StowarzKatowiceyszenie BONA FIDES, Associazione Culturale ArciStrauss from Italy, and the organization Asociación “Building Bridges” from Spain are looking for 4 young volunteers aged 17-30 from Spain and Italy to take part in the project “Welcome to Silesia’s Expats: Integration Support and Opportunity Identification for foreigners”.

If interested, please fill the Application Form in English, and send it with your CV to Mariachiara Barra: mariachiara@bonafides.pl

Application Deadline: 30/01/2019

Receiving organization: Stowarzyszenie BONA FIDES
Location: Katowice, Silesian Region, southern Poland

Duration: 12 months
Start: 13th March 2019
End:  11th March 2020
Placements: 4 volunteers (2 from Spain and 2 from Italy) wanted

Proposed activities: The number of foreiners, coming from all over the world to Katowice and to the Silesian region, is considerably increasing year after year. Foreigners
of all ages need help and support in the integration process into the local community and often ask for Bona Fides’ help. Here are the main activities:
1) Our EVS volunteers will monitor several offices like: – City Halls departments (employment department, offices of community care, residence office…) – Tax offices and Fiscal agencies – Universities – Banks – Public and private Medical Centres.

By monitoring these institutions, the volunteers will ask common questions that the foreigners generally have when moving to another country and try to obtain the following information: – which are the steps to legally move (temporaly or permanently) to Poland – which are the most important offices in which foreigners have to go for this bureaucratic path – how and where to register in the Polish territory (both procedures for EU and non-EU countries) – how and where to extend or renovate a VISA (for non-EU citizens) – which documents are required for registering, extending or obtaining a VISA – how to obtain the Polish citizenship (both procedures for EU and non-EU countries) – which are the advantages and disadvantages of changing citizenship – what to do in case of illness (both procedures for EU and non-EU countries) and which documents or tools are required to be cured in a hospital/medical centre – what to do in case of emergency – which are the job/study offers for foreigners in Katowice and in the Silesian region – how to open a bank account (and other info related with transfers and accounts connection).

They will check: – the English level of the employees – other languages level of the
employees – their availability and the knindness – at what extent they are able to answer their questions – the level of possible deviousness in the required procedures – the transparency and clarity of the bureaucracy – the cleaniness/quiteness of the place 2) As a result of this monitoring, we’d like to create an online information leaflet in English and, possibly, in our volunteers’ languages and others spoken by them. In this pamphlet, we’d
like to include all the information, in a very simple way, that can answer in a unique file all the questions that a foreigner can have when moving to Poland. This pamphlet will be published and officially spread in the city and region. Our monitoring will also be an incentive for them to fill the possible gaps in their administration. We believe their collaboration is essential.

Being an EVS voluntary project,one of the aims of it will be to encourage the intercultural exchanges between the volunteers and the local community, through a mutual interaction and exchange, so we have added the following activities to their program: a) Language lessons Run one language lesson per week (native or studied language) for the local community; b) EVS + Country presentations\events: The volunteers will prepare EVS and country presentations for the local community, open to people of all ages; c) Help organize events and initiatives at a local and regional level, especially cultural event to spread the volunteers’ culture in all their aspects; d) Silesia without barriers: supporting our staff with monitoring of public buildings for local disabled people e) Office duties: assist our workers with their daily activities related to documentation and support in receiving foreigners who need support for their integration into the local society; f) Collaboration with local institutions: work with local children, orphans, seniors, disabled people (organizing cultural event for them, games, entertainment and support); g) Collaboration
with local association founded by foreigners, to be closely in touch with foreigners’ life

Food\Accommodation\Transport arrangements:
The accommodation is provided for each participant, who will share a flat with another (or maximum with two more) volunteer of the same sex.
They are located in Katowice, modern and developped multicultural city in the Silesian region, southern Poland, a live city full of event and entertainment possibilities and even job opportunities, especially for foreigners.
The flats are well equiped will all the necessary for the kitchen, toilet and bedroom. Free Wi-Fi in the flats and in the office is available. All the expenses (gas, water, electicity) are covered by the RO. All the flats are close and well-connected to the city centre, and the volunteers will have a monthly ticket to be used to reach the Association, wich is comfortably located in the very centre of the city. The buses to reach the flats are several and at any time, including the night time.
The volunteers will be given a monthly ticket paid by the Receiving Organization to be free to move all around the city, and in case of transfert due to their tasks, the travel expenses are covered.
The volunteers will receive a monthly money for food (100EUR) and pocket money (85 EUR) for their free time in the Polish currency (they’ll open a Polish bank account to make it easier to make transfers).

The travel costs from their country to Poland and vice versa at the beginning and at the end of the project are fully covered.

Recruitment process:
The project participant wanted will be active, flexible, motivated, creative and  interested in active participation and self-involvement. We are looking for 2 Italian and 2 Spanish youngsters who are interested in the foreigners’ voice, needs and rights, in improving the quality of the local and regional services and in promoting tourism.
We are open to any person who wants to put him\herself out there, who is ready to face new challenges and gain new skills, by leaving an unforgettable experience abroad. The profile of the volunteer shall have the following characteristics:
– Keen interest in the contents of the project;
– Real motivation for the experience;
– Willingness to live and work in a multicultural environment;
– Will to strengthen his/her abilities to move towards future opportunities;
– Sense of responsibility towards people and things and respect for the work of others.
Particular qualifications, titles or experiences are not required.

The selection process will be based on three fundamental criteria: a good motivation letter (application form) not only justifying the interest on the project but in the values that the Erasmus + Programme contributes, a curriculum vitae in English, with a photograph to be sent to Mariachiara Barra, EVS coordinator in the Bona Fides Association (mariachiara@bonafides.pl), no later than 31.12.2018.
To ensure that the project meets the background and needs of the candidates, we will ask them also to fill in a questionnaire (to download from attachment) about themselves as well as the activities and kinds of projects they are interested in. After the pre-selection, the receiving organisation will contact the volunteers through e-mail or skype to inform them about the activities, the practical arrangements, the city they will be living, answer the questions of the volunteers, listen to their ideas and proposals. Later, the final selection is made and the results are announced to the interested parties.

Find something more about volunteering in Bona Fides here: https://www.facebook.com/evskatowice/.