CALL for VOLUNTEERS: EVS short TERM project /01 May – 30 June 2015/ Ostritsa village, Ruse District, BULGARIA CALL for EVS volunteers from BELGIUM, CROATIA, GREAT BRITAIN and SPAIN Short Term EVS Project in BULGARIA YOUNG SUSTAINOPRENEURS: Active Citizenship through Wind and Sunshine Application Deadline: 01 th of February 2015 Start: 01/05/2015 End: 30/06/2015 Institute for Creative Civil Strategies ICCS search for volunteers for EVS SHORT-TERM group EVS project (1th of May – 30th of June 2015) Location: Village of Ostritsa, Bulgaria About the Project YOUNG SUSTAINOPRENEURS: Active Citizenship through Wind and Sunshine: is a short-term EVS project designed for two (2) months and it will be implemented in OSTRITSA village in the rural context of Natural Park Rusenski lom. This project will host sixteen (16) volunteers from four (4) different EU countries: Belgium, Croatia Great Britain, and Spain. The short term EVS volunteers will take a part in eco-building activities of small center non formal educational projects in the village of Ostritsa (North Eastern Bulgaria). The educational center will work as a showcase example for an off- grid ecological settlement, built out of natural materials with minimum carbon footprint. During the short term EVS project, volunteering will be the method whereby young people learn new skills while they contribute their time and effort to support local community. Participation in the development of the settlement will provide volunteers with knowledge and practical skills in eco-building, renewable energy resources and will introduce them to the practical challenges of combining them, developing a fully off-grid establishment. The project will be implemented under the supervision of experienced supervisors and in active collaboration with Bulgarian students in architecture interested in sustainable way of living that already had built one small eco buildings as showcase example, in the frame of Youth in Action international youth exchange. The volunteers will work 35-40 hours per week having two days free of activities. The volunteers accommodation will be provided by the host organization. The volunteers will live in shared rooms /2 volunteers in a room/ in rented houses in the village. Each volunteer will receive 70 Euro pocket money monthly amount. During the activities each volunteer will have tree meal per day. For their free days each volunteer will receive 35 Euro monthly food amount. PROJECT AIMS The project aims to raise awareness on sustainable living and other environmental subject involving young volunteers in the eco-building activities of the building of small youth educational center. The project is designed also to encourage young people from different backgrounds and with very different skill levels to participate in international projects emphasizing the development of the volunteers “soft” skills, attitudes and personal growth. Being based on learning by doing approaches the EVS project will provide young people with an opportunity to gain new practical skills. The center developed within the volunteer training program will serve as an informational center on youth and environmental issues in which we will carry out educational and consulting services in the field of environmental studies, permaculture, eco-building, off-grid developments and renewable energy sources for youth groups and training programs for volunteers in the field of Environment, Sense of Entrepreneurship, Urban/rural Development, European Awareness, Art and Culture and others.
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CALL for VOLUNTEERS: EVS short TERM project /01 May – 30 June 2015/ Ostritsa village, Ruse District, BULGARIA
CALL for EVS volunteers from BELGIUM, CROATIA, GREAT BRITAIN and SPAIN
Short Term EVS Project in BULGARIA
YOUNG SUSTAINOPRENEURS: Active Citizenship through Wind and Sunshine
Application Deadline: 01th of February 2015 Start: 01/05/2015 End: 30/06/2015
Institute for Creative Civil Strategies ICCS search for volunteers for EVS SHORT-TERM group EVS project (1th of May – 30th of June 2015) Location: Village of Ostritsa, Bulgaria
About the Project
YOUNG SUSTAINOPRENEURS: Active Citizenship through Wind and Sunshine: is a short-term EVS project designed for
two (2) months and it will be implemented in OSTRITSA village in the rural context of Natural Park Rusenski lom. This
project will host sixteen (16) volunteers from four (4) different EU countries: Belgium, Croatia Great Britain, and Spain.
The short term EVS volunteers will take a part in eco-building activities of small center non formal educational projects
in the village of Ostritsa (North Eastern Bulgaria). The educational center will work as a showcase example for an off-
grid ecological settlement, built out of natural materials with minimum carbon footprint.
During the short term EVS project, volunteering will be the method whereby young people learn new skills while they
contribute their time and effort to support local community. Participation in the development of the settlement will
provide volunteers with knowledge and practical skills in eco-building, renewable energy resources and will introduce
them to the practical challenges of combining them, developing a fully off-grid establishment.
The project will be implemented under the supervision of experienced supervisors and in active collaboration with
Bulgarian students in architecture interested in sustainable way of living that already had built one small eco buildings
as showcase example, in the frame of Youth in Action international youth exchange.
The volunteers will work 35-40 hours per week having two days free of activities. The volunteers accommodation will be
provided by the host organization. The volunteers will live in shared rooms /2 volunteers in a room/ in rented houses in
the village. Each volunteer will receive 70 Euro pocket money monthly amount. During the activities each volunteer will
have tree meal per day. For their free days each volunteer will receive 35 Euro monthly food amount.
PROJECT AIMS The project aims to raise awareness on sustainable living and other environmental subject involving young volunteers in
the eco-building activities of the building of small youth educational center. The project is designed also to encourage
young people from different backgrounds and with very different skill levels to participate in international projects
emphasizing the development of the volunteers “soft” skills, attitudes and personal growth. Being based on learning by
doing approaches the EVS project will provide young people with an opportunity to gain new practical skills.
The center developed within the volunteer training program will serve as an informational center on youth and
environmental issues in which we will carry out educational and consulting services in the field of environmental
studies, permaculture, eco-building, off-grid developments and renewable energy sources for youth groups and training
programs for volunteers in the field of Environment, Sense of Entrepreneurship, Urban/rural Development, European
CALL for VOLUNTEERS: EVS short TERM project /01 May – 30 June 2015/ Ostritsa village, Ruse District, BULGARIA
METHODOLOGY: All the above will be carried out through learning by doing (non formal and informal learning) via the
supervision and the guidance of ICCS team and experts in the particular activities.
EVS ACTIVITIES
The Short term EVS placement activities involved learning and using techniques in the field of eco-building, off-grid
developments, renewable energy sources and small permaculture garden. Special care will be taken to ensure the
learning dimension and the social component of the Short Term EVS programme
In sum the voluntary tasks during the EVS project could be described in the next points:
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES – To the volunteers will be presented several lectures and workshops that will introduce them the Natural park, the local bio diversity. – Volunteers will be involved in the specifics of natural building techniques wooden timber construction and straw-bale wall infill and how they combine with modern power supply technologies, such as solar panels and bio gas; – The participants will have visits to several different building sites in different stage and will have the opportunity to examine and approve their skills participating in the process; – The volunteers that are interested can attend also short training about basic decoupage skills – small objects or old furniture and other creative recycling techniques; – The training will also include practical activities in compost, creative recycling, biogas system and solar showers and lagoon waste water cleansing systems and water harvesting.
PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES in eco-building and renewable energy sources building. The volunteers will work: – together with local natural builders, students in architecture and with peers from different parts of the Europe; – Collecting natural materials from the area – river shells, river stones, old tree roots ect; – the volunteers will work on tasks related to natural building techniques (Timber construction; Clay plastering, Straw bale construction) as well as – Tasks related to temporary power supply during the training process similar to ancient technic for water distribution and construction of small biogas system;
TEAM-BUILDINGS ACTIVITIES - outings to scenic spots in the nearby tourist locations. Along with teaching fundamentals and practical skills in ecological construction the project will provide intercultural experience by meeting the volunteers with the local community and by introducing them to traditional building methods, Bulgarian cuisine and local traditions.
ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES: – Tasks related to logistics and assistance in the kitchen – More experienced volunteers will coordinate smaller voluntary groups working on different tasks assigned to each part of the voluntary technical and building project; – make evaluation and youth pass – participating in group discussions
CREATIVE ACTIVITIES: – Tasks related to photographing and documenting the development of the project; – Tasks related to developing a web-blog and/or making off movie or other visual/ printing material about the project; – Tasks related to interior design and decoration of the eco-buildings, build during the EVS project. – Decoupage and other types of creative recycling of old furniture, sewing activities
Some of the tasks will be sometimes physically hard so the volunteers will work I smaller groups on different
indoor and outdoor projects comparing their personal condition. The different groups tasks generally refers to the next
examples:
CALL for VOLUNTEERS: EVS short TERM project /01 May – 30 June 2015/ Ostritsa village, Ruse District, BULGARIA
CALL for VOLUNTEERS: EVS short TERM project /01 May – 30 June 2015/ Ostritsa village, Ruse District, BULGARIA
SELECTION PROCEDURE and CRITERIA
YOUNG SUSTAINOPRENEURS: Active Citizenship through Wind and Sunshine is EVS Short Term project designed as
non-formal intercultural learning experience aimed at young people with or without experience in travelling abroad.
The volunteers should be 18-30 years old; able to work as part of a team; passionate about the environment. We expect
the candidate volunteers to want to work mostly with their hands, and ready to live in intercultural context in a small
village in the Natural Park Rusenski Lom.
Experience with youth work camps or rural context are not required, but will increase the possibility of a positive
experience for the volunteer considerably. The EVS Short Term project targets young people with the following needs
and capacities:
- the volunteers should have wish to spend time in the rural area and to develop their social and organizational skills; -
The project is open to young people whose would like to develop in particular their: team work ability, creativity, self-
confidence and to increase their sense of initiative and employability.
- The volunteer have to be ready to offers their time and effort to the project in exchange for the chance to learn or
practice skills and take part in an intercultural work experience.
- We welcome youngsters whose live in isolated regions or in economically disadvantaged areas, youngsters from
immigrant cultures, early-school leavers, or those with social problems.
CALL for VOLUNTEERS: EVS short TERM project /01 May – 30 June 2015/ Ostritsa village, Ruse District, BULGARIA
- We find the proposed voluntary activities as relevant also to application of candidate volunteers interested in
environmental topics, interior design, sculpture, graffiti, handcrafts and architecture. If there are candidates with
previous experience and/or education /in field of sculpture, architecture, graffiti writhing ect./ that can be considered
as relevant to the project they are welcome to send also their portfolio;
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Interested volunteers have to send us a CV, a project related motivation letter and photo to
[email protected] before the 01th of February 2015. We won’t consider the applications sent after that date!
Project ENVIROMENT
OSTRITSA is a small village located in North-Central planing region of Bulgaria – a part of Dve mogili
municipality, Rousse district. The village is situated In the valley of the Rusenski Lom River, in north east Bulgaria,
45km away from Rousse. The village is close to the main regional cities - Veliko Tarnovo (80km) as well as the main
Bulgarian city on the Black See cost Varna (200km). Although the whole area around the natural park is largely
agricultural the village is 19 km away from the main road Rousse-Veliko Turnovo-Sofia and 130 km away from the
Romanian capital city Bucharest.
Ostritsa village is one of the dozen villages located in the Natural Park Rusenski Lom where the canyon of the rivers
Beli and Cherni Lom creates the valley of the Rusenski Lom River – the last right-side tributary of the Danube River.
The canyon-like relief of Rusenski Lom River is famous for its beautiful landscape. It is called “a mountain in the plain”
and it is known for its incredible diversity of orchids, birds, bats and butterflies. Rusenski Lom NATURAL PARK is
named after Rusenski Lom River. It’s is located 20 km south of Ruse, takes up a territory of 3408 hectares and has been
a protected area since 1970. Nowadays it is part of two Natura 2000 sites and an Important Bird Area with about 200
nesting bird species. The Park is a member of the DANUBEPARKS - Danube River NETWORK of Protected Areas
Nature Park “Rusenski lom” (No 6) on the map of DANUBEPARKS - Network Of Protected Areas
The World Wide Fund for Nature - WWF considers the vicinity of Rusenski Lom Nature Park as an area of high
conservation value because with its four rivers features unique nature, history and traditions. The combination of rocks,
forests, rivers, and caves with meadows is reason for the great biological diversity on the territory of the park.
