Pécs is a middle sized city 200 km from Budapest located on South of Hungary with app. 160 000 inhabitants and many high schools and the biggest university in the country. That is why there are a lot of young people and entertainment facilities: many cultural events and festivals are organised here. There are a lot of facilities to do sports as well. The city bears the title of European Capital of Culture in 2010; therefore there is a big activity expected in the cultural life of the city. www.pecs2010.hu

Pécs is also famous about its Mediterranean atmosphere, that can be also found in the surroundings of the city; there are good places for excursions (Mecsek mountains, wine-routes, the lakes of Orfű, etc.). www.pecs.hu

The host-organisation is a bilingual (Hungarian and German) educational institution from kindergarten to secondary school and youth hostel. In our institution there are children from 3-18 years old.

They operate two kindergartens, where the EVS volunteers will work. In these kindergartens there are 7 groups with 155 children and 27 paid staff. The children are 3-7 aged in both kindergartens. Our organization is a practice-location for students and there are trainees coming and work with us on a regular basis. The volunteers take part in the activities with children helping the work of the kindergarten teachers.

We have weekly and daily schedule planned the development fields. Every day we have different development topics, for example:

• Monday: get to know the outside world

• Tuesday: Tales, poems, drawing, handicraft

• Wednesday: Tales, poems, "playing with numbers" – figures

• Thursday: Moving – Gymnastics

• Friday: get to know the outside world - by songs, music

We teach and grow up the children playfully and flexible way not in a strict schedule. There are development activities inside and outside too. (Get to know the nature - by walking in a park, listening songs and music on concerts etc.) We have a close contact with the primary school and we bring the children to show their life regularly.

The volunteers can help in:

- General daily work: playing, walking, helping at meals, take care of children

- Keep contact with cultural organizations in the city and make a plan: visiting exhibitions in the Children's house, going to the theatre to see a tale or puppet show

- Organizing celebrations of the holidays or birthdays of the children (They can show their habits in their country.)

The volunteers work with guidance and help of the kindergarten teacher. They take part in the trainings, outdoor programmes too.

Examples for a day:

This is the daily routine of the children, where the volunteer has to take an active role:

Games and freetime activities inside or outside; Gymnastics; Development programme for kids in groups or individually; Working with experiences from our surroundings; Poems, tales, singing, music, games, painting, drawing, handicraft, work; Getting clean

If the volunteers want, they can join other activities in our schools or in the hostel occasionally. Afternoons in their free time they can take part in workshops, sports, cultural programmes, but if they have any idea we provide possibilities to realise it. Our previous volutneers organised an intercultural event for the parents and the children, that is usually a great success.

The volunteers will work in the kindergarten every day from 7.30-12.00.

Every Thursday the volunteers will have to be in the office of the coordinating organisation, where they will plan, and prepare programmes for the VIV Club (www.evsclupecs.mlap.hu).

They will also have their language class together with other volunteers at the coordinating organisation twice a week.

Worktime: 30 hours, 5x6 hours /week. Two days free.

Hungarian lessons: for the first 2 months 3 times a week, for three 3 months, once a week

Volunteer profiles and recruitment process:

The volunteer should be a flexible, open and friendly person with good communication skills. We would like to enhance, that the project is in a kindergarten, so the volunteers should really think it over, if they can work with groups of children. Patience is a great advantage. This is an important condition of a good project. It would be good if they could have experience with children and have basic knowledge of German.