Duration:
12 months
Date:
October /NOV 2015- October/2016
Placement:
Cieszyn, Poland
Profile of the volunteer:
We are looking for volunteer with:
– positive attitude and good spirit,
– flexible and adaptable to new environments and circumstances,
– proactive, innovative,
– will to work with people, team working experience and problem solving abilities,
– will to learn and adapt, – interest in cultural diversity issues and new cultures,
– able to embrace equal opportunities and work in an anti discriminatory way,
– be responsible in their work.
We will require from volunteers a motivation letter and we will chat with them via skype so both our organization and the volunteers can be sure of making a good choice.
Aims and goals of Foundation:
Foundation is a youth foundation residing in Cieszyn. We are located on a Castle Hill in the centre of Cieszyn. Fundation conducts a small tearoom and a club Laja – creative and cultural space.
The volunteer will perform part of his/her service there. Foundation’s objectives are as follows:
1. Educational activities in the field of culture for children, youth and adults.
2. Support for the artistic activities and providing necessary conditions for their development.
3. Promoting the idea of pro-social activities, volunteerism and education in these fields.
4. Support for Polish-Czech as well as international cooperation in sharing European and world culture.
5. Providing help to socially excluded citizens, especially unemployed ones.
6. Supporting the activities of non-governmental organizations that help local community.
7. Supporting the development of democracy and civil society by promoting citizens’ participation in life of local community and creating pro-social attitudes, in particular focusing on activities overcoming social exclusion and pathologies.
8. Preventing the ignorance of social problems based on stereotypes and prejudices. 9. Environmental protection activities and education in the field of ecology
Our main interest is: intercultural education as well as organising international cultural events and local and nationwide activities. As an example the following can serve: international youth exchange
– Backpack journalism camp, Amateur bands competition, traveler’s lectures, tea degustation, youth tours, artistic activities e.g. ceramics workshops….
Main activities:
– lectures, workshops, educational events (e.g. Meetings with voyagers – evenings, film evenings, multicultural workshops about different countries, regional culinary evenings with volunteers, food degustation).
– cultural actions e.g. multicultural festival «Svatek caje» – thematic exhibitions, festivals, concerts.
– meeting, presentations, intercultural evenings. Education through the art: workshops with children and youth – we also have a possibility to use a ceramic studio.
Foundation is an open space for youth who would like to spend their free time in a creative way. It is a space where anyone can learn and teach anybody anything through practical and experimental workshops. It can take place in a tea room, ceramic studio, or other space, depending on the needs
Project description:
Project ”Tea, books & the garden» responds to current local and international situation – declining tolerance between cultures and big disinterest of young people in the creative use of leisure time. Project is shaped out for volunteer from Spain who will spend 12 months in Foundation, in Cieszyn.
The volunteer will be involved in the projects currently run by Laja Foundation. We want the volunteer to support our organization in our main activities: – Tea Festival (in june 2016 we will organize 8th editions)we prepare this event whole year. This is big multicultural 2 days long festival, wtch over 30 different workshops, concerts, traveler’s lectures, tea degustations) and many more. Every year we have more than 2000 hosts from Poland, Czech Rep. and Slovakia.
Over 50 local volunteers who support us during those 2 days. – traveler’s lectures (at least 3 times per month) – workshops: tea degustations, youth workshops, education throught the art, creative recycling, workshops focused on multicultural topics (once per week)
-Library for all- the project is focus on three main activities:
1.English Library- we have over 500 books in english in our library in the tea house.
The volunteer will be responisble for promotion and running the system of the renting, remind about returning, also they will be delivering the books to our readers with disabilities, elderly people, young mothers etc. Also he wil be responsible for searching new books for the library.
2. Book club-reading session and debates . English reading sessions for kids.
3. Creative workshops related to book culture (for example book binding) – Gardens without the borders- every year we organize and take care of the mobile/city garden. For this project we get the found from the city hall. In this initiative are involved a lot of local people, as well from Poland as from czech side of the city. Laja together with another two organisations is responsible for implementing of the project as well as coordinating. Urban gardening is initiative that needs care and responsible people to let the idea grow.
This project including also: workshops connected to eco education, premaculture, veganism, and creative recycling. – Flying jurta- it is an event for kids during the summer time, once or two times per holidays we organize workshops during the whole week (from 9:00- 14:00) in the yurta (mongolian traditional house), local kids participate in the art workshops, creative recykling workshops, vegan workshops, games, thai chi and many many more. -Enjoy your rights- project on Human Rights in relation to global challenges such diversity, multiculturalism. Promotes the development of civil society. It is 2 weeks camp for youth connected to human rights- here we also would like to involve volunteers to support us. – helping in Laja Tea House (depends on day and activities) especially during the events. Volunteer will learn about the tea culture, how te serve it in traditional way. – promote European Voluntary Service and Youth in Action programme in the university in Cieszyn and local schools.
Part of activities will be helping with some office works, necessary to function. Writting short articles about what is done and promoting the organization will be very welcome. At the same time, we want to give each volunteer the opportunity for selffulfillment. We will support them in the implementation of his/her own ideas. Volunteer will have full support from the sending and hosting organization, project coordinator and his/her personal mentor. He will be able to discuss any difficulty. We would like to involve EVS volunteer as a support for enriching our knowledge and competences. The project responds also to current local and international situation – declining tolerance between cultures and the big disinterest of young people in the creative way to spend their leisure time. Project aims to show young people positive meaning of cultural diversity through daily contact with volunteer from different culture.
We believe in the important input and effect that the international volunteer exchange have on the youth. Being a volunteer in a foreign environment implies a self growing and learning process that changes the way young people perceive the world and other cultures (overcome cultural differnces and mental barriers). First of all the proposed EVS project clearly fosters young people sense of European Citizenship in the meaning that it allows the volunteer to take initiatives, experience culturally others and raise awareness about themselves. Due to the 12 months EVS placement, many stereotypes about Poland and Polish culture should disappear from the mentallity of the youth workers and youth. As for overcoming long lasting narrow minded ideas about a nation, the best way is to meet, deal and interrelate with the people form this nation.
Selection process
Building Bridges Association members will have preference, please enroll to the association here.
We will study carefully all application and selected candidates will be invite for Skype interview. The selection of volunteers will take place in the middle of September.
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 Magdu Laja”.
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