SVIT-GYEL camp 2001
http://www.svit.org.ua/work/gyelcamp2001.htm

The Nikitovka Mercury Plant (NMP) was one of the oldest enterprises in Ukraine. It was an enterprise with a complete manufacturing cycle - from ore extraction to production of the final product - mercury. The pits created by the plant are located within the city boundaries. They have a negative impact on the environment and Gorlovka and Donbass inhabitants’ health. In addition to the ground pollution, the plant's activities have substantially contributed to air pollution. Representatives of all the ecological NGOs in Donbass realize how dangerous the heavy metal called mercury is.

The plant has been closed for six years and was declared bankrupt. At the moment no one deals with ecological problems caused by this enterprise. These pits still pollute the environment of the city. The NMP had international importance during the time of the Soviet Union. The countries that benefited financially from the NMP used to support it. However, the resulting ecological problems have been left to the inhabitants of one city to deal with. The city and the region continue to ignore these problems. The need to re-cultivate the area surrounding the pits and the NMP is urgent.

Therefore, the Gorlovka Youth Environmental League (GYEL), operating within the framework of the working group on volunteering SVIT, organized and carried out a youth international work camp called “The Circus at the bottom of the Pit”. The camp started on the 15th of July 2001 and ended on the 29th of July 2001. The purpose of the camp was to organize a dramatized performance on the territory of the NMP that would draw attention of public, mass media, and local authorities to the problem of re-cultivating the territory surrounding the NMP.

The information on the camp was sent to the mass media, the Department of Ecology Executive Committee, the Local Sanitary Epidemiological Department, the Municipal Government Natural Resources Department and the Liquidating Commission of the Nikitovka Mercury Plant.

As it was a tent camp, there was an enormous amount of work: the participants cleaned the territory around the camp, cleared away dead wood, carried water for cooking and bathing, and collected fire wood. In order to prepare everything for the performance, the volunteers cleared away a platform that would serve as a stage. They removed all the large stones and cleared away the dust. Posters and leaflets were also prepared.

The volunteers spent a lot of time learning about the environmental situation in Gorlovka. To get acquainted with the history and the territory of the NMP, an excursion was arranged so the volunteers could see it up close. Volunteers also learned about SVIT, SCI, Milieukontakt, GYEL activities and other public ecological organizations working in Gorlovka. A meeting with a worker of a local hospital was arranged. She told us about the problem of water pollution in Gorlovka. During this meeting a water test demonstration was conducted on the Korsun River to give a general idea of its water quality. Volunteers also met a representative of the Local Sanitary Epidemic Department. She answered the volunteers’ questions concerning influence of mercury on health. She also demonstrated the basic environment pollution indicators and quality of drinking water in Gorlovka and Ukraine.

Ecological Nature Games were included as part of the camp training program. During this program all the participants got information on GYEL ecological education work

Eleven volunteers from different countries took part in the camp. Young peoplefrom Sweden, Moldova, USA (Peace Corps) and various areas of Ukraine were represent. Each evening was devoted to a different national culture, history and food. The volunteers played different games, sang national songs and danced national dances.

In addition to a trip to the Donetsk Botanical Gardens the volunteers organized a trip to the Slavyanogorsk National Park.