2017-11-30
125European Voluntary Service
PROJECT DETAILS
Project title “EVS 4 sustainable life”
Project start / duration 01.09.2017. / 28 month
Coordinating organization Accreditation reference NGO “Siguldas Alternativa izglitiba” (SAI), Sigulda, LATVIA 2016‐1‐LV02‐KA110‐001320
Hosting Organizations
Nr.1 Waldorf kindergarten of Sigulda (institution of NGO “Siguldas Alternativa izglitiba”), Sigulda, LATVIA (2 voluteers)
Hosting Organizations Nr.2 Creative Center of Sigulda (institution of Sigulda municipality), Sigulda,LATVIA (2 voluteers)
Hosting Organizations Nr.3 NGO “Wings of Hope”, Sigulda, LATVIA (2 voluteers)
Duration of EVS activity: 1st period: 12 month / EVS will start in October, 2017.
2nd period: 12 month / EVS will start in October, 2018.
Number of volunteers hosted 6 EVS volunteers from different countries (20-30 years old) per eachperiod (12 volunteers in total)
Project Overview: This will be a 28 months EVS strategic project divided in
2 periods with 6 volunteersin each period. Applicants are welcome from Program and Partner countries and will be hosted byproject partner organizations in Sigulda, Latvia.
The project objectives are: 1) increase of youth employment in the labour
market of Europeancountries with low economic status, 2) promotion of mutual tolerance and understanding of differentcultures within the EU and 3) expansion and popularization of the EVS in Pierigas’s region anddevelopment of cooperation between organizations from program and partner countries.
Below you will find more information about hosting organizations and proposed
activities forvolunteers.
The main topics of the project are: 1) Creativity and culture, 2) Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) and 3) International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation.
The strategic project idea is to give an opportunity for youngsters to develop their personal andprofessional level through the mean full, longterm work and realizing their creative ideas for the localand foreign inhabitants.
Please visit our Facebook page about EVS in Sigulda:
https://www.facebook.com/volunteeringsigulda/
Venue ‐ Sigulda, LATVIA Latvia (Republic of Latvia) is one of the three Baltic States and is locatedbetween Lithuania and Estonia, in the North‐East of Europe and at the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea.
Capital: Riga. Largest cities and towns: Daugavpils, Liepāja,
Rēzekne, Ventspils, Jelgava, Jūrmala
Landscape: forests (40%), lowlands, hilly uplands, plenty of rivers and lakes
Population: ~ 2 million Religions: Evangelic Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox
Currency: EUR Membership: EU, NATO, UN, WTO, etc. Country code: LV Calling code: +371
The city is located only 53 km from the capital city Riga and is home to
approximately 11.000 inhabitants.
Anybody can spend a great time in this city ‐ for every taste there will be an activity orentertainment. For more information, look here: http://tourism.sigulda.lv/
Living Environment, Practical Arrangements,
Accomodation- rented and well equipped room or flat in the city / separate room in a host
family (the living space will have the equipment necessary for the
coexistence of the volunteer) / youth hostel
Transportation within the city ‐ by foot or bicycle
Pocket money 80 EUR per month
Food 150 EUR per month to shop at grocery stores or coffee shops. It will be
possible to have meals (tea break and lunch) in some hosting organizations!
Proposed time schedule
Monday – Friday 6/7‐hours working day (including Latvian language training and meeting with teachers, supervisor and mentor)
Saturday ‐ Sunday days off (or 2 free days in a row
during a week in case when EVS volunteer participates in a weekend activity)
Public holidays days off Holidays/vocation additional free days (EVS volunteers will have several holiday periods corresponding to the HO holidays).
Activities or tasks of volunteers 1. According to the project interest area volunteer’s daily tasks will include assistance to HOs staff while doing educational, creative and leisure time activities with children and young people with disabilities. As a part of HOs’ team volunteers will have opportunity to take part in
arrangement of annual Latvian festivals (Michael, Martin, Christmas, Easter, Midsummer etc.) or HOs’ events – concerts, theatre performances, sports events, charity markets etc.
Volunteers will be involved in all process – planning and organizing of activities, evaluation and feedback.
2. Volunteers’ creative activities for HO and local community: each of volunteers during the project has to offer and realize (with help from HO staff) 2 new
activities, for example, photo exhibition, excursion, some event according to his / her skills / wishes / national traditions, etc. It gives a wide opportunity to show volunteers talents, creativity, entrepreneurship and communication skills in order to invent new traditions, games and workshops
suitable HO or local community. We are expecting that the results of volunteer’s activities will be also tangible things such as calendars, postcards, videos etc. HOs has well equipped room for seminars and that could be used for volunteer’s creative and learning activities.
Volunteers are welcome to bring songs, games and introduce their own
culture and traditions as part of intercultural learning.
Hosting organization No.1 – Waldorf kindergarten of Sigulda (WKS) Waldorf kindergarten of Sigulda is the institution of non‐governmental organization “Siguldas Alternativa izglitiba” (SAI) established in 1998 to promote alternative education for children as well as family education. In 2009 SAI acquired a public benefit organization status. There are 2 groups in the kindergarten for children of age 1,5 to 7 years (a total of 40 children) with 10 teachers and administrative and technical staff. The kindergarten is working all year round and provides alternative (Waldorf) educational methodology. Waldorf (Steiner) education is a humanistic approach to pedagogy based on the educational philosophy of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, which regards the human being as composed of body, soul, and spirit. Waldorf pedagogy distinguishes three broad stages in child development. The early years education focuses on providing practical, hands‐on activities and environments that encourage creative play.
Throughout, the approach stresses the role of the imagination in learning and places a strong value on integrating intellectual, practical, and artistic themes. The educational philosophy's overarching goal is to develop free, morally responsible, and integrated individuals equipped with a high degree of social competence.
Annual kindergarten celebrations
(from September till June) are Fall Fair, Masks Marsh and Lantern Festival, Christmas Fair, Christmas Story, Path of Light, Candlemas Day, Shrovetide, Easter Fair, Mother’ s Day, Graduation Celebration.
For more information see here: www.valdorfabernudarzs.lv (in Latvian). The main activities or tasks of volunteers will be assistance to kindergarten staff in their daily work withthe children and have a chance to learn
Waldorf pedagogy by watching and participating in all kindergarten activities.
The main task will be: participate in classes (painting, music, crafts, theatre, gymnastics, etc.), prepare materials for activities, help to kids during meals, dress up, dishwashing, making beds, doing different outdoor activities, etc. and participation in the work of non‐governmental organization as valuable team member.
Hosting organization No.2 – Creative Centre of Sigulda (CCS) Creative
Centre of Sigulda is local public institutions founded by Sigulda City Counci and offer preschool and non‐formal education programs for
children and youth. There are 3 different sections: 1. Children’s group
"Chestnut” (age 2‐7) is working with small groups, focusing on each child's
individual capacity building to prepare them for school.
Parents always have an opportunity to participate in classes, learning the
basics of playing as well as receive staff recommendations for children’s development.
2. School‐age children's center "Idea House" (age 7‐12) brings together children after school for spending their free time in meaningful, cognitive and actively atmosphere.
"Idea House" is a safe place for children after school, here they can do their homeworks, meet with friends, drink some tea, play a variety of board games, Lego, participate in creative workshops.
Under supervision of 3 teachers children can learn new skills, working with
different materials and creating useful things ‐ souvenirs, gifts and congratulations.
3. Youth Initiative Centre "Objective" brings together creative and
active young people (age 12-20) to spend their free time useful and implement new practical ideas. There is possible to learn English for free or play the guitar, organize different seminars and lectures on topics of youth
interests.
The group of young people named "Sigulda Multi movement", which is dealing with the street gymnastics, combining athletic gymnastics, hip‐hop culture, "Parkour" movement, as well as further sports events, became very popular. The youth from the Centre is actively involved in voluntary work for local community. They are involved in organization of educational,
cultural and sports events, as well as in various charity events and visits to the
elderly. More than 174 volunteer certificates have already been
issued in last 5 years. Since 2012 the Creative Centre of Sigulda organizes
summer day camps for kids and youngsters like "Your summer club", “Feelings researcher laboratory". In 2014 was organized day camp "Your interest circle" for children from social risk families, as well as environmental camp
"Ecovillage construction" for teenagers. For more
information you can see here:
www.sigulda.lv “Interešu izglītība” and https://www.facebook.com/JICmerkis (in Latvian).
The main activities or tasks of volunteers will include daily
assistance to CCS’ staff while doing educational, creative, and leisure time activities with the children / youngsters after school (for example, help in doing homework’s, playing games, painting, crafts,
modeling, etc.); and as a part of CCS’ team volunteers will have opportunity to take part in arrangement of annual Latvian festivals (Michael, Martin, Christmas, Easter, Midsummer etc.), CCS’s summer activities (day camps, music and art festivals, street gymnastics etc.), afternoon parties, music or foreign language clubs, etc. They will be
involved in all process – planning and organizing of activities, evaluation and feedback.
Hosting organization No.3 – Wings of Hope (WH) “Wings of Hope” is the non‐governmental organization established in 2003 to provide social services for
children and young adults with different types of disabilities and to support their families, as well as to promote a positive public attitude towards people with functional disorders. In 2005 WH acquired a public benefit organization status. Every year more than 70 children with disabilities (and their families) can regularly receive a variety of professional services in WH’s Day‐care Center in Sigulda: counseling, babysitting services, therapeutic exercises, speech, art, music, dance and pet therapy, etc..
With the growing demand for social services, in 2013 WH created specialized workshops for persons with mental disorders. There they can develop and improve the necessary basic and social skills by engagingdifferent workshops ‐
ceramics, candles and soap‐making, weaving, leather processing, household activities, etc. In 2015 the organization established its own social enterprise "Pogotava" which is selling a variety of handicrafts made from different materials and with different techniques ‐ leather and felt products, woven mats, hats, scarves, candles etc. Here you can see the products: https://www.facebook.com/Pogotava/, http://www.draugiem.lv/pogot/, http://www.meistardarbs.lv/veikals/16792414.
In the daily work and social services of WH are involved more than 20 personal (social workers, caregivers, trainers, therapists, speech therapists, etc.). For more information about WH go here: www.ceribusparni.lv/en (in English).
Language support and trainings, certificate
Latvian lessons will be taught by professional
teachers and will take place twice a week.
2. Coordinating organization will make sure that all of our EVS
volunteers will take part in both the on–arrival training and in the mid‐term evaluation organized by Latvian National Agency.
3. Upon arrival to Sigulda, EVS volunteers will be inducted on the aspects below: ‐ administrative, health and safety procedures and inner
regulations ‐ the aims, objectives and activities of the EVS project they are involved in ‐ their individual learning plan, and YouthPass Process with their mentors.
4. At the end of the service each volunteer will receive their YouthPass Certificate.
Candidates applying for voluntary work should meet following requirements: - be available for the whole duration of the volunteering period and pre‐departure training;
- strong motivation for work in selected area (! not required to have a previous experience in a working with children and / or young people with different types of disabilities);
- work requires psychological and physical resistance, patience and compassion; - volunteers must be active, flexible, creative, responsible, with good communication skills, ready for team work;
- volunteers must be non‐smoker and without substance abuse or criminal history.
Documents for applying:
CV and motivation letter, please, send to the Sending organization in Ukraine NGO “Center of European Cooperation”
e‐mail: centerukraine@gmail.com
Till 31.08.2017
In case of any questions, don’t hesitate to contact!
Documents to be submitted to Coordinating Organization
before arrival: 1. Health certificate for not carrying any infections.
2. Public authority paper for not having a criminal history.
* translation in English can be approved by the Sending Organization
