Volunteering in North Macedonia  Location: Skopje, Macedonia Deadline: As soon as possible Duration: 12 months Mobility period: September 2021 - August 2022  Bona Fides is looking for 1 POLISH volunteer to join our ESC project  "Giving VOICES to the youth” in Skopje, Macedonia, in order to work with VOICES magazine for youth and local community.

Bona Fides Association and Association ”Volunteers Centre Skopje” are looking for 2 volunteers from Poland or residents to join our European Solidarity Corps project “Giving VOICES to the youth” in Skopje, Macedonia in order to work with VOICES magazine for youth and local community.

To apply please send your Curriculum Vitae and motivation letter to the following emails: mariachiara@bonafides.pl and anna@bonafides.pl. Please write in the title “ESC in Skopje, Macedonia”.

  • Location: Skopje, Macedonia
  • Deadline: As soon as possible
  • Duration: 12 months
  • Mobility period: September 2021 – August 2022

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

People do not fully understand what are the benefits and aims of doing voluntary work and young people do not feel motivated enough to involve themselves in voluntary activities. Volunteers Centre Skopje created project “Voices”, a monthly magazine for young people from Macedonia and the world and workshops with youth with the following objectives:
• To provide young people with information about voluntarism in general and Erasmus + Programme as well as about the European Solidarity Corps in particular
• To turn the attention of the young people to the issues, which are not generally discussed in public or in mass media: environment, gender equality, educational opportunities, discrimination, disability
and others.
• To inform about and discuss the variety of interesting topics that are related to young people in Macedonia.
• To bring together young people from different cultural and ethnical backgrounds and to give them positive teamwork experience.
It is also important to remark that VOICES magazine is issued in three languages – in English and in both official languages of Macedonia: Macedonian and Albanian. Thus the project team consists of not only international volunteers but also young Macedonians and Albanians.

TASKS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE VOLUNTEER

To research informative needs and actualities of young people in Macedonia.

  • To be in charge of main ongoing events which are happening in the youth area and non-formal education field and to make reports about these events.
  • To inform about different European mobility and educational programs.
  • To assist in designing of the papers, taking pictures and preparing illustrations for their articles.
  • To cooperate with the local community and participate in their projects, communicate with other organizations, searching for the new local volunteers and take part in host organization activities.
  • To be responsible to release the magazine once per month in Albanian, Macedonian and English language and coordinate the translations of articles.
  • To assist in delivering the papers in the universities, cafes, libraries and dormitories.
  • In cooperation with staff workers to develop and write internet blog version of VOICES.
  • To prepare news articles concerning the project and other activities of the volunteers for the websites of hosting and sending organizations.
  • Upon their interests and knowledge volunteers can work with children and youngsters with fewer opportunities (street children, career centers, children without parental care, children and youngsters from ethnical groups facing discrimination and social exclusion and youngsters from rural and border areas) and plan and organize workshops that aim to develop artistic and creative skills or foreign language knowledge.

 VOLUNTEER’S PROFILE

We are looking for Polish people or residents in Poland aged 18-30 who are motivated to join this project and interested in its scope of work.

ACCOMMODATION AND OTHER ARRANGEMENTS

TRAVEL

The volunteers’ travel will be reimbursed according to the Erasmus+ distance calculator. Bona Fides will support them in planning their trip or buy the tickets for them, if necessary.

ACCOMMODATION

VCS will take care of the volunteers’ accommodation. The volunteers will be hosted in one of their flats. Both of them are in Kisela Voda, really close to the office. In the first one, there are 3 rooms, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen with living room and 2 balconies. In another one, there are 5 rooms, 1 living room, 2 bathrooms and 1 balcony. It’s close to markets Vero and Maxi D and lots of commodities. Flats are located at 15 min walk from the city centre. The volunteers will share kitchen and other facilities with other ESC volunteers. In the flat, you can find all the necessary stuff as kitchen supplies, blankets, bedclothes, towels, etc. The Wi-Fi internet is available in the flats as well.

INSURANCE

Bona Fides will enrol the volunteers in the Cigna insurance scheme for European Solidarity Corps.

VISA

The volunteers will stay longer than 3 months in Macedonia, therefore it is obligatory to regulate their stay and to apply for a residence permit and ID for foreigners in Macedonia. For this procedure, we will need preparation of documents to get the entry visa and the residence permit.

MENTORING

The mentor will help to arrange practical things during the volunteers’ stay in Skopje. During the first days, he/she will take them around the city, show the most important and interesting places. During the whole project, the mentor will help with practical arrangements and other issues. The volunteers will have regular meetings with their mentor and share with him/her their expectations and their issues or problems if they will encounter any. The mentor will be another person who will try to make the volunteers’ experience the best possible.