Every spring International researchers in Estonia gather for a two day networking event which usually also comprises some hours of voluntary communal work – talgud in Estonian. Talgud are very popular clean-up or helping campaigns in Estonia with the aim to get some necessary good done for the general community. The leader of the activities this year was the cultural heritage specialist at the Estonian Environment Board Ave Paulus whose background comes from the Estonian Academy of Arts and the University of Tartu.
In the morning of the 9th of June the group worked on the Hundikangrud stone graves area with the aim to clean the ancient landscapes from bushes and small trees. “This site is unique in the area and it was definitely a very holy place in its time” said Ave Paulus when introducing the works. The wider purpose of the activities is to prevent forestation of the area and enabling access to the site for archaeological researchers and visitors.
In the afternoon the group helped the Suurpea Village prepare for their event of the year – The Military Heritage Seminar, by cleaning the once top secret Military Institute facilities and its surroundings by the sea. A short talk was given about historical events in the 20-th century and formation of the North Estonian coastline was described.
On the second day, 10th of June, we had a fabulous morning walk on the Mohni Island. Later that day the group learned about Estonian culture and history and visited some local sites such as the Võhma Folk House, Ilumäe Chapel and the Palmse Manor.
In the feedback throughout the years participants have mentioned that they especially enjoy the wide-ranging character of the EURAXESS spring networking events – some like the idea of doing voluntary works the best, some find the cultural aspect of the event most interesting but all agree on the usefulness of the networking opportunity on these events.
The event was organized by EURAXESS Estonia, Estonian Research Council and the Environmental Board of Estonia.
What is EURAXESS?
EURAXESS is a European wide network initiated by the European commission with the aim to promote and support researchers’ mobility within and to the European Research Area. The network provides support on practical issues such as visas, residence permits and taxation but also on relocating to another country with the whole family. EURAXESS maintains a Jobs & Funding database for researchers and academic staff and deals with researchers’ rights issues. EURAXESS Estonia national network has 9 members including research institutions and coordinating institutions. EURAXESS Estonia maintains its portal (www.euraxess.ee), newsletter and Facebook page.
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