Bulgaria – Community building, ecology and education for change

Country: Bulgaria
Location: Shipka
Our partner is looking for 1 ESC volunteer from the Czech Republic.
NAME OF THE COORDINATING ORGANIZATION: Open Mind  
DATES: 52 weeks from the period: February 2020 – February 2021; or from 1st June 2020 to 31st May 2021
DURATION: 12 months

Project Description

Through the project implementation we want to create better-living conditions in the small towns, providing access to better education, non-formal education and youth work, availability of information related to ecological issues and ways to reduce the ecological footprint on the local level, access to cultural events with European level quality, alongside with preservation of the skills, traditions and customs of the local community. Enriching the local cultural life, the project will also create opportunities for new jobs, attract new people to visit and live in the town of Shipka. The project also has the ambition to create a model, which could be implemented in other small towns. The project also assists in improving the skills and capacity of the participating organisations to organize events, community work, ecological education and cooperation. The personal and professional development of the young people involved (volunteers and local people) is assisted through the project through the development of European self-consciousness in the volunteers, young people and the other target groups. The aim of the project is through volunteer work, solidarity and community work to create change for better care for the environment, people and sharing the surplus.
The concrete planned results are weekly events with children and youth, monthly film projections, art gallery and museum events, organized craftsmen workshops, educational activities, online an printed content for the Shipka Ethnographic museum, the Shipka Art Gallery, authentic crafts, educational route and proposed protected territory „On the footsteps of Felix Vogely“, upgraded content of the web sites www.shipka.info and www.omind.org, educational campaign for reduction of waste, created network of organisations working on reduction of waste, reduction of the quantity of waste in Shipka, creation of new demonstration zone in the green parts of the town and improved outlook of the existing demonstration gardens, complimentary events aimed at making the place and project results more visible, sharing the skills of the local community and enriching the local cultural life.

Tasks of the Volunteer

The project activities are divided into two main circles:

• Activity A1 – Ecology and Education
• Activity A2 – Culture and Local Development. In the framework of these are included the organization of cultural, educational and environmental events aimed at the different project target groups:
  • children, young people and people over 21 years

The activities are organized in a way that initially the volunteers acquire the necessary skills through training, and then apply what has been learned in their work with the community. The activities include training and application of alternative educational methods in youth work, activities aimed at the development, maintenance and publicizing the educational trail „Ïn the footsteps of Felix Vogely“, organisation of walks and lectures in foreign language focused on the ecosystem benefits of the forest, activities for building a network of local, national and international organisations for running an educational campaign for reduction of the ecological footprint, separation of waste, activities related to reduction of waste, activities aimed at development and maintenance of demonstration permaculture gardens, organisation of weekly events for young people on the project topics, presented with the help of music and arts, provision of information on EU programs for youth, monthly cinema projections of European and Bulgarian films, development of the educational game „Discover wealth“ as a tool for social entrepreneurship, creative presentation of the museum objects in an online environment, creation of educational programs and events aimed at creating interest towards the museum through tourism with participation, learning authentic crafts such as soap making, embroidery, loom work, rose oil making, assistance to the organisation of funding campaign for the rebuilding of the old community centre building, creation of online content and work with social networks for making public the project activities in related web.

Profile of the Volunteer

The project involves 5 volunteers from Germany, France, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Spain, people with diverse backgrounds, skills and interests related to environmental protection, working with young people, education, culture and arts, foreign languages, computer skills and others.

More information here.

How to Apply

If you are interested, send your CV and motivation letter to tabasa@gmail.com and put evs@inexsda.cz in a copy.