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The world is a village!
Volunteer-Festival at Michaelshof
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“Go with the flow” is the motto of the volunteers at Michaelshof. Working together, eating together, having long conversations, playing together, resting together – and the next day the flow continues. Learning from life and in life – few plans and many experiences…
In the week leading up to the Volunteer Festival, there was a different energy at the Blue House. Until late in the evening, the Little Lounge buzzed with animated meetings, laptop keyboards clattered, scissors and glue sticks were brandished – the room vibrated with ideas and commitment. Campus feeling where people usually tend to chill out at this time of day. For the festival, we had invited volunteers to create presentations of their home countries on walls and in lectures.
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The result: an inspiring joint project in which the volunteers showed the community and the guests what they are proud of and what keeps them busy. Typical local food, a dance workshop, lots of information and historical context from India, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain and Italy brought the world into our small international village in a completely different way.
Ex-volunteers greeted us by video, there was a volleyball tournament for the energy bundles in the community and on Saturday evening a great concert with a colourful mix of music from Turkey to the Wild West, including surprise guests and a spontaneously dancing audience. Wonderfully loud and with a South American indigenous flute at the end suddenly very quiet and touching.
A big thank you to everyone who was there!
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Volunteering at Michaelshof – sounds good?!
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6 Weeks AIESEC – a retrospect
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What happens when 21 young people, all strangers to each other, spend 6 weeks together at Michaelshof? A lot!
This year we gave another AIESEC group the opportunity to spend the summer at Michaelshof. So lots of motivated young people between 18 and 28 years old from 13 countries (Uganda, Brazil, Greece, Ukraine, India, Vietnam, Turkey, Romania, Israel, Italy. Colombia, Hong Kong, Croatia) and 3 continents came together to build community houses with us. The task this year: All hands on the construction site! The completion of the last two houses at Flachsenberg has been rung in and it was time for the drywall-building – chipboard, plasterboard, plastering and tightening a lot of screws.
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How many of them had experience? Hardly any. What did they learn? Quite a few things! From the correct use of the cordless screwdriver to pulling acrylic joints, painting, assembling furniture and much more. Everyone found their niche and together we managed to do a lot more than any of us would have thought possible.
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The best thing about the troupe? A particularly diverse group of 21 individuduals who accepted each other for who they are. They made friends across all borders, supported each other and developed a real team feeling. You could feel this after two weeks at the latest and it grew stronger day by day until the end. Caro from the café: ‘You could tell when someone from AIESEC was helping out at the tidy up shift: Because they worked as a team!’
Dear people, if you are reading this: Congratulations! Thank you very much for everything! It was super nice with you!
At this point also a big thank you to the Postcode-Lotterie, who made this project possible. You have enabled all these young people to gain not only great memories, but also lifelong friendships and (even more) confidence in their own abilities.
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Our colour explosion – the dahlia garden!
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If you come to Sammatz now, don’t miss the dahlia garden!
Probably as beautiful as never before, the brightly coloured, incredibly lush flowers, originally from Latin America, spread out over the east side of the Arena. In view of their enchanting diversity, one can’t help but wonder how nature produces such wonders. An almost head-sized flower on such a delicate stem? How do some varieties manage to be so strictly geometrical? And others twist like a lambent fire. Fascinating!
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Fancy a holiday in a flower paradise?
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Peronnik on the road! – Part 2
To all winds…
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Here are a few more snapshots as a supplement to last month’s report from our Peronnik holidays. A summer of contrasts: At the North Sea there were impressive waves and a visit to the lighthouse in a storm for the brave ones. Swimming was not really possible (way too cold), but the waves were still great!
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And on the Elbe cycle tour we covered 50 to 70 km every day, sometimes with the tents in our luggage. It was over 35° here in the meantime. In any case, the bike team is now really well coordinated and the next tour is planned for the autumn holidays.
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About the first patreon-day at Michaelshof
It was great at our first patreon-day! We had invited the people who support Michaelshof through a sponsorship to Sammatz, where they spent the Sunday with a colourful programme. From a special guided tour and delicious lunch, we went to the country presentations of our Volunteer Festival and back to coffee in the Kirschgarten. Particularly pleasing: the opportunity to get to know each other better and to be able to present to our patreons what we have achieved in the last year. The personal encounter makes the special connection of the sponsorships as concrete and diverse as the projects that flourish as a result!
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Would you also like to support Michaelshof?
Then why not make a sponsorship in line with the topic that most fascinates you at Michaelshof! Our sponsorships are available for animals, plants, gardens and social projects.
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Simply click through on the internet, or ask for our sponsorships in the café or farm shop. Then maybe YOU will be a part of the next sponsorship day!
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Katharina Traberg visited us in the middle of August. She has an exciting mission, because she is walking along the Green Belt – 1270 kilometres, right across Germany, all the way to the Baltic Sea – and talking to the people she meets about the topic of ‘social cohesion’. Michaelshof was one of her last stops. Katharina told us about interesting encounters in the most unusual accommodations, because she always stayed overnight where it was offered to her. Once there was even a Rolls Royce in the living room of her hosts! The conversations bridged all differences of social classes and origins. What they always agreed on was that we need more social cohesion in Germany. And: it is not that difficult to create it! How? Her interview partners had a wide variety of starting points.
For us, social cohesion is based on pursuing a common goal and acting on the basis of common values. Only then can a WE come into existence. Interest in the other, beyond the walls of one’s ‘own castle’, is also important, because only in this way can we understand the other and respond to wishes, desires, strengths and weaknesses – and: stick together. Perhaps many small communities (in the village as well as in the city) are the answer to Katharina’s big question?
For us, in any case, the visit was refreshing. Good luck on your journey and have a good arrival, dear Katharina!
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Michaelshof up-to-date – all opening hours at a glance!
Ark-Farm:
Mon-Sun 9.00 – 19.00
Café:
Mon-Fri 8.00 – 18.00
Sat 8.00 – 18.00
Sun 9.30 – 18.00
Farm Shop:
Mon-Sun 10.00 – 12.30
14.00 – 19.00
Der WAGEN in Lüneburg:
Wed & Sat 07.00 – 13.00
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Shopping List
What we really want to show you!
Sammatz Feta
Do you already know our feta? No? Then it’s about time! It’s delicious on its own, in a Greek salad, on a bread roll or baked in the oven with tomatoes and olive oil! Soon you’ll find it on our shelves in cool new packaging!
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Apple Juice!
How about some fresh apple juice from the Demeter farm you trust? Caro would say: ‘Delicious!’ We say: ‘Finest quality from the apple trees at Michaelshof. It’s a must for your shopping basket!’ Perfect for breakfast, lunch, a snack between meals or even for dinner.
Apple juice gourmet Felix is also thrilled – see for yourself in one of our latest Instagram-Videos!
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NEW! We’ll bring your shopping to your home!
You live near Michaelshof and sometimes wish for a convenient delivery service? Then we have something for you!
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From now on we will deliver delicious organic food directly to your home if you live within a 15 km radius of Sammatz and order for a value of goods over 50€. Delivery days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 11am and 2pm.
Just write us an email to michaelshof-order@sammatz.de, call us at 05858 970-30 or order at the farm shop at Michaelshof.
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Veggie-Interview with Gabriela
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A: Hi Gaby! How are things going on the vegetable field this year?
G: Overall very good, at least in the areas we can influence. With the weather, on the other hand, we can’t do anything. The rain this summer was really a lot. Too much for some vegetables to grow as they normally would.
But for example the beetroot, many cabbage varieties like white cabbage, pointed cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, or even chard, pumpkin and parsnips are looking super great at the moment!
A: And the tomatoes?
G: Right now we are in peak tomato season, harvesting about 20-30kg a day. There’s our Ruthje, which come up really well every year, but also the beef tomatoes, which are just great because of their size and the interesting groove shape.
A: Do you have a favourite vegetable?
G: Carrots! Definitely carrots! Not only do they taste delicious, but they are also the most fun to pull out of the ground when you harvest them. And I love courgettes too.
A: What excites you about growing vegetables?
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G: Honestly, everything! I would love to be a vegetable gardener all my life and learn everything about growing, about the soil, about cultivation planning, about all kinds of vegetables and soon also how to drive a tractor. It’s so peaceful and quiet in the vegetable field, whether you have to hurry on the outside or not. I can think about life well in the field. And working with Daniel and Emmanuel is also a lot of fun!
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A: Nice! What does the future look like on the Sammatz vegetable field?
G: If you ask me, I have lots of plans and would love to have a really big vegetable garden. For now, I would like to enlarge the field a bit more to have enough space for the green manure next year. And then I’m curious to see what comes out of our little experiments that we always do, like at the moment with late spring onions or dill.
A: Thank you for the insights, and good luck in the future!
G: Thank you too! Now it’s back to harvesting kohlrabi!
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Events & Seminars in September
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Sat, 9 September 11-17
Perennial Festival
The wedding of the perennials begins in June and continues into October. Delphiniums, phloxes and globe thistles: If you love perennials, you should move your life out into the garden now. Every day nature shows us new, exciting shapes and colour combinations – a treat for the senses!
For the perennial flowering at the beginning of September, we invite you to our Perennial Festival! We will roam the Michaelshof gardens together, familiarise ourselves with different species and marvel at the diversity of the Sammatz perennial world. As always, there will be a varied programme full of surprises.
Are you coming to the ‘Gardeners’ Festival centrale’?
Free admission, donations welcome
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Sun., 17 September 15-18
Nature walk – vegetables
You are a convinced fan of our vegetables? Today we’ll take you to their place of origin in our vegetable field, where we’ll find plump pumpkins, sweet corn, cabbage, peppers and much more. Let yourself be inspired by the variety and their colours! In our walk we will provide information from Demeter vegetable cultivation – about differences in crops, crop rotation and fertilisation.
Free admission, donations welcome
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Sat, 23 September 11-17
Community talk – into the future!
Have you always wanted to know how a community works? With input, open space and joint activities, we’ll be happy to answer questions and start a conversation about this beautiful way of life. How does it work, and would it be something for me? From history and living practice to current projects and future perspectives.
We are convinced that community is a social and sustainable way of living and learning and we would like to tell you why. Where do you save the most resources and how is social sustainability related to this? What are the biggest opportunities and the most difficult hurdles in a community? And why will we (almost) all live in communities in the future?
Free admission, donations welcome
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Sat, 23 September 17
Concierto Internacional
We invite you to a concert of a different kind – because we don’t yet know who will be performing. We will be inspired by the international, creative flair of Michaelshof and its residents! Throughout the year, we have talented musicians on site who pick up their guitars and jam away in every free minute. We offer you a colourful mix of classical, pop and folk music, or maybe just nonsense.
Free admission, donations welcome
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Fri, 29 September – Sun, 01 October
Annual festivities – Michaelmas
When summer clears and large autumn clouds pass by, then comes the Michaelmas festival – the festival of community, courage, thought and soulful encounters. Do I dare to address the unpleasant points in social life? And am I prepared to fight my own dragon anew every day? Let’s go into autumn together with a warm heart and fresh consciousness!
In addition to intensive thought work, we will also encounter nature and its fruits. There will also be something for the children to discover when they complete various tests of courage to become proud “Michael’s Knights”.
Free admission, donations welcome
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Did you know…
…our TikTok channel?
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Jesús, our social media ace from Colombia, is busy creating content from Sammatz. We don’t really know anyone who loves TikTok as much as he does! At any time of day, Jesús roams the community looking for the next focus topics. Sometimes by chance, but usually elaborate down to the smallest detail, he has recently been inspiring both volunteers and long-time community members to become video stars.
Here are our top 5 videos from the last few months:
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Want an all-round Volunteer experience? Here’s THE Volunteering-Video!
Where do our volunteers actually come from? The Country-Mashup-Video has the answers!
We have to have fun too – even in the smallest activities we find ways to feel as fancy as Kim Kardashian!
Do you want to know how to make a great lipcare out of beetroot and coconut? Here Gaby shows you how!
Wonder what our volunteers do in their freetime? Nacho takes you to the football pitch of the Fußballplatz des SV Elbufer!
Speaking of Up-To-Date – let’s become WhatsApp friends!
Would you like to receive spontaneous information, vegetable, garden and community pictures as well as event announcements from Michaelshof? Then join our brand new Michaelshof WhatsApp group! Sign up here and keep up with the Michaelshof pulse!
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Open your ears!
This month we take you into our musical world and link a few songs from the community: Music tips from…
…Asli: Songs from Ceren!!! We currently have an incredibly talented Turkish singer on site who enchants us with her self-written songs.
…Anna: If you are fans of German rap, you should listen to ‹Reimemonster› by Afrob – catchy tune potential!
… Christian: The best musicians in Germany! Tab Two with the absolute good mood song ‹Belle Affaire›
…Emmanuel: I love ‹Samy’s new Album›. As a true Samy Deluxe fan, you’re naturally really proud when his new album lands directly at No. 1.
…Anton: Country-Heartbreak from Oliver Anthony with important questions of life and the longing for home.
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+++ NEWSTICKER +++
Impressions from everyday life in the community…
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…the first one is all about nature. So this is what a snail’s perspective looks like: very green and detailed.
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What do we do when it rains? Put on the right clothes and get into the cool water – after all, we are not made of sugar!
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In any case, the patient wait for harvest weather was worth it. We still managed to get all the grain into the dry.
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A few impressions of the compost heap – the place where there’s always something going on and where you often meet someone you’ve wanted to see again for a long time.
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Unusual building perspectives with the full-blooded musician Els and a highly motivated attic team!
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In the last few weeks we have marvelled a lot at nature. Caro has developed a great love for rainbows and has been the first to share them with the volunteer group every time – and the stars have been phenomenal too.
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Reason Nr. 3: International Friendships!
By donating to Michaelshof, you support international friendships between many hundreds of young people every year. Sometimes this may only be enough for one extremely great summer, but often these friendships last for years. And that’s because they can get to know, understand and inspire each other right here, in the middle of nowhere.
So go ahead: support our volunteering and making great international friendships. A counterweight to everything in the world that wants isolation, borders, nationalism or war!
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Last week I was on the road. ‘Monday on the Road’ so to speak. I was at my good friend’s wedding in the Black Forest and found out why I actually like being there so much. Because there, just like in a completely different way in Sammatz, I find a kind of village community that I’d wish for so many more villages in the world. Where the entire extended circle of friends is involved in a wedding. From the floral decoration crew to the star chef who has been a friend for many years, the stylist or the in-house game supplier to the musical accompaniment of the party – all are acquaintances and relatives who help for days with the set-up without being explicitly asked – ‘of course we. help, it’s not a question’.
That’s how you imagine it, because that’s how you can suddenly think ‘big’. A wedding that is perfect down to the last detail is no longer a problem, because you can rely on each other. You know that you have much more than a football team behind you if something threatens to go wrong. That was wonderful for me to see, because it was not only great fun, but at the same time a prime example of a functioning regional economy and a humanity that you just gotta love. This is how community works – whether in Sammatz or spread over a few villages in the Black Forest!
Do you also have such a community in your neighbourhood? I would be very happy about that!
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+ + + Social Worker wanted! + + +
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We are looking for educators, social workers, curative education nurses and motivated career changers for our children’s and youth home ‘Peronnik’. Our currently 38 highly individual children and young adults are looking for unconventional, energetic people to accompany them lovingly through the day. It’s definitely not boring at Peronnik – are you in?
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For our team, we are looking for committed and dynamic people who like to take on responsibility and enjoy country life. Is a meaningful activity more important to you than a “9 to 5 job”? Then you’ve come to the right place!
We are looking for skilled workers or interns in the following areas:
Social:
- Teacher
- Educator/Social Worker
Office:
Hands-on:
- Gardener
- Construction Worker
- Janitor
Your qualification is not listed, but you are still interested?
interested? Just give it a try!
Please send your application with a photo to claudia.brady@sammatz.de – we’ll be in touch!
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Fun Fact: While the summer left a lot to be desired in terms of heatwave, our piggies enjoyed a really good mud pool and felt super comfortable in their pasture!
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Many greetings and see you next time from Anna (don’t forget: visit the dahlia garden!).
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