PROJECT ENVIRONMENT

Directorate of Kurtuvenai Regional park is situated in a small village Kurtuvenai 20 km from the 4th largest Lithuanian city - Siauliai (120 000 inhabitants) in the north-west of Lithuania. There are several buses from Kurtuvenai to Siauliai and from Siauliai to Kurtuvenai every day. Besides there always is possibility to take taxi from Siauliai. And from Siauliai it is easy to reach other Lithuanian towns by bus or train. Accommodation for volunteers will be organized in directorate quest house in Kurtuvenai. The directore has 15 members of staff who run the daily activities of the park. Just over 300 people live in Kurtuvenai. It has a primary school, one little food shop, a Catholic church, the Directorate of the park, a medical station, Post, and a Café, tourism information centre, horse riding centre, campingsite. Beautiful nature makes Kurtuvenai attractive for tourists.

Although very quiet, the village is famous for its historical, cultural and environmental heritage, many traditional festivals and events take place in Kurtuvenai. Most of local residents are either young children, teenagers, or middle and older age people. Here isn't student age youth. Number of Kurtuvenai inhabitants are employers of local fishery company, others has job in Siauliai city, but majority of population are jobless. They work seasonally. The village suffers from social problems attributed to many villages and smaller towns of the country: unemployment, poverty, alcohol abuse, social inequality. Despite this here are active peoples, who meets in the evenings to sing in ethnographic ensemble "Kurtuove" (once a week), to play in "Kurtuvenai kapela", or to play volleyball in summer evenings. Kurtuvenai has its basketball teem. Sportsman is meeting twice a week in Bubiai (7 km from Kurtuvenai) to play basketball and prepare for yearly basketball competition between nearest townships. From last year Kurtuvenai has a local theatre troupe. They meets sporadicaly, mostly before appearances. From the other side, biggest part of Kurtuvenai dwellers are older age people and they prefer to spend free time working in the kitchen-gardens.

ACTIVITIES

Kurtuvenai regional park directorate works in several directions in which volunteers can help. Volunteers will have opportunity not only to know Lithuania, its culture and learn Lithuanian language, but they will get some practical skills in tourism infrastructure, nature and cultural heritage protection and re-creation. The staff members of Kurtuvenai regional park are specialist of they own work field, so volunteers can work together with the specialists for nature, geography, management, tourism. They will get good practice working in a team, also to do they own projects. Also they will be able to participate in Šiauliai nature and cultural heritage protection club "Aukuras" activities: celebrating traditional feasts, hikes for visiting interesting places.

The activities in which volunteers will involve:

1. Taking care of Kurtuvenai estate park. Park was established in XVIII a., but during the time was strongly destroyed. Now regional park directorate is trying to rebuild this park. Volunteers will help in planting trees, raking out leafs in autumn, making new parterres and taking care of old ones.
2. Working with tourists in campingsite and horse riding centre. In campingsite volunteers could help in meeting quests, helping them to accommodate and leading them out. In horse riding centre volunteers will help with excursions. If volunteers will be able, they could accompany horse riding trips to foreigner tourists.
3. Helping in nature monitoring. Every year park specialists are going to check 2 - 3 preserves. Participating in these 1 day trips volunteers will learn more about rare species and habitats, geomorphological and hydrographical structures. Every 3 years we need to monitor Lesser Spotted Eagles, so after learning to recognize these birds volunteers could monitor them.
4. Every year is needed help with nature management works: cutting and taking out shrubs and reeds from wetland with rare plant species. In spring or in autumn volunteers will be asked to help in managing recreational territories: collecting garbage, fixing informational stands…

The activities which volunteers can create by themselves:
1. Working with park's webpage. Writing and translating articles, making photo galleries (bad weather).
2. Rare plants observation and cartographying.
3. Taking photos of natural and cultural heritage, park's events. Preparation of presentations.
4. All volunteers ideas are welcome.

PROFILE OF VOLUNTEERS

Kurtuvenai regional park is open for all who:
- Is motivated to explore nature and culture of Lithuania.
- Is outgoing personalities. Riding skills would be an advantage.
- Is willing to communicate with new peoples.
- Is strong enough to spend most of the time in a small village.
- Is able to work independently, and plan own activities.
- Have basic knowledge of English, Russian or German.

All applications will be considered and evaluated based on how well they suit the general profile of an EVS volunteer and the requirements of the host placement in particular. Primary selection process will be conducted by sending organization, later by host organization together with the coordinating organization.
Kurtuvenai regional park is open to work with every organization having the status to send EVS.

If you would like to participate in the candidate selection, please do the following:

1. Fill in the candidate application form (we can send it to you by email) or CV and motivation letter
2. If you are interested in more than one hosting place, please arrange your choices by order of preference
3. Please provide us with EI reference number of your sending organization

Candidate selection will be carried out by the host organizations. The results should be clear in the middle of January. The final answer from the national agency should be given by the 15th of March.