How to get involved?
The Via Alpina team consists of two employees and motivated volunteers. The Via Alpina secretariat is based at CIPRA International, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, based in Liechtenstein. The coordination of Via Alpina includes project development, communication and social media; trail maintenance, in turn, is carried out by our partners (e.g. Alpine associations and municipalities) along the Via Alpina.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for volunteers who…
- are interested in sustainable development in the Alpine region
- are enthusiastic about sustainable tourism and slow mobility
- feel comfortable in multicultural and multilingual contexts
- want to gain an insight into an international organisation
- possibly enjoy spending time in the mountains themselves (😉)
How you can get involved…
If you would like to support Via Alpina, there are many different ways to do so. Depending on your wishes and possibilities, you can get involved in the long term or on a one-off basis with events or individual tasks. Any kind of support is welcome!
1.We are celebrating 25 years of Via Alpina – will you join us?
One (or more) of the following characteristics apply to you:
- I have a talent for organisation and am able to multitask
- I like to design products or social media campaigns (print products, T-shirts, signs, posters,…)
- I have experience in fundraising and networking
- I enjoy working with a camera, whether photo or video
- I enjoy travelling through the Alps and then spending a day helping out at an event
All these qualities are extremely important to us in order to organise a worthy anniversary for the Via Alpina in 2025. What exactly will the event look like? You can help shape that too! In coordination with the secretariat, you will contribute to the success of this event and help the Via Alpina to become better known – both in the hiking scene and in politics, in municipalities and much more!
The planning will mainly take place from November 2024 to April 2025 – after that it will be implemented! Depending on where you want to get involved, the time frame will also change. While a few hours per month are required in preparation (but continuously), you will be working a full day in the summer to provide on-site support (but only once).
2. Do you have a talent for languages and want to use it for a good cause?
If one of the following languages is your mother tongue and you have a very good knowledge of another, then we look forward to your help:
- English
- French
- German
- Italian
- Slovenian
These are the (Alpine) languages in which we work on a daily basis and with which we primarily fill our website. To ensure a professional appearance, we rely on native speakers to either translate or correct our texts. If you want to utilise your linguistic talent and get involved on a selective basis, this is the right job for you!
3. Do you want to hike the Via Alpina and realise your own project at the same time? We are interested!
This is probably the type of commitment that feels the least like work: you’re planning to hike the Via Alpina anyway, but want to combine this sporting challenge with a project? Are you full of ideas?
No matter whether you need advice on how to realise it or would like to present your results and put them to good use: We look forward to hearing about your idea and will be happy to accompany you as a mentor. Conversely, we are of course happy to receive the latest information from Via Alpina!
4. Is environmental education more than just an abstract concept for you? Become a Via Alpina journalist!
Via Alpina touches on countless important sustainability topics in the Alpine region: from sustainable tourism and mobility to agriculture, cultural landscape, local value creation, nature conservation measures, responsible hiking… If you have always wanted to present these topics using a concrete example, be it as a blog, podcast or newsletter, you are very welcome to join the Via Alpina communications team!
How can I imagine the collaboration?
Even if we try to organise regular face-to-face meetings, some of your work will take place alone in front of the computer (apart from support at events). The advantage of this is that you can organise your time very flexibly and give free rein to your creativity. However, we are of course always available for an exchange (at least online, but gladly live at any opportunity!).
What you can expect from us?
If you work for the Via Alpina, you will gain an exciting insight into the coordination of an international long-distance hiking trail. Of course, you will be part of a network consisting of our partners in all Alpine countries (e.g. environmental ministries, Alpine associations, …), you will be invited to exciting events and have the opportunity to further your education in specialised areas. Whenever you are travelling for Via Alpina in the Alpine region, your expenses will of course be covered and you are of course always welcome in the office in Liechtenstein!
Contact us
Would you like to become a Via Alpina volunteer? Then please get in touch with the project manager Nora Leszczynski (nora.leszczynski@cipra.org).