8 MONTHS EVS in Bitola,Macedonia
OPEN CALL EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE AT YMCA BITOLA
Project details
Project dates: Immediately - 30/09/2018.
Selection
Place: Bitola, Macedonia
The project main areas of work:
MULTIMEDIA (video, photography, brochures, leaflets, blog posts, newsletter and exhibitions) and ENVIRONMENT (campaigns, school presentations, workshops, debates, sustainable urban transport promotion, cycling workshop, flash mobs and researches in the field).
Project objectives:
- Build capacity of the receiving organization by using these alternative media such as: videos,graphic designing’s, blogs, newsletter, etc.
- Provide space to explore alternative methods of communication and create products to be presented and shared with the local community and on-line.
- Promote greener approach towards the environment.
- Raise public awareness on issues concerning the local young people such as: protection of environment, pollution, etc.
- Promote healthier lifestyle by promoting sustainable urban transportation with main focus on the bicycle.
- Promote volunteering as a sustainable option in general and promotion of the EVS program in particular. Promoting the European citizenship and European mobility by organizing workshops, presentations, teaching about its own culture, traditions, and language etc.
Main activities for the volunteers
- Working with video and photo (making, editing, promoting).
- Writing on blog and on social media.
- Work on designing organizational promotional materials and newsletter.
- Organize workshops, presentations, exhibitions and flash mobs in public places and in schools using the alternative media.
- Promote own culture through: language, music, food, lifestyle, etc.
- Teaching Spanish/German language.
- Organizing social events for local volunteers.
- Sharing best practices from his county.
- Promoting Erasmus+ and EVS in universities.
- Work on additional projects as supplement to the main idea.
- Cooperate with YMCA Bitola volunteers and other local youth.
- Support YMCA Bitola in the ongoing activities.
Support of the volunteers
The volunteers will receive personal, professional, linguistic and administrative support. The mentors will provide support to the volunteer to better adapt in the local conditions and culture. Also the mentor will provide support in socializing with the local people in Bitola and assistance in town. Besides assistance in the practical aspects of living, the mentor will provide support for the volunteers so that they can more easily deal with any problems that might occur.
The volunteers will have another task related facilitator/tutor. This person will guide the volunteers through the learning and service process and will discuss with the volunteer about everything connected to the service, tasks and responsibilities.
Volunteers' profile
Be able to speak English fluently
Most of the youth in Bitola speaks English very well. There will be a communication problem if the volunteer doesn’t speak English well. This is important criterion and your English language capabilities might be checked if you are preselected to do EVS at YMCA Bitola.
Be enthusiastic about environmental issues and multimedia
A long term EVS project needs motivated volunteers on: multimedia, photo, video, creative communication, environment and bicycles lovers, sharing own culture, values, music, food, etc. Please show us in your application why you want to join the project and YMCA Bitola.
Be proactive
We expect the volunteer to work with us to come up with clear goals and expectations to make the most from own time during the EVS. That also means personal involvement to improvе own EVS.
Project conditions
Accomodation
The volunteer will be housed in a flat with another EVS volunteer(s), flatmate(s) doing EVS service. Each volunteer will have separate room and they will share the kitchen and the toilet. The volunteer will have opportunity to cook in the apartment.
Insurance and safety of volunteers
CIGNA insurance for the volunteer will be done by the sending organizations. The volunteers will be required to: respect common safety, office rules, respect their work tasks and working hours, report the reasons of their absence ahead or (in unpredictable cases), avoid the use of alcohol and/or drugs before and during their presence at workplaces and premises of the receiving organization, its partners or other cooperating institutions. YMCA Bitola will undertake all necessary measures to avoid or stop any activities which will endanger the safety of the volunteer.
Costs
Volunteer will be reimbursed for the travel costs according the Erasmus+ guidelines. Each month the volunteers will be given the compensation amount of nutrition and 60 eur as volunteer allowance. Local transport will be secured by providing the volunteer a bicycle. The volunteer will receive a cell phone number on a Macedonian mobile operator that will allow easier communication with the receiving organization, mentor, coordinator and other colleagues.
Visa
The volunteers will need to apply for visa. They will be supported by the sending organizations. We as hosting organization will provide all necessary documents that the embassy will require in order the volunteer to get visa.
Work hours and work environment
There will be 30 work hours a week. The volunteer will usually have weekends off. If take part in activities during the weekend, will have extra time off at another time. For each month of the EVS service, volunteer can have 2 days off. Free time can be used to relax and to explore Macedonia. The main EVS activities will take place directly within our organization space, or outside for field work on a projects. EVS volunteers are expected to participate in the regular volunteer and staff meetings.
About YMCA Bitola
YMCA Bitola is a non-profit, nongovernmental, nonreligious and an inclusive youthassociation which aims to provide opportunities for local youth and to actively work withthem in our community. YMCA Macedonia is part of the YMCA family spread throughout 119 countries worldwide reaching over 58 million people.YMCA Bitola was established in May 2002.
The main goal of the Association is to provide activities and opportunities in the fields of non-formal education, promoting healthy lifestyles, arts and culture, and civil society that develop positive values and attitudes among young people.
We welcome all people with a focus on youth.
MOTTO: Empowering youth!
We focus on activities of public interest: non-formal education, culture and art, healthylifestyle, civil society and children's rights. We accomplish our activities through: trainings, seminars, workshops, camps, festivals, international study visits and other activities. We work on both local and international levels. Check out our activities here: www.ymcabitola.org.mk/activities
Website: www.ymcabitola.org.mk
Location: Bitola, Municipality of Bitola, Macedonia (FYROM)
Facebook: facebook.com/ymcabitola.org.mk/
Twitter: @YMCAbitola
About the city
About city of Bitola Macedonia’s second biggest city Bitola is a grand old town that still bears the marks of its turn-of- the-century importance being a center for diplomacy. At the same time it exemplifies the country’s time-honored coffee culture where people take regular daybreaks and head off to one of the numerous Bitola cafés chat and catch-up. The many cafés lining the city’s pedestrian main street (the Shirok Sokak) provide endless see-and be-seen opportunities for Bitola’s fashionable youth.
The stately old architecture of Bitola goes back to more than a century ago when the town was a center for international diplomats to the Ottoman administration, superseding Skopje and becoming known far and wide as the “city of the consuls.” Even today, some of the faded elegance of that bygone time can be seen in the neoclassical facades of downtown buildings; old gentlemen would converse in Bitola’s parks, all dressed up in their finest Sunday suits wearing hats. Having a population of 100,000 residents, Bitola has all the characteristics of modern life: hotels, cultural events, and nightlife. At the sametime, its proud and patriotic people are devoted to passing on the Macedonian cultural heritage. In addition to the celebrated Bitola Theater, the city has over 500 traditional songs dedicated to it.
Bitola’s beginnings date from the 4th c. B.C when the town was founded by Philip the Second of Macedonia naming it Heraclea Lyncestis. It was abusy town during Roman times and continued togrow until it was unfortunately destroyed by an earthquake in 518 A.D. Migrating Slavs settled in Bitola and its region from the north later that century. The outcome of this settlement is the direct descendent of modern-day Bitola. During Byzantine times Bitola languished somewhat, eclipsed by powerful Ohrid from the west. Bitola recovered its lost regional importance when the Turks came to the rule in the 14th century. Once the Ottoman Empire became more advanced, Bitola (known as Manastir back then) became a regional administrative center and was nicknamed “city of the consuls” in reference to the 12 European countries that maintained consulatesthere. Up to the point of the outbreak of the First World War and the subsequent division of Macedonia, Bitola’s influence was felt southward. It was second in size and importance only to Thessalonica and served as a diplomatic, commercial and cultural center for the Macedonian people.
For more about Bitola visit the link: http://bitolatourist.info/welcome-to-bitola