A. Project environment

Projects of 'Rodowo' Foundation take place mostly in International Youth Centre 'Camp Rodowo' which is situated 5 km from the community village Sorkwity which has good public bus and train connections, few shops, cultural centre for children and youngsters, primary and secondary schools, library with internet club. 'Camp Rodowo' is the place where the international projects are running - ca. 40-50 different projects: youth exchanges, seminars, trainings, study visits etc. per year and is also a kind of live community of staff members, trainees and volunteers.

'Camp Rodowo' was created on the basis of an original Masurian farm, placed in a nice landscape of hills, fields, forests and lakes, which was renovated and adapted for the function of international youth centre. We are trying to keep it's original look and make it more and more useful. The center is well equiped and prepared to host youth groups: there are rooms with bathrooms, dining room, conference rooms with multimedia equipment, workshop-rooms with internet access, fireplace-rooms, event hall with cafeteria, art-room, fitness-room, photo-laboratory, sport field (volleyball, bas-ketball, badminton, football, play-ground), original bread-oven, campfire-place and small beach on the lake with picknick area.

Our region Warmia-Mazury (north-east part of Poland) is on the list with the highest rate of unemployment. The village Sorkwity is a former governmetal farm which has stopped working in 1990-es what increased the level of unemployment and makes its as a structural problem. Mostly the citizens earn on tourism, so they are used to meet persons from other countries and are friendly and tolerant. There have never been met any kind of racism or disrimination. The local community is open to the foreigners and always happy to invite them. For local communication into Sorkwity village and surrounding area volunteers use bicycles provided by the 'Rodowo' Foundation.

There is no entertaining in Sorkwity, so if the volunteers want to make shopping, visit cafes, exhibitions, concerts, bigger cultural events they have to take bus and go to the nearest town Mr¹gowo (district centre) which is 12 km far from Sorkwity and has ca 25 000 inhabittans or to Olsztyn (regional centre) - 55 km away with ca. 180.000 inhabitants. Every year in summer in Mr¹gowo there are big public cultural events, well known in Poland, e.g. 'picnic country festival'. There is well working public bus connection to Mr¹gowo and Olsztyn every hour and there is directly bus connection to Warsaw twice a day.
Volunteers coming to the projects of 'Rodowo' Foundation become a part of our team. Long-term volunteers work with coordinator and tutors (young youth workers with pedagogical edu-cation). Short-term volunteers work with coordinator, tutors and the technical staff of 'Rodowo' Foundation. All volunteers get personal support by mentors (also young persons with higher educa-tion and pedagogical experience). Volunteers in the project environment creat life long contacts and very good relations with persons working and living in Rodowo, Sorkwity and surrounding area, as well with young persons from different countries coming to the projects.
In International Youth Centre 'Camp Rodowo' there are certain rules which volunteers have to follow. As the camp is an international youth meetings place and have educational goals we are teaching youngsters and volunteers well and healthy behaviours, e.g. it is forbidden to drink alcohol on a territory of camp, it is the one of important rules as we are promoting the healthy way of life.

'Camp Rodowo' is a live-in community, it is living and working in the same place. Volunteers live in apartments and separated rooms with bathroom and living area, Long-term volunteers live in a flat where they have single rooms, short-term ones have double rooms with bathrooms or another apartment with kitchen, bathroom and living room for few persons. Apartments and rooms have central heating system, hot water all the day long, there is washing machine, we provide bed clothes. Volunteers don't cook for them as there is a canteen in 'Camp Rodowo' povided for participants of project youth groups and volunteers. Volunteers have the possibility to know traditional Polish cuisine. Long-term and short-term volunteers have a separate social room with small kitchen, office, computers and internet access. The living options are comfortable for volunteers.

B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

EVS volunteers can profit during their service from the specific atmosphere im 'Camp Rodowo', very different type of activities runing every week, also from the possibility to develop their abilities through the informal learning and sharing experience in multinational environment. During their stay in Rodowo and in Poland they establish lasting personal relationships and become part of European civil society. EVS volunteers in 'Rodowo' Foundation learn how to work and cooperate in an international, inercultural and multilinguistic team. Such kind of work and dayly activities make young persons being ready to develop interpersonal skills, to solve conflict situations, learn to be pation, reach a compromise - such qualities are very usefull in the private and professional life.
The work with international youth groups give a great experience in non-formal youthwork and teach the volunteers to be a leader, learn interactive methods of work with an international group such as team-building activities, energizers, role-plays, the process of preparing the workshops, seminars, exchanges. The volunteers also learn to be independent, self-confident, develop their language skills. Creativity will be developed during the voluntary service while getting a chance to find themselves, to understand what is important for them in life, to achieve their goals, to realise own ideas. The less oportunities volunteeers, coming for the short-term period, learn moreover different technical skills and experiences.

EVS volunteers, we have hosted in Rodowo before, they remained close contact with the 'Rodowo' Foundation and with staff members. The volunteers can learn more about other cultures as well as about Poland and learn Polish language. We provide for the volunteers intensive Polish language courses on the beginning of the services and after regular Polish lessons few hours every week, adapted to their needs and possibilties.
The role of the long-term volunteer is to be a part of the Rodowo team, so as well to help in different ways to prepare and lead international youth exchanges and seminars. The short-term volunteers also become a part of a team helping to arrange technical assistance im 'Camp Rodowo' and to take care about sourrounding area, forest and educational natural path. Every week there are held meetings of staff members and volunteers, to make evaluation in the team, evaluation of the realised projects, personal relations, preparation of next activities, division of tasks in the team, development of new ideas. In this sense the volunteers create one of our target groups.

The work of our organisation is divided into 4 project groups:
1. international and Polish-German youth exchanges,
2. East European projects section, 3. youth leader's academy and 4. local projects section, so the volunteers can choose in which group of projects they would like to help, according to their interests, also proposing their own ideas and create their own projects.

Volunteers actions and engagement in 'Rodowo Foundation can be divided into two types:
1. volunteers form a special group of co-workers, contribute and help by the daily tasks of our staff,
2. volunteers together with other volunteers and young persons from international exchange groups, form a kind of live-work-community.

Volunteers' tasks can be divided in 3 major activity categories:
1. support and help to the group staff members of 'Rodowo' Foundation by realisation of international projects and setting up own projects,
2. work in the environmental protection programme, mostly on the educational ecological path 'Jary Lampasza' and
3. contact, projects and daily activities on the level of the local community. The volunteer work about 35 hours per week.

Activity 1 (mostly for the long-term volunteers, more then 2 months of service)
Volunteers will have tasks directly connected with international youth projects:
- help in preparing, realisation and evaluation processes of exchange projects and seminars
- help by preparation and implementation of integration games and workshops: art, ecological, civil education;
- help by artistic activities: theatre, music, singing, painting, decorating, circus, psycho-drama etc;
- directly contact with participants of youth and student groups, planning free time and common social activities;
- creating new project ideas based on own experiences, interests and own international contacts;
- accompany the groups during regional study visits and excursions; help in taking care about the office
- help in preparation and leading national cultural events or thematical integration evenings;
- help by web-page management and designing, redaction of 'volunteer's newspaper', newsletter and internet forum;

Activity 2 (mostly for the short-term volunteers, up to 2 months of service)
This activiy (activity-group) is prepared for the less opportunities volunteers with disadvantage backgrounds:
- taking care of the educational natural path 'Jary Lampasza', reparing and putting new information boards;
- help by taking care on the territory and surroundings of the International Youth Centre 'Camp Rodwo';
- technical support in 'Camp Rodowo', help with technical equipment (video beamer, computer, stereo etc.),
- assistance in foresters' everyday work and other ecological activities and actions;
- help in preparation and leading national cultural events or thematical integration evenings;
-help in sport activities with youth groups: volleyball, football, baskteball, tennis, badminton match, canoe trips;

Activity 3 (for long-term and for short-term volunteers possible); activities for local community
- help by preparation and implementation of different educational activities for children and youth in a local community;
- promotion EVS programme and presentations own countries and cultures (in schools, cultural centres in the region)
- help by construction of sport- and play-grounds in local villages
- help by renovations of children and youth clubs, social and educational rooms in different day-care local institutions,
- preparation and realisation of common cultural and social activities with young people from local community;

C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment process

Interest in problems that may come from iternational and intercultural exchange will be expected. From the candidates for the long-term volunteers we expect to be open minded, creative, enthusiastic, patient, easy-going, flexible. Creative personalities with leader skills which help in work with the youth groups will be welcome. Willing to learn Polish is important as it will enhance volunteer's ability to work together with all staff members of 'Rodowo' Foundation and of course with Polish youth groups.

It will be welcome and usefull if volunteers will be able to speak or understand English, German, Russian or other foreign languages.
The volunteers for the short-term projects could be any young person willing to help in the described project activities, having a wish to learn new technical skills, meet other cultures and be ready for the challenges. The knowledge of the languages doesn't matter. We are happy to meet open, flexible, sociable persons.
In our project activities less opportunities volunteers with disadvantage backgrounds are very welcome.

Volunteers should feel free every time to contact, to ask, to speak online to get aswers for all the questions connected with project, we give as well contacts to our former volunteers. We are in well working network of partner organisations they cooperate with us in EVS projects (also in recruiting volunteers in their local communities), so the all recruitment process is provided in close cooperation with partner organizations. We are open for transparent recruitment process as well as the overall accessibility of EVS to all young people by using different channels of information.

D. Number of volunteers hosted

Organisation is able to host 4 volunteers for longterm project and 8 volunteers for shortterm projects.