Varna is the biggest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is an economical and an administrative centre. There are nearly half a million people in Varna. There are many parks, gardens and places for recreation and sport. Tourism is the main industry in this region. There are many opportunities for fun: theatre, opera, cinema, restaurants, pubs, etc. The NGOs sector in Varna is growing. The host organisation is situated in the centre of the city, near the "Black Sea Garden". There are many options for an easy transport, food, shopping, etc. There are 3 rooms in the office with WC. We have an environmental library and video-club; we have 5 computers, two printers, copy machine, fax and cable internet.
As the volunteer is going to participate in the collection of paper once or twice per week, he/ she will carry the paper from the office or the school to the car and from the car to the recycling center. This activity is a physical and not kind of a clear work.
Our EVS project aims to help young people, who want to participate in environmental protection activities to gain experience and to realize their own project ideas. For the EVS volunteer it means to take part in a great variety of every day activities and special actions of an active and progressive environmental organization. This is the best way to learn a lot about the practical aspects of environmental protection in Bulgaria and to apply "study-knowledge" under different conditions.
Since we have a Peace Corps volunteer from the USA, a few other volunteers and a few staff members, we can say that the volunteer will be able to work in a multinational atmosphere where there is tolerance and a sharing of support. The working language will be English, but we hope the volunteer will advance very fast in the beginning of his/her volunteering year in his/her language skills in Bulgarian. Additionally, in the beginning of his/her working time with PECSD there will be ample time for language training. In the beginning it is possible that the organization will provide translation help for the volunteer since most of the staff and the members have spoken English. In the beginning, and later also, we will rely on the help of the mentor in the cases where it is needed for the adaptation of the volunteer.
The successful implementation of all the programmes and projects organised by PECSD for the last ten years was thanks to the participation and help of many volunteers, especially youngsters. Through an intercultural exchange of ideas and knowledge with young international volunteers we are discovering new ways in which to motivate and incorporate also more young people from the region into environmental initiatives.
Our expectations of any volunteer are that he/she will participate in our projects such as: project for paper recycling, vertical green planting in schools, working with institutions, media etc. There will be a balance between work in the office and practical environmental work.
o Collecting paper for recycling: together with one person from the staff (driver of the car) they should collect the paper from the participants in the campaign. It is ones or twice per week (30 % of the working time);
o Planting plants according the project mentioned above (5 %).
o Will write e-mails and mails for upgrading our database of funders (10 %);
o Will help in establishment contacts with other EU and international countries and working on its own project if he/she wants to develop such (5 %);
o Sewing bags and other promotional materials or participating in other projects of the organization which doesn't require special skills except mentioned in Recruitment (20 %) ;
o Language support (25 %).
The responsibilities depend on the current project in which the volunteer would like to join according to his/her skills. The volunteer will receive guidance from a project coordinator, but there are also some written rules in the office. For the specific tasks in which the volunteer doesn't have sufficient skills we provide training or support from a skilled person within or outside of the organization.
We will welcome all personal projects and will occasionally expect a volunteer to have his/her own project or activities giving him/her possibilities to express him-/herself. We especially give support to projects that contribute to our organizational goals and to the environment protection and conservation.
Working time in the organization:
Monday to Friday - 9 - 18 h with two brakes 30 min each and 1 h lunch brake.
Monday: Morning - cleaning the office (for all staff); Checking mail and preparing presentation for the office meeting; afternoon - office meeting for the week.
Tuesday: 9 - 15 h collecting paper from the schools and delivering it to the recycling place; Lunch; Language courses.
Wednesday: Morning - helping to other projects; meetings with other volunteers, media etc.; afternoon: working on own project; Language courses
Thursday: Coping materials, translations, working on the library; taking part in the project for saving CO2; afternoon: language courses.
Friday: Helping in other projects; afternoon: meeting with other NGO's, seminar's etc.
We are open to all youth. We are a 'gender-equal' organization accepting both men and women. The volunteer should be of sufficient age (22+) to accomplish needed tasks and their own community projects. A driving license is an advantage, but by no means required. The PECSD-volunteers should be open-minded and tolerant, willing to communicate and to integrate in the local community. Experience with environmental projects will also be appreciated. The application should consist of a complete CV and a personal motivation letter. The volunteer must be able to complete his/her tasks and this is the only requirement that we really pay attention on. The selection of the volunteer is made by the staff of the office together with volunteers and people related with the activities of the future EVS volunteer.
The only criteria we have for the Sending organisations that we should work with as partners is to be aware of and active to develop the main priorities of the Youth in Action Programme and in particular - the priorities of European Volunteer Service Programme.
As a host organisation PECSD ensures that:
" the risk assessment has been completed and appropriate safety measures are in place;
" training needs have been assessed by a competent person and the needs of the young people have been considered;
" adequate first help provision is available;
" an experienced tutor has been designed for the volunteer;
" young people have the address and phone number of the tutor to contact in case of emergency;
" arrangements have been made for the medical needs of the young people and special training needs imposed by the nature of the project
" consider stopping the project if the risk to the health and safety of the young people is unacceptable;
" has details of the family and sending organisation contact
" have enough information on the young people proposed for the project to assess their suitability or be satisfied that their suitability has been assessed and confirmed;
" be aware of young people protection issues;
" refer to the National Agency concerned for advice and counselling;
" with the consent of the volunteer, if applicable, contact the family in case of emergency;
" contact insurance, in case the volunteer is not in a situation to do it him/herself;
" be aware that certain young people may require closer support, such as those with special needs.

As a sending organisation PECSD ensures that:
" all necessary actions have been completed before the departure of the volunteer;
" young people are fully aware of what the proposed host project involves;
" volunteers are interviewed and trained thoroughly beforehand, specially when volunteers are asked to work with particularly vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and the handicapped;
" asks for personal references before placing the volunteers.