Miloslaw is a town of 3.600 inhabitants, located 47 km from Poznan - the capital city of Wilekopolska region (650.000 inhabitants) and 15 km from a town of Wrzesnia (30.000 inhabitants). There is a beautiful palace from 19th century with a landscape park (a gymnasium is situated there now) and a historical church from 17th century, as well as shops, post office and police station.

Mikuszewo is a small village, where the International Youth Meeting House (IYMH) Mikuszewo is situated. IYMH is a center of civic education, which conducts activities to the benefit of active democratic society based on tolerance and respect for human rights, denying violence in international and social relations as well as places to build European identity among Polish people. IYMH organises international youth meetings (in particular Polish-German), practical trainings for secondary school students, courses for multiplicators of youth exchange, cultural and educational projects for youth living in the district Miloslaw.


Our aim is to create a modern nursery school that meets expectations of children, parents, teachers, and education and local government authorities. We use open and active education methods:
- Children learn to read using "A Letter Wall" method (developed by dr Irena Majchrzak).
- Our teaching methods are designed to encourage children's active participation in classes. We use the "Developmental Movement" method or fun activities designed by KLANZA educators' association. We come up with educational contexts which chime with children's needs and unlock their creative potential.
- Our supplemental classes include speech therapy, bad posture correction, rhythmic exercises, relaxation and English classes.

We try to foster our children's love for their region and its culture as well as teaching them to be appreciative of nature and environmentally aware. Proper social and ethical development, including a pro-family education, is also the focus of our efforts. In our work, we try to make our children more sensitive to the needs of other people, and respectful of the elderly. We organise family events ('Let's have fun together') for children and parents from the Miloslaw municipality. Our children take part in church celebrations such as nativity plays, or sing Christmas carols for the local community or children with disabilities from the nearby Czeszewo active therapy centre. Our children have also been involved in social and ecological awareness initiatives such as helping children in Africa, environmental cleaning ("Let's Clean the World"), or small change collections for children's homes ("Góra grosza"). We organise art competitions so that our Miloslaw nursery school can participate in the international art competition held by The Children's Gallery and Centre for Artistic Activity in Torun. Our children attend concerts and theatre spectacles or meet interesting people (conjurers, ornithologists etc.).

Our international volunteers will:
- take care of children together with the assigned group teacher;
- make teaching aids;
- help improve room aesthetics (e.g. decorating rooms or corridors);
- help create our thematic brochures;
- carry out fun activities (motor and thematic) in the volunteer's native language;
- help organise school celebrations for children, their parents and the local community;
- take part in, and help organize outings and walks;
- organise sport activities for children (indoor and outdoor);
- help in routine cleaning activities, meal preparation and serving, or feeding poor eaters.

An international volunteer should be responsible and interested in working with children. Our volunteer's personality traits should be such as to facilitat his or her contacts with young children. Skilla in plastic arts, ability to play a musical instrument or knowledge of games and fun activities for young children would be a plus. A volunteer should be willing to learn Polish (knowledge fo basic Polish would also be welcome) and explore methods and forms of work with young children
in Poland.
Kindergarten 'Koszalek Opalek' is open to work with new partners.
The project in the Kindergarten 'Koszalek Opalek' lasts 9 months, from 1st October till 30th June.
Kindergarten 'Kosza³ek Opa³ek' is able to host 2 volunteers at one time


A volunteer during the project will have the tutor's care assured. The tutor, as well the project coordinator, will be to help the volunteer in any emergencies. In any such case the volunteer may solve his/her problems with the help of the tutor, but if that is not enough the project coordinator is to aid. Of course during the first days of the project the volunteer will be told all the rules of health & safety work in his/her host organisation and will learn the rules that regulate the work of the 'Koszalek Opalek' kindergarten.