Parafiada Association was set up in 1992 as a non-governmental and non-profit association. The main aim of the association is to promote versatile development of children and youth from various social environments. The association participates in the establishment of the upbringing-social system that permits children and youth to preserve their identity and simultaneously to integrate with the community at local, regional, national and international level. Parafiada Association cooperates with parishes, schools, sport clubs or orphanages. Main target group are children and youth with fewer opportunities especially with socio-economic, educational or geographical difficulties. The office is located 20 minutes by bus from Warsaw city center. On a regular basis there are 10 staff members and national volunteers working in the association. The association can host 2-3 EVS volutneers throughout the year and up to 20 volunteers during short-term projects in summer. The volunteers work in friendly atmosphere. Each volunteer will receive support from supervisor, who will schedule with him/her the programme and lead along the realisation of the project. Moreover, a mentor will be assigned in order to guide him/her and support during the process of integration in the community.

Our volunteers are involved in yearly, summer and winter activities organised throughout Poland. Parafiada Center is located in Warsaw in the same building with elementary and gymnasium school run by the Piarist Order (Padri Scolopi). The association and school are on the premises of church and chapel of the Piarist Order, whose charism is education of children and youth. Parafiada Association has long-term tradition of cooperating with youth with various religious backgrounds. The volunteers will cooperate with laic and religious persons.

The accommodation will be provided in shared apartment with other students or EVS volunteers in Warsaw. During summer and winter camps volunteers will accompany children in regional localities in the mountains, at the sea side or lakes). During International Parafiada of Children and Youth volunteers will be accommodated with all the participants and organisers at SGGW University Campus, where the event takes place. Accommodation will enhance integration of the volunteer with young people and university students.

Our office is open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., however, during important events it's open also until late and on Saturdays. On Mondays there are regular meetings of the association, where everybody meets to plan work and activities for the following week.
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It has very rich history and offers various cultural events. Numerous cinemas, theatres, museums, galleries, music events or sport facilities will offer the volunteers the possibility to organise well their free time. Warsaw is located in the center of Poland - within 3 hours to Cracow and with good transport connections.


B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

The volunteer will be able to gain practical experience as sport and culture animator for children and youth with reference to educational system of the Piarist Order. He/she will develop new experiences, educational competences and knowledge. The volunteer will undergo professional trainings in order to familiarize with the environment and target groups. He/she will also have an opportunity to get to know peers from Poland, and from other countries. The volunteer will be able to learn Polish language. Depending on individual skills, capacities and interests the volunteers will be involved in various content-related and organisational activities. Tipical tasks for the volunteers include active involvement in the following activities: sport (football, basket, volley, swimming, tournaments, team games etc.), culture (theatre, movies, music, tours, thematic workshops etc.) and free time (computer/Internet courses, foreign language classes or extra-curricula courses). The volunteer may also accompany pupils on school trips and join work of the Parafiada Association in exchange programmes. The voulnteer will be able to propose and create own initiatives related to sport, culture, education and upbringing system in order to intorduce new intercultural dimension to the project. Summer and winter camps offer special opportunity to work with children and youth along with qualified educators and coaches. The volunteers will develop wide ranging skills in working with young people from various social backgrounds.
The programme varies according to the period of arrival and to the volunteers' individual needs and skills.

The task of volunteers involve:
Throughout the year: the volunteers participate in extra-curricula activities based on non-formal education for children and youth, also those with fewer opportunities from disadvantaged families and orphanages. The activities are organised within primary and secondary schools run by the Piarist Order, sport clubs and orphanages. The volunteers can also provide foreign language classes to children. They can join a non-formal group of Polish youth volunteers, who hold meetings at the Parafiada Center and organize various activities to the benefit of young people as well as music and song rehearsals. The volunteer can also be involved: international exchanges, workshops and trainings for volunteers and in various educational activities organised by Parafiada Association in Warsaw and in localities throughout Poland. The volunteers will be also involved in activities promoting European Voluntary Service - especially in regional branches of Parafiada. The Association is open to individual initiatives of volunteers and can support them in developing their own projects for the benefit of children and youth.
July: the volunteers cooperate with Polish and international participants during the preparation and realisation of the International Parafiada for Children and Youth in Warsaw. The event involves over 2000 children and youth from Poland, Russia, Belarus, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy and others. The event is based on sport, art/theatre and religious activities.

June-July-August: the volunteers participate in summer camps for children and youth (age 6-17) organised at the seaside, in the mountains or at the lakes. The programme is based on the triade: stadium-theratre-temple. During this period the accommodation is provided in holiday canters. Children and youth who participate in summer camps come from various social backgrounds. About 30% of the participants come from a less-privileged socio-economic, educational and geographical backgrounds. The summer camps offer those children an opportunity to integrate and to establish good relations with their peers. During the camps the volunteers work alongside professional educators and coaches.

January/February: winter camps organised in ski resorts in Poland (programme as during the summer camps). During this period the volunteers work alongside the professional staff and organise free time indoor (games, competitions) and outdoor (skiing, snowboarding) activities.


C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment process

We are open to host everyone who has strong motivation to work with children and youth. Parafiada Association does not discriminate volunteers on grounds of sex, religion or social provenience. It is important that the volunteer is outgoing and motivated to participate in sport, cultural and educational activities with children and youth and that he/she is capable of interacting within the team of both laic staff and the representatives of religious Piarist Order. The volunteer should be dynamic and active. The work with children and youth implies flexibility and mobility. The volunteers should also be willing to learn Polish during the EVS project. We are open to cooperate with all kind of sending organisations To apply, the volunteer should send us his/her CV and motivation letter.


D. Risk prevention, protection and safety

The volunteers will be guided and will receive support from supervisor, mentor and if requested by volunteer also from the Piarist Order. Regular meetings will be organised with the volunteer in order to assess his/her work and social inclusion progress and individual needs. The voulnteer will have a possibility to evaluate his/her experience along the project, which will help in preventing problems and crises. Moreover, supervision of professional educators and coaches will be costantly available in working environment. Each volunteer will have its mentor - usually former EVS partecipant, who will be his/her friend and will help to solve problems. Volunteers will be working in friendly and youth environment so they will be able to receive support from all workers of Association.

During the school year the accomodation is provided in shared appartments with other students or EVS volunteers, therefore we are open to host volunteers age 18-30. We are able to host volunteers aged 16-17 only in case of short-term EVS during the summer when they can live on the premises where the projects are taking place and where they can receive additional assistance from social workers and educators.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=58000353710