics such as market research, calculating costs, pricing, marketing and business planning and it ended with a two day simulation game where participants had to put into practice what they learned and fit it into their own social business idea.
Between 05/04/2012 - 13/04/2013, Nautilos Sar nonprofit NGO from Cyprus, partner of Messzelátó Association is organizing another training course about upcycling and entrepreneurship with the title “Trash for Cash”.
http://www.nautilossar.org/index.php/en/current-projects/52-trash-for-cash-traiing-course
We wish everyone good luck with establishing their own social business and hope in a follow up :)
~ Aliz
Filed under upcycling social entrepreneurship business workshops Grundtvig
Restaurant Day once again!!!
Alice was not the only one who got to experience Wonderland! On Sunday, 17th of February, we invited friends, colelagues and other guest to join us in our 1 day pop-up restaurant.
Members and volunteers of Szatyor and Messzelato transformed the Szatyor Shop into our own personal Tea Time Wonderland, filled with sweet and savory delights. We offered a cup of special tea for those coming inside from the freezing cold and some special home made, crafted cakes and biscuits.
Our proposed menu was:
EAT ME:
· Beetroot “flamingo” scones
· Carrot cakes for the favor of rabbits
· Queen of Hearts’s favorite treat
· And other wonders…
DRINK ME:
· Tea selection from the Flying Bird Teahouse
All of our treats were made of seasonal and healthy fruits/nuts and vegetables from local farmers. And since it was the carnival season, we decided to suit up! We used upcycle materials for our costumes :)
Looking forward for the next Restaurant Day!!!
All recipes are available on request ;)
~Aliz
Messzelátó Association organized an Environment Protection Day on the 15th December 2012, on the request of Budapest Esély Nonprofit Kft..
The program was built up of two sessions. The theme of the first session was about sustainability and daily consumption. The facilitators raised the participants’ awarness about contemporary global, social and environmental challenges with thinking games, games that enpowered discussion and discussion groups.
After lunch we prepared a series of creative workshops, where the participants could choose from four workshops and could create their own Christmas gifts: Notebook from waste materials; Recycled Christmas tree, decorations and wrapping techniques; Creating jewelries from paper and recycled materials; Making natural Lip balm in PET bottle cap containers.
It was a really large group, we had a lot of fun and hopefully all participants enjoyed it!
~Aliz
Filed under sustainability environmental challenges Environment awareness raising workshops recycle lip balm PET bottle
Early December 2012 Messzelátó started a series of 3 workshops, with the focus on creating gifts, decorations and other fun stuff for Christmas from recycled, upcycled materials. We’ve been brainstorming on this project and collecting ideas since the beginning of November. I really enjoyed coordinating this little project, it was a lot of fun and I also learned a lot of new things and was able to use my creativity.
The first one was held on the 4th of December with the main focus on Advent preparations. The main superstars of the workshop were notebooks and Advent calendars. Participants were learning bookbinding techniques and learned how to make Advent calendar from toiletpaper rolls and from origami boxes made of old newspapers.
Bookbinding - notebook
The second workshop, 10th of December, participants learned how to make jewelries and toys from waste materials. Some people became great in creating jewelries from plastic materials, others became experts in the creation of boardgames or making small teddybears from gloves.
Making jewelries
Making boardgames
At the last Gift Factory workshop, on 17th of December, we created Christmas trees and Christmas decorations made of paper (mainly old magazines and newspapers)
Christmas decorations from magazines
Christmas tree with the decorations
This Christmas GiftFactory was hopefully not the last one @ Messzelátó and hope the new volunteers will also have the chance to organize such a thing :)
~Aliz
Filed under Christmas recycle upcycle recycle plastic bottles boardgames jewelry
