ESC

Η ΕΛΙΞ συνεχίζει την στενή της συνεργασία με την οργάνωση Polish Robert Schuman Foundation και σας προτείνει τρία προγράμματα ESC (European Solidarity Corps) μεγάλης διάρκειας, με τίτλο “Schuman Solidarity Crew!”, στην Βαρσοβία.

Δύο είναι εκπαιδευτικά με θέμα της ενδυνάμωσης των παιδιών με ειδικές ανάγκες και θα πραγματοποιηθούν σε δύο νηπιαγωγεία της πρωτεύουσας της Πολωνίας, ενώ το τρίτο θα λάβει χώρα στο γραφείο της οργάνωσης “Chance”. Τα προγράμματα θα ξεκινήσουν στις 2 Ιανουαρίου 2020 έως Ιουλίου/Σεπτεμβρίου 2020.

Διαβάστε πως περιγράφει την εμπειρία της η Χαρά, όπου πέρυσι πήγε στο ίδιο πρόγραμμα σε ένα νηπιαγωγείο για παιδιά με προβλήματα όρασης!

Προθεσμία Υποβολής Αιτήσεων: ΑΜΕΣΑ!

Αναλυτικά
The Polish Robert Schuman Foundation is searching for 3 volunteers who would like to join our European Solidarity Corps project “Schuman Solidarity Crew!”.
Increase your intercultural experience, improve your personal and professional competences in special/European/civic/integrative education in formal and non-formal curriculum, share your experience and knowledge with others and join our Crew!

This project is coordinated by the Polish Robert Schuman Foundation. Below you will find detailed description of the organizations, volunteers’ tasks and dates of mobilities.
We have 3 vacancies in 3 different special kindergartens:

• Special Kindergarten 393, Warsaw, January-July 2020 (7 months)
• Special Kindergarten 245, Warsaw, January-September 2020 (9 months)
• Association of Developing Children's Activity “Chance”, Warsaw, January-September (9 months)

WHO ARE WE SEARCHING FOR?
We are looking for volunteers aged between 18 and 30 years old, legally residing in one of the participating and partner countries. We seek a balance of varied ages, genders and nationalities amongst our volunteers. As required by the European Solidarity Corps programme, all candidates from the European Union must be registered in the European Solidarity Corps database.

No specific knowledge, skills or experience are required, as the necessary ones can be acquired during the project. We are not looking for experienced volunteers but for those who are eager to learn a lot during the service in a particular hosting organization and are strongly motivated.
Apart from personal motivation of volunteers, our requirement is volunteers' strong will of learning the Polish language after the selection procedure successfully ends. We need selected volunteers to know a few crucial phrases. Why is this important? Because they will work with children with disabilities and youth, which often do not speak English or any other language.

COMMON ACTIVITIES
To integrate all volunteers, apart from the activities in a particular hosting organization, common activities for all Schuman Volunteers will be organized. All Schuman volunteers:

• will write blogs dedicated to their experience in the form of articles, photographs, audio/video materials. If you secretly dream of becoming a published author – you are in luck! Each month volunteers write (at least) one article about their volunteering experiences in Poland. These posts are published on the Foundation’s website and/or Facebook. You can find blogs of previous and current volunteers on the website www.erasmus.schuman.pl,
• will organize local activities – workshops in cultural centers, libraries and NGOs to share intercultural experience among people from small societies. They will present their countries, cultures, share volunteering experience and promote European Solidarity Corps during workshops/activities addressed to youth, people with fewer opportunities and seniors,
• will take part in the preparation of the Schuman Parade & Schumanville, events organized by the Schuman Foundation to celebrate the Europe Day in the center of Warsaw. Volunteers together with their hosting organizations and the Schuman Foundation will plan & organize one tent in Schumanville devoted to European volunteering & raising awareness about the needs of people with disabilities,
• will take part in “internal on-arrival training” organized by the Schuman Foundation. The first days followed by the volunteers’ arrival to Warsaw will be spent altogether, not in a particular hosting organization. The Schuman Foundation will prepare integration activities, trainings and will deal with some organizational things,
• will participate in monthly meetings. Once a month all Schuman Volunteers living in Warsaw (and sometimes also those in Wojkowice) will have a meeting in the Foundation and occasionally outside the Foundation. These meetings are organized to spend time all together with volunteers and coordinators, the coordinators always prepare activities for the volunteers: concerning evaluation of last month, preparing common activities or just integrating.

PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
Pocket money: each volunteer will get the amount of 120€ (in Polish currency – Polish złoty) per month – in cash or by a bank transfer (if they open a bank account in Poland).
Food allowance: each volunteer will receive a certain amount of money for food per month (90-110€ in Polish currency, depending on the exchange rate of the project)
Local transport: transport cards are provided – for volunteers in Warsaw a card for area 1 (strefa 1) is provided. The city has 2 areas of transport, however area 1 includes all main districts of Warsaw.

Accommodation: The Schuman Foundation will provide accommodation for volunteers, who will share flats. The apartments will be rented by the Foundation for the entire time of volunteers’ mobilities and it is equipped with all necessary utilities. Volunteers are obliged to keep the flat clean :) In Warsaw volunteers will live in 3 apartments. Up to 6 volunteers share the apartment. Often volunteers share a bedroom with another volunteer. Living costs (cost of water, electricity, internet, etc.) will be covered by the Schuman Foundation with a limit up to 90-110 złoty per month (depending on the flat and heating season).

Language support: for volunteers with no knowledge of Polish (up to A2) an online course will be provided. For volunteers with some knowledge of Polish (more than A2), a language course at a language school will be organized – for the first 2-3 months, 1,5 hours twice a week.

Polish phone card: will be provided by the Schuman Foundation :)

Medical tests: volunteers hosted in kindergartens and schools with integrative classes will have to undertake sanitary medical tests, as required by the Polish law. The Schuman Foundation will cover its’ costs and assist in the process.

COORDINATING ORGANIZATION
Polska Fundacja im. Roberta Schumana will coordinate all volunteers, will be responsible for coordinating the project, its financial management, etc. The Foundation’s office is located in Aleje Ujazdowskie 37/5, in the heart of Warsaw.

The Polish Robert Schuman Foundation is a non-profit organization which focuses on strengthening civil society, supporting active citizenship, promoting European integration and fostering European values. We use non-formal and interactive educational methods, such as activities in public spaces, simulations of elections and city games, we organize cultural exchange projects and take part in the European voluntary movement, organize conferences, seminars, debates and workshops. Our goal is to present Europe and the EU in a simple and clear manner for specific recipients. We cooperate with EU institutions, many NGO’s from the same field and with over 400 European School Clubs from Poland and other countries.

1. Special Kindergarten 393

Project duration 2^nd January 2020 – 31^st July 2020

Description of the organization
Special Kindergarten No 393 in Warsaw is an educational institution for physically disabled children (cerebral palsy, genetics definitive, down syndrome etc.). There are 30 children aged 2,5 - 8 divided in 4 groups. Some children are able to walk and some are able to communicate verbally but some need help with all basic movements and operations. The pedagogical team is supported by specialists that lead different therapeutic activities, like speech therapy, sensory integration, physiotherapy etc.

Description of volunteers’ tasks at the organization
The volunteers’ main task will be to:

• participate in the classes and help the staff in everyday routine. They will help change children’s clothes, feeding the children or help them eat their meals, go to the toilet. Volunteers will take part in classes and workshops, group and individual activities with children in various age groups;
• propose their own activities for the group. There is a special kindergarten plan which educators must follow but there is also some space for their own creativity – they can adapt theatre instead of reading to children or exercising their artistic talent preparing materials and scenery for kindergarten plays, seasonal holidays, and celebrations of international days;
• suggest educational group activities and/or individual work process for one child, all under supervision of an educator. Volunteers are also involved in preparations of festivities for the occasion of traditional Polish holidays (e.g. short theatre plays for parents);
• learn about different methods of working with children with various disabilities. They will cooperate with specialists in everyday classes or therapies, so they will gain professional knowledge and working methods;
• assist in walks and visits outside of the kindergarten. Even most of the children are not able to move or walk some outdoor activities will be organize, for instance walks in the park with wheelchairs, visits in theatres, neighbor kindergartens etc.

2. Special Kindergarten 245

Project duration 2^nd January 2020 – 31^st July 2020

Description of the organization
The special kindergarten no 245 takes care of visually impaired children from 3 to 6 years old. There are 40 children with various visual defects in the kindergarten. They are divided into 4 age groups. Apart from its didactic and educational functions, the kindergarten also fulfills prophylactic and therapeutic functions. Kindergarten provide oculist treatment for children who have been diagnosed with different visual defects, squint eye or lazy eye. The institution has a well-equipped room in which children under professional supervision perform their orthoptic exercise by using specialist equipment. The kindergarten provides professional, psychological, logopedic and educational therapy, as well. Apart from regular activities we also organize extra activities, e.g. music lessons, gymnastic, art, dancing, English classes.

Description of volunteers’ tasks at the organization
Volunteers’ main task will be to:

• assist during the teacher-managed group classes or individual lessons. Volunteers will get specific guidelines and training to prepare them to work with children with disabilities. They will help teachers in conducting workshops and classes for children in different age groups. They will also take part in therapies and professional lessons with experts.
• help kindergarten’s staff in daily routine with typical self-care activities, such as personal hygiene, help at eating and dressing, midday nap.
• provide additional activities like presentations of their countries, thematic days, celebrations of holidays, local events for parents.
  prepare ideas on how to improve or develop existing activities and conduct them with teachers. Time for playing is the time volunteers are welcome to propose their own activities like handcrafts, musical workshops, reading books. They can implement their own solutions and ideas with acceptance of the teacher.
• assist during visits and activities outside of the kindergarten, such as going out to cinemas, theatres, museums etc. Together with children they will play in the garden in the playground which belongs to the kindergarten.

3. Association of Developing Children's Activity “Chance”

Project duration 2^nd January 2020 - 28^th September 2020

Description of the organization
Association of Developing Children's Activity “Chance” carries out various activities mainly for the local community of Ochota district of Warsaw. Their mission is to "SUPPORT THE DEVELOPEMENT OF THE KID AND FAMILY". "Chance" tries to inspire: parents, teachers, organizations, institutions to create the best conditions for the comprehensive development of children. Association is taking action on educational projects, prevention, and training programs for different target groups - children, youth, teachers, students, parents, volunteers. The organization's goal is to give everyone equal chances to discover their strengths and self-development, to provide best possible development, increase the educational conditions for children and raise the quality of work in early childhood education. "Giving a chance" means for the association to discover and develop what is the best in their recipients, discover and strengthen their resources and development potential. In order to encourage a strategic system change, “Chance” cooperates with state and local authorities. Every year they organize all kinds of preventive-educational summer camps. Annually, they work with about 200 children.

Description of volunteers’ tasks at the organization

Volunteers’ main task will be to:

• support trainers in organizing everyday activities (workshops of cooking, English, music, motor-sensory etc.) – support in organization, conducting and enriching them with volunteers’ own ideas;
• help with the preparation of materials for workshops;
• present the culture, tradition, cuisine of their country of origin by using non-formal learning methods;
• help with the preparation of materials for workshops;
• help with the preparation of the annual events for the local community of Ochota district (family picnics etc.);
• contribute with new ideas and prepare different activities for all age groups and implement them (under guidance of trainers);
• assist at the office of the hosting organization (participating in meetings, managing documents, handling correspondence etc.).

In all activities the ideas and creativity of the volunteers will be more than welcome.

HOW TO APPLY
We ask each candidate to fill in and send us OUR APPLICATION FORM. Candidates can add other documents/personal presentations/ videos/photos/motivation letters to the application form if they want, but please know that applications without our form will not be taken into consideration. The recruitment procedure will take place through the European Solidarity Corps portal.

Please send applications to: Αυτή η διεύθυνση ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε. . In the title please write: APPLICATION 2020. We will contact the candidates with best applications and arrange skype/phone interviews.

IMPORTANT! Please inform ELIX – Conservation Volunteers Greece about your application by sending an email to Αυτή η διεύθυνση ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε., in order for ELIX to support your application.