Одобрен проект в Косово си търси доброволец – начало: съвсем СКОРО

Поради отказване от косовската организацията Balkan Sunflowers спешно търсят ЕДС доброволец за проект, който започва съвсем скоро. Въвеждащо обучение за дброволците се предвижда да се проведе на 28 януари, а регионално такова – на 18 февруари в Сараево. Доброволецът ще рабти в екип от други ЕДС доброволци. Подробности за проекта по-ндаолу.

Ако се интересувате, пратете CV и мотивационно писмо на office@balkansunflowers.org възможно най-скоро. За въпроси за ЕДС може да се обръщате към Наталия Живкова на longterm@cvs-bg.org.

Enriching the Learning Center Experience – Kosovo

Background and objective of the action:

Thirteen years after the end of the Kosovo conflict, there are many changes and much has improved. At the same time, inter-ethnic tensions persist; some minority communities suffer from restricted freedom of movement, limited employment opportunities, lack of adequate housing, and social marginalization. Civil participation in the political structures and processes remains low, as does social capital in the form of voluntarism.

Tens of thousands of young people (over 50% of the population are under age 25) are unemployed and have little prospect of finding work. There is little contact between young people of different ethnicities. Balkan Sunflowers works for social reconstruction through voluntarism.  We believe that voluntary efforts can extend opportunity to disenfranchised communities, can forge links between different ethnic communities, promote self-help initiatives and self-reliance, and encourage people to become more active in their communities.

In this context this project aims at involving young Europeans in BSF’s activities to allow them to exchange experience in Kosovo while learning about education in an international and disadvantaged environment. This seeks to achieve the following objectives:

1. Voluntarism: encourage active participation of young people with fewer opportunities in their local communities;
2. Multiculturalism: foster mutual understanding among young people from diverse cultural backgrounds through common work and shared daily experience;
3. Social inclusion: develop young people’s awareness and commitment to tackling issues of poverty and marginalization for a more inclusive society through direct work with young people with fewer opportunities.

Role of the volunteers:

The volunteers will be involved in daily activities run by the four BSF Learning Centers in Gracanica, Fushe Kosova, Plemetina and Shtime. These Learning Centers serve the disadvantaged minority  children of these communities by providing pre-school, after-school homework help, an educational summer program and other activities.

Volunteers will typically live with host families. In this way, they will be integrated into the community and will experience firsthand the life of these communities. Thus, the project directly tackles the issues concerning discrimination and minorities. Volunteers will develop their educational skills working closely with youth and children, while local children will be stimulated by the contact with young people coming from abroad.  Previous volunteers have been involved in campaigns working to end discrimination against these minority communities and this will also be possible for new volunteers.

In cooperation with local staff, volunteers will develop curricula and create activities particularly focusing on science (nature, environment, health, hygiene, etc) in order to supplement the formal education of the children. They will be encouraged to use interactive and participatory methods to catch children’s attention, and stimulate creativity and critical thinking.

Requirements:

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  In good physical and mental health
  Able and willing to live and work in an environment with restricted power and water supplies, and increased environmental challenges
• A demonstrated interest in and/or aptitude for youth-centered and youth-led voluntary community development work
• General interest in working with children
• Willing to adapt to a culture different to their own; this means eating different food, participating in cultural events, being sensitive to religious customs and traditions
• Positive attitudes toward working in multi-cultural environments
• Enthusiastic willingness to work with underprivileged children and youth
• Some volunteers will live in isolated communities undertaking challenging work in a politically sensitive environment therefore it is important that they arrive with an open mind.

Balkan Sunflowers welcomes applications from volunteers regardless of their cultural, geographical or socio-economic background. As volunteers may live in host families in sometimes basic conditions, those with more than basic health care needs, very specific dietary requirements, mobility problems and other significant special needs may find working on this project difficult.

Conditions:

Under EVS contract, volunteers will receive the reimbursement of 90% of travel cost to/from the duty station, full coverage of accommodation costs (accommodation and meals), health insurance, and a monthly allowance.

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