A. Project environment: profile of the organisation and local community
The Special Kindergarten no 213 is an educational establishment for mentally handicapped people. Although it is called a kindergarten, there are various age groups in this institution. The pupils of the "kindergarten" are boys and girls at the age between 3 and 25 years old. Mental retardation is accompanied by the other developmental disorders, e.g. autism, ADHD, behavioural disorders, physical disability. They are not able to live independently. Each of them needs care and help in everyday activities to some extent. They are open to the new contacts, however, sometimes an effort is necessary to gain the pupil's trust. They can be cheerful and joyful and come into emotional contact. On the other hand, the verbal contact is difficult as most of pupils does not speak.
The great diversity of our pupils' traits and characters as well as different kinds of their disorders, which determine their behavior, does not allow to describe shortly the target group. It seems that readiness to new challenges and creativity of the volunteers will allow them to create the relation satisfactory for them and for their pupils.
Altogether there are 45 children and adolescents divided into 8 groups in the "kindergarten": 3 preschool (children 3-10 years old) and 5 revival (people 10 - 25 years old) attend the "Kindergarten". The staff consists of 17 specialists: special pedagogues, psychologist, therapist, physiotherapist, speech therapist and also volunteers and students. The Special Kindergarten no 213 is often visited by university teachers and students from Pedagogical and Psychological University. The team of the workers of the "kindergarten" I composed of young, energetic and motivated people and they are looking forward welcoming also foreign volunteers to work with them.
The "kindergarten" is situated in Warsaw, Ursynów district. Ursynów is the southernmost district of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. The district has a population of 120,000, and is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Warsaw. Nearly 25 percent of its inhabitants are below 18 years of age. The eastern section of Ursynów is heavily built up with blocks of flats, while its western and southern sections are often referred to as Green Ursynów due to its lower population density and broad open spaces and green areas. The neighborhood is considered the bedroom of Warsaw, and is home to nearly a quarter of the city's post-1989 construction. The Warsaw Metro has its southern terminus in Ursynów, at Kabaty Depot. Ursynów's southern extremity comprises Kabaty Forest, covering more than 9.2 km. Other popular attractions include the picturesque Vistula river escarpement, Natolin palace and S³u¿ewiec horseracing track (built in 1939), which features more than 700 races annually. Ursynów has a well-developed entertaining and recreational infrastructure, e.g. multiplex, fitness centres, shopping malls, clubs, etc. What is more, the public transport provides an excellent connection with the Warsaw city centre (underground, busses, trams). That is why Ursynów inhabitants have also access to plenty of theatres, art galleries, museums, clubs, cinemas and other entertainments.

B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers
The Kindergarten no 213 can offer the volunteers new learning opportunities. For the volunteers who are interested in the work with menthally disabled people this EVS project could be a unique chance to make use of already gained knowledge and experience. The volunteer will have an opportunity to gain new experience, to practice different skills (e.g. organizational, communication, foreign language, team spirit, creativity, etc.), to obtain the knowledge about therapeutic methods, to participate in the therapy of pupils in school, to organize activities and workshops for them and to implement their own projects and initiatives.
The project gives also individual profits to the volunnteers. The volunteers will have the chance to get to know Polish language, culture, history and tradition. We hope that the volunteers will find new friends among the children, the local volunteers and the staff. In order to make the contact with the co-workers and children easier, the Polish language course will be provided.
The volunteers will be provided with mentorship and supervision during the whole period of EVS project. They will be able to count on the support of the specialists, other staff and volunteers. The work with disabled children is demanding, therefore we know that the volunteers will need some trainings and guidelines. Their development in the work with children will be monitored. At the same time the volunteers will have a space for their own creativity and inventions. The staff will be open to support the initiatives proposed by the volunteers.
The volunteers could be persons that have new ideas, enrich the range of proposed activities for the pupils, participates in the classes and helps the staff. The volunteers will always be supported by the teachers and therapists. Together with them they will help the children in everyday activities (e.g. changing clothes, meals, toilet). Moreover, they will organize and coordinate the workshops for them (e.g. artwork, musical activities, physiotherapy and physical recreation, theatre activities, culture education, favourite pastimes). Another important task would be the integration the pupils with the local community by involving them in the local events, organizing excursions, visting theatres, cinemas, swimming pools, parks, etc. The children should be visible in the local area and people should know that they are active and do something for the community. The voulnteers could also prepare together with the children traditional Polish feast for mentally retarded people and for their families (e.g. Christmas, Easter, Grandmother's Day, St. Andrew's Day). The volunteers could help to take care about the pupil during weekly camps held by the seaside or in the mountains.

C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment process
The target group is quite demanding, therefore we are looking for responsible persons that are ready to take challenges working with mentally handicapped youth. It is very important that the volunteers are conscious about the content of the project and despite the difficult character of it are motivated to join our team and do the project. The volunteers should be mature, patient and persistent persons that have a team spirit but also could be able to work independently. It would be good if the candidates would be creative persons that are willing to come up with their own ideas and implement them during their stay in our organization. Bearing in mind the target group, to avoid the possible misunderstandings it would be also good if the volunteers would have at least basic understanding and sensitivity about the issues related to work with mentally disabled youth.
During the recruitment process we are open to all the candidates. We expect the possible candidates to send us their CV and motivation letter. To make sure that we choose the most suitable and motivated candidates, we will carry out also small phone conversations with the candidates and might ask for references from the sending organization or some other organizations where the volunteers have worked before (if they have). Also the volunteers, before making the final decision about choosing this project, will have the chance to ask us all the questions that interest them.

E. Risk prevention, safety and protection.
Because of the specific profile of the project we cannot host the volunteers aged under 18.
To avoid the misunderstandings the volunteers will be always able to count on the support of the specialists, the staff and other volunteers in the "kindergarten". They will be able to ask for an instruction or advice. The volunteers will be acquainted with the work safety and hygiene as well as the rules and methods how to work with disabled children.
Each volunteer will have a supervisor, a resource person that will supervise the daily work of the volunteer in the "kindergarten" and help him/her to integrate in it better. Each volunteer will also have a mentor - a person that will help the volunteer to integrate in Warsaw, to solve many practical problems and solve the possible conflicts/misunderstandings with the staff and volunteers of the hosting organization.
Also the coordinating organizations will put all the efforts to monitor the project and avoid the situations where the conflicts may arise.
From the very beginning the volunteers will be encouraged to say it openly if they are not satisfied and happy with anything. The hosting and coordinating organizations are also ready to be open and flexible towards the volunteers. If the volunteers will not be satisfied with particular parts of their tasks, there is a possibility to change part of it.