Location: Katowice, Poland

Duration: 12 months

Mobility Period: September 2020 – August 2021

Deadline: OPEN

Bona Fides Association is looking for volunteers from All EU COUNTRIES to participate in the polish project “Solidar ciak” to spread Tolerance in Katowice, involving work with the local community, spreading solidarity and tolerance among the Polish people. In order to apply, please fill in the application form send us your CV and to the following emails: iryna@bonafides.pl, mariachiara@bonafides.pl

Application form: https://forms.gle/LpgZqs6HzXUhvRyB7

Objectives of the project

  • Spread solidarity, tolerance and equality, widen Polish people’s horizons;
  • Create an inclusive community in Katowice and in the Silesian region;
  • Encourage a positive acceptance of the growing multiculturality of Polish society;
  • Increase the freedom of expression of foreigners resident in Poland;
  • Fight against the Polish latent social attitudes which result in an underestimation of the seriousness of issues of intolerance and discrimination and of the need for corrective action;
  • Raise a public opinion asking for a higher attention of public institutions and bodies towards cases of racial hatred still rarely investigated and prosecuted and for the extension of the concept of
    discrimination in Poland;

Description of the activities

To reach our long and short-term-objectives we’d like to involve our volunteers in several activities to promote solidarity and tolerance by operating directly with locals and foreigners (especially youngsters) living in Katowice and nearby cities. Some of the activities they will develop are:

  • Prepare a series of questions for foreigners about their life in the city, and a series of questions addressed to Polish people asking to give a definition of concepts like “tolerance”, “solidarity”;
  • Carry out interviews with local foreigners and Polish locals;
  • Collect information gathered through the interviews to Polish and foreign people and write articles in English that will be published on Facebook;
  • Organize and run workshops for locals, especially for youngsters in schools, universities, youth centres;
  • Create a series of sessions aimed to show short videos and scatches about topics like solidarity, agreement, equality, harmony, tolerance… made by our ESC volunteers with the involvement of local people sharing our vision;
  • Create an open space of culture sharing through a two-weeks basis “Discussion Club” run by our ESC volunteers;
  • Organize a big event to gather foreigners coming from several communities (eg. connected with sport, or music such a Flashmob) as an occasion to foster unity of communities in Katowice;
  • Teach their native language to locals by weekly lessons;
  • Make country presentations about their cultures;
  • Make ESC presentations to spread Erasmus+ and solidarity;

Profile of the volunteer

We are looking for active and motivated volunteers:

  • Between 18 and 30 years old;
  • Open-minded and interested in multicultural environments, willing to improve the life conditions of themselves and the people who are surrounding;
  • Competences like creativity and social media management will be taken into consideration;
  • Not required skills at Polish language but it will be considered the willingness of the participants to learn and develop;

Practical details (participants, food, accommodation…)
The accommodation is provided for each participant, who will share a flat with one or two more people.
They are located in Katowice, modern and developed multicultural city in the Silesian region, southern Poland. A lively city full of events and entertainment possibilities, and job opportunities, especially for foreigners.
The flats are well equipped will all the necessary for the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Free Wi-Fi in the flats and in the office will also be provided. All the expenses (gas, water, electricity) are also covered by the organisation. 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 office, which is comfortably located in the very centre of the city, and also to move freely all around the city, and in case of the mobility out of the city due to their tasks, the travel expenses are covered.
The volunteers will receive monthly money for food and pocket money in the Polish currency (they will 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.

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