Bona Fides Association and Asociación ÁGORA CULTURAL are looking for Polish participants (18-30 yo) for a long-term ESC project at Centro Ocupacional Municipal de Requena in Valencia, Spain!
Place: Requena (Valencia), Spain
Dates: 12.05.2024 to 01.02.2025
Duration: 265 days
ÁGORA CULTURAL is the Coordinating Organisation taking care of the practical, follow-up, support and training arrangements during your VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITY project. On the other side, you will participate as volunteer within a Host Organisation, here in your case at the CENTRO OCUPACIONAL MUNICIPAL REQUENA (COM REQUENA) who will be in charge of all the issues referring your volunteer activities [holidays, tasks, schedule, follow-up, support, etc.].
As a very quick view, ÁGORA CULTURAL has nearly 20 years experience in the field of European Mobility Projects [ERASMUS+, EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS, NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL TRAININGS, STUDY & WORK INTERNSHIPS, etc.] acting as Coordinating Organisation. Among the different projects run, the VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITIES gets our utmost. We have been coordinating more than 500 host volunteering mobilities so far. It is very important for us that you enjoy this opportunity to live an immense and intense living and learning journey.
COM REQUENA is a Municipal Centre that cares for Adults with Intellectual Functional Diversity. Municipally owned and managed, it is financially financed by the Ministry of Social Welfare as well as by the Municipality of Requena. It has a maximum of 48 open places, although it currently serves 42 users with different support needs.
The main objective is to offer specialised care to people with Intellectual Functional Diversity so that they can have a life as normal as possible, in order to achieve their inclusion both in the workplace and in society. In this way, the aim is to achieve an improvement in the quality of life of people with Intellectual Functional Diversity and their families.
The people served reside in the different small towns belonging to Requena: Barrio Arroyo, Casas del Río, El Pontón, Los Isidros, Los Pedrones, Requena and San Antonio.
ROLES & TASKS
It is important to reiterate that all activities, in which you will provide your support and effort, will be carried out with the advice and under the supervision of the professional staff of the COM REQUENA.
Always under the supervision of professionals and depending on the different workshops/programs, your support may include accompaniment of users in outside activities (especially those with greater needs). In activities of leisure and free time and general activities, you will support professionals in monitor functions. You will work in both the preparation of the activities and the care of users with Intellectual Functional Diversity. Outdoor activities will be planned (camping, hiking, tourism, etc.) in which you will get involved in helping Monitors in all the activities developed. These outings will take place on weekends or holidays recovering after days of rest.
The content of the activities can be modified depending on the schedule of activities (in activities during the weekend). You will receive a monthly programming of your daily activities, which must be approved by the Responsible of the COM REQUENA.
In addition, you will have a space to develop your own projects and ideas and will receive support from both the Coordinating Organisation ÁGORA CULTURAL and COM REQUENA to set them up.
You will undertake support tasks focused on 3 areas:
OCCUPATIONAL AND JOB TRAINING AREA
It is about promoting therapeutic occupation with the aim of facilitating labor integration with own production workshops and subcontractors.
- Own production:
– Recycled paper workshops where the paper itself is made to create wedding, communions, Christmas cards, etc., as well as notebooks and bookmarks.
– Artisan pottery workshop, where bowls, pencil holders, medals and various ceramic products are made by hand.
– Soap and aromatherapy workshop, where various types of soaps and lip balms are made by hand, as well as scented plasters.
– Personalised gifts workshop, where products such as mugs, badges, magnets, key rings, etc. are made.
- Subcontracts:
– Trencadís workshop where mosaics are made with a defined theme, whose purpose is decorative production to later place them in the fishmonger/delicatessen/butcher sections of Mercadona supermarkets
– Manufacturing workshop for several Valencian companies
AUTONOMY AND PERSONAL AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT AREA
It is about facilitating social inclusion, promoting participation in the community and learning coexistence skills; as well as promoting personal autonomy, self-esteem and emotional balance.
– Program of physical sports activities
– Cognitive stimulation program
– Communication program
– Multi-sensory stimulation program
– Reminiscences program
– Functional Academic Skills Program
– Social skills program
– Plastic and performing arts program
– Leisure program
SOCIAL INCLUSION AREA
– Actions especially aimed at normalised interventions in the environment.
– Participation in sports leagues of COPAVA (Coordinator of Occupational Centres of Valencia)
– Participation in artistic activities of COPAVA
– Participation in leisure activities organised by COPAVA or by any other entity in Requena or another location
– Participation in local events such as the Sausage Fair or Book Fair, Solidarity Party, occasional stall in markets, etc.
– Carrying out any outing, event, activity or trip that may arise
WHAT DO WE EXPECT? WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
The Volunteer Project is a quality model for volunteers and its aim is to develop young people’s solidarity, promote active citizenship and support young people’s mutual understanding. A key element is the balance between offering a service to the Community and non-formal learning. You will receive training and acquire new skills and competences as well as increase your European Awareness after this experience in another country.
In this way, taking part as volunteer in such a opportunity, you will:
- feel useful
- test your abilities
- learn from your surrounding
- improve your self-esteem and generosity
- become a change agent for a better world|
Based on the interest shown and your needs, you will have the opportunity to propose and develop personal activities, thus being able to develop your creativity and entrepreneurial spirit and give your point of view on the different tasks to be carried out, such as being able to contribute new ideas that can enrich both you in your personal development and the users for whom the tasks are intended.
For us, it is important that volunteers have to be open-minded, without prejudice to participate in the activities. It is expected that the volunteers are motivated to learn about the Spanish culture and language. It is also desirable that the volunteers participate actively and have their own initiative, and an active and collaborative spirit. It will be essential that the volunteers are respectful and polite in their relationship with the professionals and users of the COM REQUENA.
You will pass the most time of your days with different people [target groups, professionals, local volunteers, etc.] who are anxious to know you, to show you who they are and what they can do, to teach you at very different level, to give you warmth and their confidence. The impact, you volunteer provoke is greater than you can expect. The exchange is primordial. You need to receive but also bring back. Participation, initiative, sense of responsibility and flexibility would be very grateful and welcomed. From our part, we hope make you feel comfortable, empowered and enterprising. All the persons involved in the project are always trying that you can reach your expectations always if you show the willingness to do so.
In general, volunteers will have to:
- be aware of the nature of the target group of the activities (People with Functional Diversity), be related to or have an interest in the Functional Diversity sector
- be flexible in the culture and way of life of Spain
- be aware of the responsibilities when volunteering (involvement in the agreed and proposed activities)
- be ready and accept the fact that you will have to share daily life tasks as you will be living together with other volunteers from countries other than your own
On a more personal note, we would like the volunteers to be able to: - be willing to offer their own experiences and learn new ones
- if possible, have a sufficient level of Spanish to maintain a simple conversation or at least be eager to quickly learn the language
- be open to a new way of living
- be a collaborator
- be respectful
- be supportive
- have initiatives
- be flexible
- have a desire to learn and collaborate
PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
ÁGORA CULTURAL is in charge of the practical and logistical aspects of hosting European volunteers.
It is very important to bear in mind that the following points are the general aspects that will be defined in more detail later on, depending on the selection process.
ACCOMMODATION: Volunteers live together and share a flat in Requena with all the necessary and regulatory comforts.
MAINTENANCE: Volunteers receive the amount in accordance with the Program rules. The stipulated amount is 140,00 Euros per month.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION: According to the distance calculator provided by the European Commission, volunteers will have an amount of money to travel from the place of origin to the place of implementation of the mobility project.
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION: In this case, being a small city, the distances are short easy and prompt access. Therefore, local transport will not be necessary to access the place of completion of your mobility.
ALLOWANCE: Each volunteer for their service as a European volunteer will receive 6,00€
per day, doing the proportional calculation of each month according to its duration and will be distributed at the beginning of each month.
DAYS OFF: Volunteers will enjoy two consecutive days off per week.
HOLIDAYS: Volunteers will enjoy of the holidays period when the Centre closes (Christmas, summer, etc.) as well as 5 additional days of their selection.
INSURANCE: As ESC volunteers, a Medical Cover under HENNER is provided. Although it is mandatory to be in possession of the European Health Card (if possible).
SUPPORT AND MENTORING: The support to the volunteers will be continuous. They will hold meetings not only with their supervisor but also with their tutor in order to evaluate the course of their mobility.
LANGUAGE TRAINING: EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS Program enables each volunteer to learn Spanish through the Online Learning Support Platform. You will have the possibility to attend the online classes by yourself. Besides, ÁGORA CULTURAL will arrange face-to-face classes twice a week. Classes will be according to the level.
DOWNLOAD THE INFOPACK FOR MORE DETAILS
HOW TO APPLY?
Send your CV and motivation letter (in English) to mariachiara@bonafides.pl and anna@bonafides.pl or contact us for any further information!