Polónia

2231

Data de início: 01-05-2013

Data de fim: 01-02-2014

Vagas: 1

Duração: 9 mes(es)

Data limite de candidatura: 01-01-2013

Financiamento: Candidatura

Subsídio mensal (Dinheiro de bolso): 85 €

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Resumo: The volunteer will work with Chechens, who belong to the family of Caucasian nations; their language originates from Caucasian group as well, but they also use Russian in their everyday communication. Their religion is Muslim, the social roles of men and women are clearly divided.

Generally, the residents of the Centre are families with many children (approximately the half of the residents constitute children). During the process of applying for the refugee status the aliens cannot work. As a result they are passive. Not many Chechens participate in the Polish language course, which is free of charge. The children and the youth are more interested in taking part in classes. Extra activities for children and teenagers are really demanded in the centre.

According the UNHCR children-refugees are the most exposed to the pain group of children in the world. Although they constitute the half of all refugees - their rights both as the refugees and children are often depreciated. [...] they need help to recover a sense of security and to rebuild their lives. They can do so by taking part in social life, enjoying games, having fun and learning. There are some activities for children, usually run by Chechen mothers.

There are also paid social workers, whose taks are mainly administrative, but who also try to support all kinds of initiatives and events held in the centre. However, they cannot afford to spend their time planning and running activities for children or teenagers. Thus, there's a great need for assistance in preparing activities, games and looking after the children.

Czerwony Bor is beautifully located, surrounded with a forest, unlike other refugee centres, located in towns. It is situated 70 km from Bialystok, which is the biggest town of the north-eastern Poland.

For ages Bialystok has been the place where people from different cultures, religions and nationalities live together. Now it is an administrative, economical, educational and cultural centre of the region. In the suroundings of the town there are many national parks and beautiful landscapes.

Despite the Centre's beautiful location, the volunteers might feel separated from the cultural and social life. Staying in the Centre all the time might have a negative influence on their motivation and general well being. Thus, the coordinator suggests that they spend 3 days in Czerwony Bor Centre and the remaing part of the week in Bialystok, where, apart from training and meetings with the coordinator and other volunteers, they would enjoy social and cultural life, have fun, meet people and integrate with the Polish society. Apart from these, they will be welcome to work for the Centre, which is located in the Foundation. This Centre helps not only asylum seekers living in the refugee centres but also the refugee families who have received the refugee status and are currently living outside the refugee centres. They have to begin new lives in Polish reality and integrate with the society, find jobs, make friends, etc. The volunteers can help prepare the integration policy, carry out integration activities, e.g. language courses for children or adults. They will also have the possibility of learning how to prepare projects and applications for funds. Throughout the project, they will be accomodated in a flat near the Czerwony Bór Centre, and they will be offered another for of accomodation in Bialystok.

The volunteer will be obliged to respect the Center's rules. The host organisation together with the coordinating organization will provide special training teaching the volunteers how to avoid the problems and to be careful dealing with the refugees.

Chechenyan culture is different from the European one and the volunteers should be fully aware of this fact. The volunteers should bear in mind also that the refugees is a very specific group of people that have experienced traumatic things in the past and are also currently under constant stress, so they should be treated with special sensitiveness. In case of any doubts the volunteers should always consult the workers of the Centre or their coordinator on what to do in a specific situation.

Perfil: Volunteers can be of any gender and any background. The most important thing is that they are highly motivated, creative, responsible, communicative and tolerant towards different cultures. No previous experience, knowledge and skills are required for carrying out the tasks of the project activities. However, personal interest in work with children and youth (especially coming from different cultures) might be perceived as an advantage.

We are open to cooperate with all kind of candidates (and sending organizations) for this project. To apply for our project the volunteer should send us his/her CV and motivation letter. It would be nice to receive also a picture, but this is, by no way, a demand. Usually before making the final decision about the candidates, we make also small phone-interviews with the candidates that might suit the project most.

Tarefas: The volunteers in the Centre will have a chance to learn Polish culture and language, but also a culture of an unknown in Western Europe country -Chechnya. The volunteers will gain skills working with refugee children and youth, who suffered from traumatic experience in the past and who often find it difficult to adapt in a new environment. The volunteers will learn how to organize the free time of the aliens by using various informal and formal learning methods, and make their stay in the Centre more enjoyable and cheerful. The volunteers' tasks will include activating the aliens by organising special activities, promoting their initiatives and encouraging them to integrate with the local society.

The volunteers' duties will include: cooperating with Chechen mothers running the kingergarten, organising excursions, performances, art classes, sport trainings and competitions, winter holidays and other attractions, if possible, helping students in doing homeworks. An important task of the volunteers will include also cooperation with the local non-governmental organisations and schools, which will be aimed to introduce the Chechen community to the local society by showing them the Chechen culture, explaining their history and telling on a general level how difficult and traumatic it is to leave the home country and to come a refugee. To make Polish youth aware of the refugee situation they will use the UNHCR educational took - "Passages" simulation game, which they will be trained in running. To break the stereotypes and hidden fear, the volunteers should put a special emphasis on establishing good relationship between the Chechen and the Polish youth by organizing common events and projects for them. Part of the activities of the volunteers might be also organizing events (national evenings, film shows, teaching of national dances songs etc.,) which introduce their own culture to the refugees and thus showing how people in the other European countries live. The volunteers will be also obliged to learn Polish.
Hosting the volunteers in the Centre will be a valuable and enriching experience for both sides - the volunteers and the Centre. The activities organized by the volunteers will help the Chechen youth to organize their free time, develop and get integrated in the local community. The volunteers will help the aliens to understand the European culture better and that will help them to integrate in the other European countries in the future. It is important to show the refugees European culture in which they will exist. Through the work together with the Chechen youth, the volunteers will have a chance to teach them that it pays off to be active and realive their own ideas. They will learn a lot about working with children, preparing games, activities and lessons. They will also learn how to prepare special events and plan their timetables.

By doing the tasks, the volunteers will be provided with help and consulted by the specialists from the Centre that have long experience working with Chechen people. On the way, they will be constantly assisted by the coordinator working closely with the centre. In the Centre they will learn how to design integration projects, teach languages and organize integration activities. They will undergo also preparatory training that would help them to prepare for their work and realize the specifics working with refugees.

Documentação: CV + Carta de Motivação em inglês