Let's Tessellate
Start date: Aug 1, 2015,
End date: Feb 28, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
This EVS project is called “Let’s Tesselate” cause, after years of being involved in EVS, we saw that one of the most enriching thing for the volunteers and the staff involved, is the mix of different cultures. Each year volunteers become more adult and responsible, they gain and develop new skills, they understand each other without speaking the same language, destroying cultural and language differences.
All our 13 volunteers are working in kindergartens and schools. Often for the kids and youth of these placements, they are the first life example of a foreign culture, language and tradition. We believe that this contact is really important for the further development of their tolerance and open-mindedness. Contact and selection of the volunteers earlier than their arrival, gives us the possibility to match their skills and wish of learning with the right EVS placement.
The system of work presented in this application is the outcome of years of experience and constant adjusting to volunteers’ needs and making project as open for them as possible.
All 13 volunteers from Programme Countries will work with children and youth. Their work will be focused on two main levels: first is support for the existing activities.
Volunteers are invited to join the daily life of the HOs, to add international contribution to tasks that are organised with children.
Second level is creating their own projects. There is a wide variety on possibilities - from dancing, outdoor activities, handy work, painting, singing, theatre plays and more sophisticated workshops. All volunteers can realize themselves according to their abilities and wishes. Based on previous years, CO and HOs can also propose some ideas for the volunteers - especially at the beginning when they can feel lost.
Aside from work in HO, we often invite the volunteers to join us when STRIM organizes promotional EVS and E+ meetings: they play an active role showing their experience right in the moment they’re living it. We believe that preparing these presentations for Polish youth will make EU projects and EU values better known, eventually increasing in future the wish of taking part in formal and non-formal education trainings.
Since December 2014 we collaborate with a Cracovian radio. Our auditions are in English and they speak about E+ projects and values, with most attention for EVS, one of the main activities of STRIM association. The presence of the volunteers is fundamental cause we always invite them to tell their stories. Having a program inside a radio, we can spread the topics we want to talk about to the Radio Pryzmat listeners, making E+, EVS and EU values known.
The main objective of the project is promoting inter-culturality for kids, youth, staff and volunteers. By daily contact with different culture young Polish people can have better bases for further development of tolerance. We hope that this contact will result in increase of interest for EU issues, new languages and people from different cultures.