A. Project environment: profile of the organisation and local community

The organisation comprises of 65 members. We do not employ full-time workers. All the members participate (to a various extent) in organising the social life of the organisation. In the centre of the city we have our own, well equipped club of 82 sq. m in size that comprises of a meeting room (for 50 people), an office room, a guest room with a bathroom and a room with kitchen utilities and a wardrobe. We run a small business the profits from which are devoted to the statutory operations of the Association.
The members of the Association can be divided into three age groups:
a) the Esperantist youth associated in the BABELTURO youth circle who take actions focused at the interest areas of children and youth,
b) middle-aged people who organize the Esperanto language courses and occasional events;
c) single persons, pensioners and retirees who found their second home in the Association's club.

Bialystok is a dweller-friendly city with a population of 300 thousand people, located in the North-East part of Poland and occupying approximately 94 hectares of surface. It has a restored, historic baroque centre and modern, multi-building dormitory district. The distances of transportation routes are not large. A public bus traverses the longest route between the opposite ends of the city one in about 62 minutes. Due to relatively low environmental pollution and large amounts of greenery and leisure areas this region is referred to as "The Green Lungs of Poland". Within the radius of 100 km we have: woods, primeval forests, national parks, nature reserves, lakes, small towns with historic buildings, villages with buildings typical of the nations of their inhabitants. Apart from native Poles our populations includes people of the Lithuanian, Belarusian and Russian nationalities, the border with Belarus runs 40 km away from Bialystok.

B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

In official publications the region of Bialystok is proudly described as multicultural, but in everyday life the clash of various cultures and traditions is not always painless. People living in cities seem to be more liberal, but the inhabitants of small towns and villages around Bialystok still live in enclaves that admit only those sharing the same nationality or religion. The language and idea of Esperanto should be the factor that will bring this people together in their common hobby which gives them satisfaction of being part of the "family without frontiers". The members of our Association include not only people from the city, but also people living in various parts of the voivodeship. We hope that our Esperantists visit these enclosed communities a volunteer and initiate joint activities, the feeling of isolation will be overcome and give them a sense of participating in something great.
We are offering the volunteer a possibility to gain experience in team work for the benefit of the community extending beyond the Esperantists and to acquaint themselves with many cultures from the Polish borderland..
During our joint actions, as well as initiatives taken individually, the volunteer will have a chance to broaden their knowledge about the Polish language, the teaching methodology used in language courses, methods of animating various actions for the benefit of an individual or a group.
By promoting the work of the volunteer in Bialystok through mass media, we will show that common Europe is not only abut taking, but also about giving. We will encourage the youth of Bialystok to learn about the volunteer's methods of work and to become personally involved in the European Voluntary Service in the future.
We have beautiful plans of creating a virutal Centre available in the internet to anyone who knows the universal language. We are constantly searching for new ideas and hope to extend our mental horizons over the knowledge that the volunteer will automatically gain in our own country.
In the Association the voluntary will co-operate directly with the Board. He will have a tutor in the person of the Board Member designated for teaching. The scope and timetable of the volunteer's duties will be arranged in consultation with the Board.

Furthermore:
- lead a workshop on culture of his / her country / or how Esperanto is seen in his / her country,
- take part in Esperanto courses carried out in mass media,
- take part in regular radio programmes on Esperanto broadcast by a local radio station,
- visit schools / orphanages / educational centres and talk on Esperanto / different cultures.

Apart from that the volunteer is free to implement their own projects, such as: animation of a student or theatrical group, organisation of a trip, establishment of a musical or singing Esperanto group.
We believe that only few volunteers will have an opportunity during their volunteer service to co-organize the World Esperanto Centre, as will be the case in Bialystok.
We would like take our volunteer to small, village cultural centres that are often the only option for young people who did not find employment in the city and follows only the models of living existing in their communities, but craves for colourful, not always real life shown on TV. Our volunteer could use themselves as an example to show these young people that there is yet another choice - to leave the country not permanently in search of work, but in order to become acquainted with a new community abroad, acquire all the best that it has to offer and bring it back to their homeland. The Esperanto language that one may learn through the Internet will help them find their place in the great, European family.

C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment process

The volunteer that we seek for our project must be a person of age who:
a) has interest in the Esperanto language,
b) wants to learn Polish
c) likes animation and classes with children,
d) wants to improve their teaching and animation skills,
e) is capable of adapting to the Polish customs (eating, behaviour etc.)
We are open for co-operation with any sending organisation.

E. Risk prevention, safety and protection

The project will be regularly monitored by the Board of the Association, which will allow to identify possible threats to the implementation process and immediately take remedial measures.
 The quality of the project is inextricably interconnected with the quality of the Congress and the future Esperanto Centre. Other organisations are also involved in the implementation of these projects and include the Ludwik Zamenhof Foundation, the Polish Association of Esperantists and the Bialystok Municipal Office.
Should the volunteer have any problems, they can always count on the assistance of the Board of the Association and the Mayor of the City of Bialystok.
We will ensure that the mentor will have regular meetings with the volunteer, possibilities to clarify any doubts that may arise on either side and to exert friendly influence on initiatives taken by the volunteer.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=58000396510