SHORT TERM GROUP VOLUNTEERING IN GREECE

PiNA is looking for 4 candidates for an European solidarity corps (ESC) group volunteering activity in Greece in 2023. The participants can choose to join one of the projects described below.

Type of activity: Volunteer Teams (20 volunteers)
Duration: 2 months
Location: Greece

VOLUNTEER TEAMS PROJECTS

Each project will involve 20 volunteers from different EU and non-EU countries and will be supported by the organization United Societies of Balkans and partner organizations in Greece. United Societies of Balkans will guarantee safety and support for the participation of young people with fewer opportunities as it has been coordinating dozens of programs and has extensive experience in working with and for people from socially vulnerable groups.

Through the projects the volunteers in cooperation with the youth of the local community will contribute to create and maintain a space of free expression and communication among young people, always within the context of the subjects, the principles and the goals of the ESC Programme.

Participants can choose between the following projects and periods of time:

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A – PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE 

This volunteering activity will be implemented in the context of preserving tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Volunteers will need to organize events with music, traditional food recipes and traditional dances from the countries of the volunteers involved, create outputs such as videos, photo galleries or articles related to migrations and cultural heritage.

Volunteers’ interests need to include one of the following topics: 

history and research, social media content production, video making, photography and/or writing.

Project dates:

• 3. maj – 1. julij 2023; Stratoni, Halkidiki, Greece (more information HERE)
• 30. maj – 28. julij 2023; Thessaloniki, Greece (more information HERE)

B – MEDITERRANEAN DIET – HEALTH, SPORTS, WELLBEING

The group of volunteers will get to know better the Mediterranean traditions, regarding way of living, food, local products and folklore to get in touch with the Greek cultural heritage as well as dedicating time to the promotion of local food production and organisation of sporting events open to all, in collaboration with the local community.

Volunteers will participate in physically demanding activities, such as painting sidewalks and local buildings, to help improve the village’s spaces.

Volunteers’ interests preferably need to include:

sport, health, nutrition, willing to spend time outdoors, video making, photography and/or writing.

Project dates:

• 5. julij – 2. september 2023; Stratoni, Halkidiki, Greece (more information HERE)
• 5. julij – 2. september 2023; Arnaia, Halkidiki, Greece (more information HERE)

C – WORK WITH THE ROMA COMMUNITY AND CHILDREN 

The volunteers will work side by side with the Roma community of Thessaloniki, an ethnic minority present for hundreds of years in Greek territory but which has suffered cultural and religious discrimination, to promote their cultural heritage and foster their inclusion.

Volunteers’ interests need to include one of the following topics: 

social media management, teaching, working with children, video making, photography and/or writing.

Project dates:

• 1. avgust – 29. september 2023; Thessaloniki, Greece (more information HERE)

ABOUT THE HOST ORGANISATION

United Societies of Balkans (U.S.B.) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Thessaloniki, Greece, working in the field of youth mobility, participation and promoting youth awareness of social issues. It was founded in 2008 by the initiative of a group of active young people who wanted to address the social issues which affect the youngsters in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

The goal of the organisation is the promotion of youth mobility, youth involvement and participation, voluntarism and human rights.

They make it through:

• Promoting the values of non formal learning, voluntarism, active citizenship and democracy for the creation of a better future for the European youth;
• Involving minorities and immigrants into youth activities;
• Building healthy cooperation bridges between countries in the area of the Balkans and Eastern Europe with the rest of Europe;
• Using New Media and Citizens’ Journalism methodologies to encourage youth expression, to raise awareness of Human Rights and to promote intercultural dialogue;
• Utilizing arts as a tool for the cultivation and expression of youth;
• Breaking down prejudices and stereotypes among European countries and amongst youth.

Curious for more? Follow U.S.B. on social media:

Website: www.usbngo.gr
Facebook: facebook.com/usbngo/
Twitter: twitter.com/usbngo
Instagram: usb_ngo

ACCOMMODATION, FOOD AND TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS

Each volunteer will: 

• receive three meals per day through a catering service that prepares the food according to their preferences and allergies;
• receive monthly pocket money 5 € per day;
• be registered for the ESC insurance scheme Henner; 
• receive a contribution to the travel costs (the amount will be calculated based on the travel distance of the volunteer);
• be accommodated in a fully equipped building. Each volunteer will share their room with one or three more people of the same gender.

TRAINING DURING THE ACTIVITY

The participants will participate in the daily activities volunteering 6 hours daily from Monday to Friday. It might be possible that the participants will be asked to work on weekends in case specific events are going to be organized. In that case volunteers will have extra free days within the week.

During the volunteer experience, volunteers will:

• receive a task related mentor; 
• receive the Youthpass certificate, the official recognition tool for non-formal & informal learning in youth projects.

European Solidarity Corps volunteers will have the support of a coordinator (somebody in the hosting organization) and mentor (a friend to talk to outside of the hosting organization). 

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

The selection of the participants is mostly based on their motivation and personal interest in the topics of the project. Our ideal volunteer candidate is an open minded person willing to learn, to improve her/himself and to help other people. It is important to be ready to work in a team and to share daily life with people from different backgrounds. It is not necessary to have previous technical knowledge of multimedia. Although it is not required to have a high level of English, the volunteers need to have at least a basic knowledge of the language for their everyday communication with international and local people but also for their safety.

WHO CAN APPLY

The call is open to young people aged 18-30 from Slovenia.

Important information: 

The program is Volunteer Teams and doesn’t exclude you from the participation in individual ESC long term or short term projects in the future.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Fill in the online application form-, with attached your CV (name the file: name_surname_CV).

Deadline for application is 14th April 2023. 

If you have a question, please contact us on terminal@pina.si.