2 - 12 weeks
from € 1.390
Spain

Volunteering in the Beach Cleaning project in Bilbao

  • Urban everyday life
  • Offer of leisure activities
  • Spanish course included

In this project you will clean up beaches in Spain. You can set a good example with your work here and encourage people through your behavior to also help and, for example, to collect rubbish when leaving the beach and thus make a contribution to nature, sea and environmental protection. Together for healthy waters and green nature!

Location icon Bilbao
Minimum age icon from 16 years
Icon Duration 2 - 12 weeks / from €1.390
Departure days icon Sunday
Volunteer work in the Beach Cleaning project in Spain, Bilbao
Sustainable Development Goal 13 - Measures to protect the climate
Measures for climate protection

Take immediate measures to combat climate change and its effects.

Project ID : FA-SP316

As a volunteer
Spain

2 - 12 weeks / from €1.390
to the cost overview

Register now
Spain Beach Cleaning Project

What's the matter?

Since there are always some people on the beach areas and the beaches are not yet adequately protected from an environmental point of view, your support is required. With your volunteer work on this project, you make a significant contribution to the preservation of ecosystems and the saving of marine life.

Your place of work is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2011 and deals with environmental issues and problems. The main focus is on cleaning beaches and educating people about environmental protection.

The aim of this project is to improve the water quality of the sea by collecting kilos of garbage on the beaches, to protect the ecosystems along the coasts, to preserve the spots for surfers, to inform people about the consequences of the beach and to inform sea pollution and to clear the beaches of garbage.

Volunteering Spain

Tasks as a volunteer

In this project you will mainly be busy cleaning up beaches by collecting the rubbish from the beach and in this way making a significant contribution to nature, environment and marine protection.

It is also part of your job to explain to the local population how important clean beaches are for future generations. You also collect data, for example on water quality or sea life.

Your working day usually starts at 10 a.m. You will work with other volunteers to clean up a stretch of beach and place it in different bags and containers depending on the type of waste.

If possible, please bring your own gloves, bags and buckets. You will also take measurements, for example on the quality of the water, which will be useful for improving the program to combat pollution caused by beachgoers. You work about 20 hours a week and these are usually spread out in the morning. You can get to work by metro, a ticket costs 10 euros per week.

Please note that in the first two weeks of the project you will attend a Spanish course in the morning. Therefore, during this time you will only be able to support the activities in the afternoon.

Accommodation Catering

Volunteer Apartment in Bilbao, Spain

There are a total of five volunteer apartments that are located in good neighborhoods and have excellent connections to public transport. There are kitchen facilities, bathrooms and WiFi and once a week the premises are cleaned by a housekeeping service.

In the vicinity you will find supermarkets and restaurants. The nearest cities - San Sebastian, Santander or Vitoria - are only an hour's drive away and you can reach the beaches from the city center in about 30 minutes by subway.

There is also the option of booking a single room if you prefer something quieter. Please ask your coordinator about this.

Location

Bilbao

In Bilbao, the port and industrial city in northern Spain, there is an incredible amount to experience and discover! The cityscape of the largest city in the Basque Country is dominated by skyscrapers in the center. Here modern architecture mixes with traditional houses. The famous Guggenheim Museum with its grey, vaulted building is very striking. 

But there is also a lot to see outside of the city. For example, you can reach the beach in 30 minutes by metro. The mountainous surrounding area also invites you to hikes and excursions to the neighboring towns. Note that in the Basque Country you will usually not find the sunny weather that Spain is known for. In summer it is also very warm, but it cannot be compared with the high temperatures in the south. 

If you want to see a different side of Spain, away from the usual tourist destinations, then Bilbao is a good destination for you! Art and culinary enthusiasts in particular will get their money's worth here. 

Gaztelugatxe Island near Bilbao

Your free time in Bilbao

Outside of working hours, you can of course use the time at your leisure and have the opportunity to explore the port city of Bilbao, where there is so much to discover!

Let yourself be carried away by the urban vibe in the skyscraper-lined city and enjoy the many opportunities that are available to you here. The volunteer accommodations are located in the city center and are therefore not far from fitness studios and other sports facilities, shopping centers and museums, such as the famous Guggenheim Museum for modern art. Foodies will definitely get their money's worth here too - you shouldn't miss the delicious pintxos that are so typical of the Basque Country! This is small finger food, often pierced with a toothpick, that is served in restaurants and bars everywhere.

In addition, we offer you free leisure activities all year round, from Monday to Friday: wine tasting, salsa courses, city tours and excursions as well as museum visits and other activities are waiting for you!

If you prefer to take it easy, the beach is only about 30 minutes away, where you can enjoy a lazy day or paddle out to sea on a surfboard. So Bilbao offers you the perfect combination of urban bustle and relaxed beach atmosphere!

You can also book sightseeing tours. "Game of Thrones" fans in particular should prick up their ears here: In the footsteps of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister you can discover some of the impressive filming locations of the series. Among these is the Dragonstone Fortress, which is actually embodied by Gaztelugatxe, a small island in the Bay of Biscay. What is special about the island is the approximately 200 meter long stone bridge that connects it to the mainland.

Head to the Basque Country and get to know Spain from a completely different perspective!

On-site procedure

Arrival in Bilbao

Arrival in Bilbao

Once you have landed in Bilbao, a member of our team will be waiting for you at the airport and will take you directly to the accommodation. The drive from the airport to the apartment takes about 30 minutes.

Orientation in Bilbao

Orientation program in Bilbao

The orientation program starts on Monday and lasts about an hour. Here you will be explained what you can find where in the city, what cultural features there are on site and you will get more information about your project work and the Spanish course.

Project in Bilbao

Your first day in the project

The Spanish language course begins on the first day at 9:30 a.m., lasts until 13:30 p.m. and takes place in the first two weeks of the project. An employee of the school/institute will then take you to your place of assignment. There you will get to know the project, the team and your tasks.

Pricing

  • base fee
    € 1.390, -

included
Services

Before departure

  • Individual advice and support from our trained RGV team in Munich
  • Organization including placement in the project and coordination of your stay on site
  • Assistance with preparation: visa, health care, travel insurance, etc.
  • Non-binding flight advice
  • Travel ABC with packing list for your travel preparation
  • RGV t-shirt

On site

  • Leisure activities subject to availability (e.g. salsa dance course, wine tasting, excursions)
  • Orientation program with the team on site
  • Support and guidance from the on-site team
  • RGV 24h emergency number
  • Project t-shirt to wear during on-site activities
  • Airport transfer on the agreed day of arrival
  • Accommodation in Volunteer Apartment
  • Two-week Spanish language course (20h/week)
    Note: Under additional services you can extend the language course by additional weeks for a fee.

After return

  • Participation confirmation of your voluntary commitment
  • Reflection course on your experiences abroad
  • Evaluation sheet and optional feedback discussion
useful additional services

not included
Services

  • Round trip
  • Private expenses on site
  • Excursions with microlight flights
  • Travel and cancellation insurance
  • Visa and Vaccinations
  • All nights outside your agreed accommodation
  • Public transport and extra transfers
  • Airport transfer on departure day
  • Daily drive to the project
  • Meals

Individual Recommended additional offers
& must-haves

Picture must-haves

Would you prefer to stay in a single room? Are you vegan or do you have special requests for food? Or do you want to do some cool trips with other volunteers in your free time and explore the country?

With us, you benefit from a variety of optional additional services that you can add individually to your booking, depending on your preferences.

Flight booking icon
" Round Trip
Cheap flights with our flight partner thanks to volunteer rates.
Flight offers with maximum flexibility

Would you like to receive a cheap flight offer for your stay abroad that is perfectly tailored to you? After you have successfully registered, you can have a non-binding offer created.

The excellent rates for volunteers, students and young people are a great advantage. Arrival times and flight time changes can also be sent directly to RGV upon request, so that our RGV teams in the destination countries are always informed about your arrival times.

These special tariffs give you special added value:

  • maximum flexibility for rebookings and cancellations
  • generous baggage allowance
  • Additional discounts on one-way flights: The new volunteer tariffs include attractive discounts to reduce your financial burden on one-way flights (e.g. for stopovers, project or country combinations).
Insurance icon
" Insurance
Benefit from the 4 in 1 ERGO travel insurance.
The 4 in 1 insurance cover for volunteers and internships abroad

You can easily book the long-term travel protection of ERGO Reiseversicherung after you have registered. You will receive the links to this automatically after a successful registration.

The following building blocks are included:

  • Health Insurance
  • Comfort protection: accident, liability and interruption insurance
  • Travel insurance

Bilbao Team
site

If you have any questions or problems on site, you can contact us at any time Rodrigo, your primary contact. He is outgoing, friendly and always there to give you a hand. He has a degree in Marketing, speaks English and will take care of everything on site. Rodrigo will brief you on each part of the program and can also tell you a lot about life in Spain.

Jose, the director of the program, is also on site as a contact person. He has a degree in Psychology and has extensive experience in study abroad programs since its inception in 1999.

The third in the league Alfred, has a degree in economics and law and is also one of the founders of the initiative. He has strong leadership qualities and is a perfect team builder.

Portrait Team in Bilbao, Spain

RGV FAQ
to the project

What are the project fees used for?

Although we are a non-profit organization, there are costs associated with volunteering abroad. Find out here, why volunteering requires money and what your project fee is used for.

Do I need a visa?

As an EU citizen and from Switzerland, you do not need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days. If you want to stay longer than 90 days, you have to apply for a residence permit in the first month at the location.

What language skills do I need for the project in Spain?

English and Spanish are spoken in the project. A good knowledge of English is definitely required, knowledge of Spanish is very helpful on site. If you do not have any knowledge of Spanish, you will have to take a language course on site.

What are the requirements for the project?

There are no specific requirements for participation. Environmental awareness, helpfulness and empathy are important.

General FAQ about volunteer work

Ready to volunteer in Spain? Start your adventure abroad with Rainbow Garden Village!

Rainbow Garden Village has been offering volunteer work and internships abroad since 1999. What started as a small student initiative in Ghana has now grown into an organization with over 250 projects around the world.

You can be sure that your work as a volunteer will be an unforgettable experience. Bring your commitment and your knowledge to do good locally - and at the same time benefit from the unique experiences that will promote your personal development.

Become part of our RGV community!
We look forward to you.

Register now

RGV Your way
to the volunteer

1
Choose your volunteer project and register online.

2
We will review your application and confirm your participation.

3
Prepare for your assignment online or in our preparatory seminar in Munich.

4
Here we go! During your volunteer work, we will support you at any time with our on-site team.

Gallery Impressions &
Impressions

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