Description of organisation

The Green Sun Association is an environmental, professional-scientific organization which was established in the summer of 2009. The members of the association are ecologists, economists, fine artists, but one can find in the group teachers, engineers and sociologists as well. We formed alliance in the consciousness of our dissimilarity, fighting for a politically and religiously independent cause, a fight that we have to win together. On the first anniversary of the Green Sun Association’s activity we can talk about hundreds events that we organized.

The objects of the association are

With the organization of environmental protection events and conferences, we are trying to popularize environmental mentality.
Our aim is to let the people in our region know that the ecological and sociological problems are interacting with one another.
We are promoting civilian self-awareness in our region and we try to clarify for people living in the Covasna region that civilian organizations can help a lot in resolving the ecological-sociological problems.
The target group we generally work with are the young generations (approx. ages 15-35), but we organized environmental lectures in daycares and charity evenings with concerts for the older generations as well.

Selected activities

• giving lectures about climate change and other environmental problems in schools and daycares
• Spring Green Days – a 3 days event organized by us with programs for everyone (lectures, projections, concerts, sport events, folk-dance evening and tree plantings – lastly we planted more than 1150 saplings during the 3 days)
• Critical Mass and other demonstrations and events for bicycle path and for more possibilities for cyclists in the region
• volunteer camp with lectures, concerts, toxic waste collection and volunteer work for young people (ages 14-25)
• the “Buy local products” campaign with happenings, movie making and several meetings with local manufacturers and businessman to sensibilize them about social responsibility
• big collections of used cooking oil, battery and other toxic waste
• charity evenings with concerts for children with leukaemia and for a playground
• building playground with our hands from raw material
• first aid workshop
• green camps
• Nemere trail – green road, the second green way in our county that goes trough 48 settlements
• celebration each year of the international peace day with happenings
• a big projection tour with the documentary movie “Home” by Yann Arthus-Bertrand in the surrounding villages and cities
• sport events (24 hours running, family-running)
• photo-contest for amateurs and professionals
• representing our organization in other events (green games for children, toxic waste collection, lectures)
• Learning by doing– EVS project
• On the green road – EVS project
• Partners in different projects that includes young people on the theme of environment, social and intercultural themes, etc.
• camp for children with social disabilities
• intercultural events

We have an effect on the local inhabitants, by constantly providing information through the media. Our appearance in the media depends on the events organized, but at the moment there’s a radio program on in the local radios – Profi Radio and Siculus Radio – on Wednesdays, called ‘Green frequency’. There are many different ways to appear in the media which include the local newspapers, TV, and radios and the district media products. These are not advertisements, but talk about programs and events, trying to play a positive effect on people.
For more events and details please visit our website: www.zoldnap.info

Motivation and EVS experience

Asociatia Zöld Nap (ZNE) – Green Sun Association, is willing to take part in the European Voluntary Service as this program fits within the general mission of ZNE which is:
to facilitate cooperation and communication concerning green values, among different people, especially youth
– to facilitate active citizenship
– to provide alternative forms of education and to raise awareness concerning ecological and social issues
– to involve young people actively in community life
We believe that EVS is a very good possibility to realize these objectives in many ways. The long term experience abroad as being part of another organization makes it possible for young people to exchange green values, experiences, knowledge and practices. Since volunteers play an active role in the life of the host organizations, they practise active citizenship as well. During the voluntary service young people learn by personal experience, by facing a lot of new and unusual situations and by constant communication with the members of the host organization in various situations, which all contribute to a complex learning process.
Lastly, the new environment in which the volunteer works and lives gives an opportunity to see the world from another cultural perspective and to develop one’s openness and tolerance. Since most social and environmental problems have global aspects, in our work it is very important to see these problems from a different point of view.
ZNE’s important objective with European Voluntary Service is to provide the possibility for the youth to be part of an outstanding, comprehensive experience which in the future helps them to be an active civil member of society.
Due to the service our basic values such as diversity (environmental and social), solidarity, equality and creativity should be supported more by the volunteer and also more deeply understood.
Volunteering also encourages the establishing of new partnerships and the exchange of experience and good practice between the partners.
Asociatia “Zöld Nap” has experiences in European Voluntary Service as it follows:
In 2012 the association has implemented the project Learning by Doing in what he had the role of the hosting and coordinating organisation as well. Learning by doing was a project, what was implemented by Green Sun Association during the year 2012-2013. The stage of the project had begun on 6 February 2012 and ended et 6 January 2013. The duration of the stage in month was 11, total duration of the project 13 months. We had 2 EVS volunteers, one from Armenia named Gayane Asatryan and one from Latvia named Ieva Brikmane. Our promoters were Federation of Youth Club Armenia and Biedribas Mazpulki from Riga. The project main aim was to raise attention to environmental issues and trough voluntary service involves young people activly in our community life. During the project we had implemented various events that aimed a lot of people, especially youth, but not just. Based on non formal education methods we had reached the aims of the project in a measure that overpased our dreams. The project was implemented in Targu Secuiesc and its region.
By implementing the project we had made a huge step in connecting our local community with its social and natural environment. The community participated activly in our events. And the impact on our comunity, local volunteers and EVS volunteer had a significant level.
Trough a lot of cultural events we had opened our local people to other cultures, we had reduced the prejudges and we developed our general culture and we all learned a lot.
The second EVS project in what Association had also the coordinating and hosting role is On the green road. The project’s title “On the green road” has double meaning for us. Firstly it shows that we are going to work on a green road, namely that we are going to develop the Nemere Trail, a 230 km long green trail in Covasna county marked by our organization and its partners in 2011.
The second meaning of the title is that with our work we are going to move our society a little bit ahead on the green way of thinking, “On the green road”, that would lead to a sustainable, healthier lifestyle.
The 15 members of Green Sun Association are helped by three international volunteers (one from Spain and the other two from France) and 26 of our permanent volunteers. The number of local volunteers can grow significantly depending from the event. We need to create a lot of “noise” (environmental, sport and cultural events, excursions, tours, short movies, flyers, informational boards, etc.), to draw in actively as many people as possible from the region, to succesfully popularize the Nemere Trail. This is our way to help our region moving ahead “on the green road” in this moment too.
As a sending organisation we are involved in one project with the tytle EVS volunteers enchinging Gdynia with the following partners:
Hosting organization : Association for Children and Youth “VITAVA”
Coordinating organization: Centre for Youth Cooperation and Mobility
In this project. The main responsibility of the organization is to prepare volunteer to take part in the EVS and to support her during the project. Sending organization is also responsible to enroll volunteer to AXA insurance and to organize Pre-Departure and Final Evaluation Training.
From the moment since our organisation get hios first accreditation we had implemented in every year EVS projects succesfully, including 6 volunteers, 5 hosted by our organisation and 1 sended by us. At the moment we are partners in 2 other different projects to send 3 volunteers, one in Latvia and two in Bulgaris, but we are waiting the answers from the National Agencys if project will be aproved or not.
If the present expression of interest is an update or a renewal of a former accreditation, please indicate the EI reference number previously assigned:
2011- RO – 7

Project Environment

Outline the project environment for the suggested voluntary Service, including the local community where the project will take place (e.g. geographical, social and economical environment). If the host placement is located in a live-in community, please include the rules and conditions that apply also for the volunteer.
The projects location is Târgu Secuiesc, Covasna county, but other settlements of the county as well. Targu Secuiesc is the second largest city of the smallest Romanian county Covasna.
Covasna county has 4 other cities: Covasna, Baraolt, Sfântu Gheorghe and Întorsura Buzăului. The number of the total population is 222.000 citizens, according to the 2002 census. There are 39 villages and settlements.
In our county, at the moment there is 250 NGOs activating, 20% is youth organization or has youth volunteers, beyond this there are organizations operating in the field of culture, social, sports, environment protection, and organizations with other domains of activity.
The county town, Sfântu Gheorghe, lies at a distance of 35 km, (along the road no. 11), and Brasov at 66 km. On railway it can be reached on the Sfântu Gheorghe – Breţcu line. The town is at an altitude of 570 m.

Târgu Secuiesc is today the second most populated town of Covasna county and the most important settlement of Upper-Haromszek district. In 1992 its population was of 22.912 inhabitants (from which 20.998 were of Hungarian nationality and 1.818 Romanians).
The town lies at the most eastern part of the Carpathian basin. Lying on the plain of the Black river and on the banks of Torja brook, Târgu Secuiesc has been referred to as a town of guilds, of the shoemakers and as the town of alley-yards. The 600-year old town was formed along the commercial road that links Brasov to Moldova (on the road no. 11).

Its peculiar settlement structure – the alley-like yards opening from the gateway of the centre – unique in Europe, has aroused the interest of several researchers. The building up with yards is a peculiar way of space organiza¬tion and building: only a few real streets lead out from the centre, as behind most gateways there are alley-like yards, where the guilds used to be.
Târgu Secuiesc wasn’t a castellated city. From the center the streets directed in five directions. Around the market place were built the first ring of courtyards, later the second courtyard- ring. Thanks to this, the street network of the city is concentric. This unique type of settlement-system survived only in Târgu Secuiesc.
The courtyards are 2-4 m wide and 25-180 m long. The courtyards were closed, but today these are open and we count 73 of them.
Târgu Secuiesc has a very rich touristic aspect. The tourists who come to the city usually want to see the courtyards, which are unique in the world. This is the reason why the whole center is considered as a historical architectural monument.

Today, the town is characterised by light industry, manufacturing industry, agriculture and commercial activity. The rate of unemployment is slightly bigger than the country’s average. The town shows variety and tolerance because 3 different nations (Hungarian, Romanian, Rroma) live together peacefully and there are 5 different religious groups.

The city has proper accommodation for volunteers (apartment, hotel, youth hostel, etc), proper dining services (restaurants, canteens, take-out, etc), and programs that greatly facilitate the development of the volunteers personality and general knowledge.
The programs are as follows: cultural programs, activities of civil organizations, theatre, library, art caffé, concerts, volunteer activities and museum.

The town has tennis courts, football fields (indoor and outdoor), ice rink, and many excursion sites (lakes, mountains for camping and hiking – the region is extremely rich in mineral waters, skiing areas).
In August the city celebrates the days of the city with a big festival.
In Vigadó which includes a theater hall with 500 seats and a meeting- room for 200 people, there is also place for club, exhibition room, permanent gallery and other educational- and practice- rooms. The handcrafters from the city have also studios here.

The Museum opened in 1972 as a part of the Szekler National Museum. The aim of the museum is to give us a little insight to the guild’s life. One of the most interesting place in the museum is the dolls room, where we can see more than 350 dolls which wear traditional clothes from all around Szeklerland.

Organisation with support of members and donations had reached in the latest years to equipe the office with: 2 notebooks, 4 computers, printer, scanner, projector, trimmer, spiral machine, digital recording camera, photo machine, bicycles. Organisation is also equipped for outside activities as camps, stands, etc with protection band, cooking machine with induction, tents, sleeping nags, etc.
EVS volunteers are hosted in a 2 room apartment, with kitchen bathroom and balcony with own heating system, cold and hot water all the time, calculator with connection to the internet. Association is renting the apartment and it s situated at aprox. 5 minutes on walk from the center of the city, near to the police station in a safe part of the city. Entrance in the flat is trough code protected door. At the disposition of the volunteers stay bicycles as the city don`t have local transport.

Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

Please explain:
• what you can offer to volunteers in terms of Service and learning opportunities,
• what will be the role of EVS volunteers in the Host Organisation,
• the activities in which the volunteers could be involved and the activities the volunteers could create in your organisation. Please give examples of typical activities/tasks for the volunteers.

ZNE is an organisation which is constantly changing and is always open for new ideas, new projects. For that we encourage the volunteers to realise their own project ideas and to develop as much as possible. For that the members of the association are like «mentors» for them.
Volunteers can participate in our existing projects as well as in new ones designed by themselves.
The volunteer has the chance to take part in national and international workshops where we are invited or which are organized by us. There is the opportunity to make and publish films (documentary, campaign films, animation …), to learn web content development, basic graphic design, to get experience in project-management, but as well he/she can volunteer for other organisations.

The volunteers can decide in which activities they want to be involved more deeply and they can devote most of their time to those activities. In addition, besides these tasks the volunteers will have the possibilities to make exhibitions or other cultural programmes (for example they can show their countries and traditions). We support these programmes with our personal help and by providing tools and materials to a certain extent. We also provide them with sufficient time – within their work time – to prepare and organise these events.

What actually we offer as learning opportunities, is the experience to work with a dynamic, open-minded group of people, in the work to really make a change in our society.

The role of the EVS volunteer in our organization has many levels:
– the ZNE can learn a new approach from the volunteer
– meeting is always exchanging experience
– building international connections between organizations, building channels, thus communicating in a larger scale for the sake of our goals.

Some examples, what we did and in what the volunteer could be involved:
– giving lectures, projections about climate change and other environmental problems (ex. chemical waste)
– Critical Mass and other demonstrations and events for bicycle path and for more rights for cyclists
– charity evenings with concerts for sick children and for a playground
– planting trees (lastly we planted more than 1100 saplings during the Spring Green Days for 3 days)
– building playground
– big collection of used cooking oil
– first aid workshop
For more details please visit our website.
Every idea worth to think about. (Like this we are organizing every year the celebration of the international peace day with happenings, like this appeared the “Buy local products” campaign or a photo-contest and so on.) We support everything that raise awareness that helps us to make a better world.
We are always lack of people in web development, English translation, graphic design, movie makings, but we lack mostly the good ideas and the work to make them to happen.

Volunteer profiles and recruitment process

Please describe the profiles of volunteers you would like to receive in your organisation. Include information on how you ensure an open and transparent recruitment process as well as the overall accessibility of EVS to all young people. Consider further information about the type of Sending Organisation you want to cooperate with. This information can help the match-making between volunteer candidates, Sending Organisations and your organisation.
Competences and skills expected from volunteers:
– conversational knowledge of a foreign language (e.g. English)
– open and receptive attitude
– sensitivity to environmental problems
– ability to work in a team and work individually as well
– creativity and sociability
– basic PC and internet skills
The age of the candidate is above 18 year since the volunteer will live independently and no permanent supervision will be given.

Recruitment process

The recruitment of volunteers will take place through the channels the association has in place, which are: advertising on the association’s web page (www.zoldnap.info), circulating e-mails to all the contacts on our database and distributing the information in social, cultural and other national and international organisations we have collaborated with in the past.
Candidates will be considered on the basis of the above listed expectations and advantageous attributes.
Everyone is welcome as candidate who believes that he/she matches these expectations. In case of similar candidates, strength and nature of motivation will help us to choose the most suitable candidate.
Sending organizations which are interested in the following themes and are involved in activities in connection with these themes are preferred: – environment, urban/rural development, education through sport and outdoor activities, minorities, equal opportunities, media and communications, health, art and culture, anti-discrimination.

Risk prevention, protection and safety

Please describe:
• how you will guarantee a safe living and working environment for the EVS volunteers,
• how you will prevent risks and crises,
• how – in the case of EVS volunteers aged 16 or 17 – you ensure appropriate supervision, protection and safety.
The EVS volunteer will live in a flat alone or she/he will share it with other volunteers (she/he will have an individual room). The organization will be in charge of finding a suitable flat.
ZNE will work towards guaranteeing a safe living and working environment for the volunteer. The volunteer will be assigned a mentor, who will be monitoring his or her progress, answer any doubts and see to that the volunteer is integrating well.
We help the young people coming to our organisation with the integration in every possible way, not only professionally but in their daily personal lives; they can always turn to us for advice and help. We will try to find for them the ideal surroundings, accommodation, cultural environment and company. The daily personal contact gives us the chance to handle the daily problems and the possible difficulty in the integration process.

Handling crisis situation
The volunteer will have his/her own mentor, whom s(h)e can always turn to with any kinds of personal or professional questions. The mentor will help him/her to arrange official papers and also helps the volunteer with the integration process: s(h)e take him/her out to different programs and introduces him/her to many people.
We will have private talks with the volunteers every week, where psychological questions can be discussed. ZNE has various graduates in the field of pedagogy and it has partner organisations who already work with EVS volunteers. We wish to build on their help and expertise as well.
ZNE can receive volunteers over 18 years of age only.
The volunteers will be living in a safe living and working environment. They will get all sorts of risk prevention preparation and protecting equipment if the activity requires so, although generally said our activities do not include any dangerous elements. In the case of serious problems and crises of the volunteer maximum personal and – if it is required – other types of support and help will be ensured. Most of the time, other members of the organisation will accompany the volunteers and give full attention during the activities.
– each volunteer will be insured, instructed about work safety, and trained by a person who will be taking care of them throughout their stay (mentor)
– they will be given information about the local customs to prevent potential misunderstandings and complications
– they will be briefed about emergencies and provided with useful phone numbers (police, fire department, emergency medical services)
– health risks (illness, injury) will be covered by insurance
– social risks (homesickness) should be balanced by giving the volunteer a number of opportunities for socializing
– a motivational programme will be set up to deal with the possibility of a «burnout» on the part of the volunteer

Deadline for applying: 26th of April 2015

For the selection of the volunteers we will need:
– Europass CV with picture (made in the last month)

– Motivational letter, writing that your sending organisation will be “Building Bridges”. We ask all candidates to send a specific letter of motivation – why they want to volunteer with us rather than just a general EVS one.

Remember to write in the motivation letter that your sending institution is “Asociación Building Bridges”.

All documents written in english you can send to: asociacionbb@gmail.com with subject “EVS Rumania, Asociatia Zold Nap, proyecto de naturaleza”