Context:

The educational sphere in the Republic of Moldova (including the Transnistrian region of Moldova) has yet to be adapted to the modern, innovating methods and international standards.

Unfortunately there is poor technical and financial support, informational isolation, an absence of professional trainers, university staff.  The old Soviet system of education and training has to be changed. As a result there is a limited number of young and public leaders who are well educated and motivated - capable to influence the reintegration process in Moldova, to negotiate with their colleagues from Moldova and to influence the decision making process. 

Taking into account the above and many more, ICCD in partnership with Local Youth Councils have set up the EURO HOUSE CULTURAL NETWORK, a program that gradually turned into a structure that works to facilitate youngster’s access to information, working to build new cultural, education and ethic dimensions to local youths.

Role and tasks of the volunteer:

We expect the EVS volunteer to bring its own creativity and work with the youth. The EVS will, among other activities:

• organize the implementation of the events in cultural field such as festivals, celebrations, exhibitions of arts, photographers, music, theatre, dances, movies etc..

• seek to promote cultural partnership or creation with local artists and promotion of Moldavian artists : singers, painters, visual artists, etc 

• spur local crafts making by joint projects with local artists involving the youth

• encourage the participation of youngsters to projects aiming at sustaining, maintaining or restoring local patrimony

• promote voluntarism among the local community

• run a youth club on arts and culture

• mentor a young person by tutoring English class or help with homework or for leisure activities

• prepare booklets, brochures, leaflets, newsletters about culture

• promote European culture: vulgarization of the functioning of the EU and its youth programs through exhibitions, information stands in fairs, information in school

• organize youth exchange

• In the frame of collaboration with Youth Council: - organize activities for the Music’s Day; in cooperation with Youth Council: YC proposes collaboration for the animation of a cine-club, cooperation for the Days of Francophonie, festival of poetry …  

ICCD develops its own cultural activities to which the volunteers will be integrated. ICCD has also initiated collaboration with the Youth Council to give to its activities a European dimension. The volunteers will be able to volunteer for preparation and issue of booklets, brochures, leaflets, newsletters about their country, projects and activities; organizing and implementation of non-formal educational activity such as seminars, training courses, contest and competitions, workshops on own country. 

On top of that, ICCD needs support from the EVS volunteer on other ongoing initiatives, like the set-up of the National European Volunteer Center of Moldova.

Expected results

• The EVS volunteer will grow both personally as well as socially by acquiring and improving new skills and competences as well as boost their self‐ confidence.

• will increase tolerance towards different cultures by learning and accepting the cultural differences.

• will contribute to the community development by boosting the participation and active involvement of young people in their local communities.

• will encourage the participation of youngsters with fewer opportunities

• will widen and strengthen the partnership and co‐operation relation in between all project promoters   

ICCD is open for proposals from volunteers and stands ready to support their initiatives.

Location:

“CulturaLearn” will be implemented in Moldova in the following sites: Balti, Soroca, Orhei, Tiraspol, Kagul.

Practical arrangement:

Accommodation

During the first 2 weeks, all volunteers are to be accommodated in a recreation center in 2 rooms LaPopas (Dubossary region) with TV set and own bathroom.

After two weeks, all volunteers will be distributed in pairs to the 4 different communities. The volunteers will live either with host families or share a living location together. The living location will meet decent living standards (private room, free access to kitchen and bathroom, current cold water with the possibility of providing hot water at least one hour/day, functioning heating system, clean and secure location). ICCD in cooperation with each hosting community will make all efforts to find the best accommodation location for the volunteers. All accommodation and utility costs (water, gas, electricity) will be covered by ICCD. 

Food

Buying and preparing the food is to be the sole responsibility of the volunteers. For preparing the food the volunteers will have free access to an equipped kitchen.

In the case of volunteers staying in host families a solution will be to serve meals with the family. The hosting organization will provide each volunteer with a monthly food allowance from which they shall cover the alimentation costs. The allowance is enough for insuring a very good living standard (being much higher than the amount and average citizen from the region spends for food). However the allowance will not be enough for ensuring every day eating in a restaurant or bistro or leading a luxurious life. 

Transport

The local transportation costs of the volunteers necessary for the activities implementation will be covered 100% by the association from the project budget.

The international transport of the volunteer from his/her home to the site of the project shall be covered 100% ‐ two ways (Economy flight tickets and/or 2nd class train tickets).

Other personal transport of the volunteers (local, national or international) will be not in the responsibility of the association. 

Language training

Due to the importance of communication with the people from the hosting communities (most of them cannot speak any foreign languages) will be of crucial importance for the volunteers to learn the Russian or Romanian language at a good speaking level. 

The volunteers will have the responsibility to attend all language courses according to the schedule as well as to make every effort in studying and learning the language.

The Russian/Romanian language lessons shall be provided by experienced language tutor. The content and structure of the language courses will be projected together with the volunteers, taking into consideration their learning abilities and needs. The language courses will be provided free of charge for the first two weeks on a daily basis and for 2 hours/week in their own community for the entire duration  of the EVS project; in the hosting communities private tuition language classes are delivered by a local school teacher to each team of volunteers. 

Pocket money:

Each volunteer is entitled to receive a 80 Euro monthly allowance – pocket money, which they can spent as they want.

Recruitment

None but as the project focuses on art and culture, we expect the volunteers to have some interests in these domains and that they are willing to contribute to the projects. Motivation and involvement are required!!!