Bona Fides Association and AFS Low Lands are looking for Polish participants for 6-month ESC project ‘The power of together’ in Mechelen, Belgium!
Place: Mechelen, Belgium
Dates: 05.01.2026 – 06.07.2026
Duration: 6 months
AFS Intercultural Programs is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.
Every year, AFS Low Lands sends 150 high school students and young adults abroad and hosts about 75 foreign students in Belgian and Dutch homes. 450 local AFS volunteers make this happen: they recruit the students and families and support them throughout the whole exchange process.
Project
The project consists of three components:
1. Intercultural educator for intercultural learning in schools and youth activities
AFS Low Lands wants to share its ICL (intercultural learning) experience with high schools and other organizations who are interested in building global competences. The current diversity in the Flemish schools has become an ideal environment to share our knowledge by providing educational workshops. Currently diversity in local schools is more seen as a “problem” than a privilege. Unfortunately we also notice that the Flemish schools are dealing with a lot of drop outs, mostly by students with a migrant background. With those realities, facts and figures in mind, AFS wants to offer schools workshops based on intercultural learning. Next to schools, many other organizations face the same intercultural reality and want to work on building global competences among their volunteers or participants. AFS works together with them to share more intercultural understanding through courses and workshops.
2. Intercultural educator for global competences and intercultural learning in AFS exchange programs
AFS programs are built on experience based intercultural learning and promote lifelong intercultural learning. In order to achieve this, AFS developed several educational programs and orientation workshops designed to support learners participating in an international experience in building their global competence. One of these programs is called ‘Global Up Abroad’ and is composed of 18 online modules with guided reflection and live training at key points in the curriculum. Each of these online modules contains a short video, where we introduce the key topics of intercultural learning and begin the conversation online (through forums, discussion, questions, and assignments). When a participant has gone through all the online sessions and attended the reflection sessions and live trainings, (s)he receives the Global Competence Certificate (GCC).
3. Helping program and volunteering teams with administrative work & promotion
There are 2 big teams within AFS Low Lands: Programs team and Volunteer & educational team (VET). You will support both teams with administrative work and promotion during events/schools during your low periods (example summer holiday and vacations when there are no workshops). This work entails: making profiles out of participant dossiers, checking if the dossiers are complete, contacting schools for promoting sending activities, going to school or fairs to promote AFS. Together with you we will look for tasks that interest you.
Tasks
Educator for intercultural learning in schools and organizations (50% – not AFS program related orientations)
● Contacting schools: the volunteer will be responsible for contacting schools and for promoting the workshops to schools. Once a school has registered for a workshop, (s)he will do the practical preparation and follow-up with the responsible teacher.
● Co-designing workshops and activities for better intercultural understanding with organizations.
● Doing workshops and share the ICL knowledge with the participants in an interactive way enhancing more meaningful learning experiences.
● Evaluate the workshops and projects together with all the stakeholders and if needed, adapt the workshops or process.
Educator for intercultural learning in AFS exchange programs (25% – AFS program related orientations)
● The volunteer will be trained to become an experienced educator in intercultural learning and to become a Qualified Facilitator (QF): which is a certified facilitator of the GCC. As such, (s)he will facilitate reflection sessions and live trainings within the GCC.
● He or she will coordinate the pool of other Qualified Facilitators (AFS volunteers): organize meetings with the QF’s planning reflection sessions for participants and assigning them to a QF.
● Be in touch with GCC participants on a regular basis as their first contact person and introduce them to the local chapters.
● Promote the AFS orientation programs and workshops among the local AFS-volunteers.
● Organize in person meetings together with local chapters.
● Evaluate reflection sessions and live trainings.
● Search for new volunteers to become QF and assist candidates in their training.
● Offer support and act as trainer for orientation camps and orientation workshops for other AFS programs.
Administrative work & promotion (25% – AFS programs)
● Helping programs team with everything sending and hosting related (checking and following up on online applications, making short student profiles for sharing on website and social media, assisting with the arrival of hosted participants)
● Contacting and visiting schools to promote AFS programs (this can be done in conjunction with ICL workshops)
● Engaging volunteers for school visits
● Going to festivals and school events to promote AFS for sending and hosting
Working hours
Mostly from Monday – Friday in our office in Mechelen, near the train station
Flexible working hours with start between 8 and 10 am and finish between 4 and 6 pm, with a 30 minutes lunch break.
When on location: flexible, max. 11 hours/day
This volunteering opportunity involves occasional working during evenings and weekends. In that case recuperation time can be taken within the week, after consultation with the mentor.
Average weekly working hours: 37,5h
Benefit for the volunteer
● Enhance pedagogical and didactical skills
● Contact with a diverse audience (high school students, young adults, schools, organisations working on diversity, local volunteers)
● Deepening into intercultural learning
● Learn and improve a (new) language
● Opportunity to be in contact with senior teachers in Belgium/Flanders
● Becoming a Certified Qualified Facilitator of the Global Competence Certificate
● Work in an international organization
● Be part of both a fun team of staff and an enthusiastic team of volunteers
● Gain global competences
● Make the world more just and peaceful
Preferred skills / background / experience
● Strong level of English and/or Dutch
● Strong motivation to learn Dutch – we expect you to integrate in our culture and speak Dutch at the office. Your colleagues will help you!
● Affinity with the target groups: high school students and young adults
● Interested in intercultural learning and global competences
● Pedagogical and didactical skills
● Ability to speak in front of groups
● Hands-on mentality, being able to work independently
● Social, enthusiastic and friendly
Application
To apply send your CV and a motivation letter (in English)
to mariachiara@bonafides.pl and anna@bonafides.pl
or contact us for any further information.
Write ‘ESC project in Mechelen, Belgium!‘ in the title of your e-mail
Check out all the projects we’re currently recruiting for
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