Park Istra: Women Innovators in Rural Slovenia

Park Istra is a volunteer-driven environmental initiative founded in 2013 by geographers Petra and Janez Matos in the Obalno-Kraška region of Slovenia. It supports sustainable development by hosting 15 international volunteers at a time, who contribute to local environmental projects over two- to four-month stays. The project has trained 1,250 volunteers from 56 countries, completed 3,400 work actions, and contributed 105,000 hours of service. Housed in a renovated guardhouse in Kastelc, Park Istra fosters green job creation, community solidarity, and collaboration with 50+ local organisations. Funded by the European Solidarity Corps, it promotes rural revitalisation, environmental restoration, and social inclusion through volunteerism.