Events

Voluntary work can always be a good idea, especially if it is not in the city the person is born in.

Due to this fact, we as EVS Volunteers in one primary school in Krakow, had a great experience doing this extra-voluntary work on the Language camp in Siedlikow, Ostrzeszow. Together with two Ex- volunteers, Paul and Ildefonso, we had a chance to be together with 35 teenagers up to 15 years old, and 3 amazing teachers. The whole event started on Friday evening, and finished on Sunday afternoon. At first, every volunteer had a team of approximately 8 teenagers, and during the weekend we had a lot of different interactive competition games. At the end the teachers were collecting the points of every game and there was a price for every person 

During the second day of the weekend, we went for a short hike in the woods close to the school. There we made barbecue, had a lot of fun and the teams were making videos for a very popular Christmas song. And the last day, but not the least, we went for a short excursion to one very beautiful city, especially for Christmas time, Wroclaw.

To sum up in few words: a lot of happy faces in one place, good vibes, positive energy, great atmosphere, friendly teenagers, and teachers providing with pleasure everything a volunteers and teenagers need.

Happiness is doing small things, with great love.

Natalija from Serbia

Marija from Macedonia

The second Friday of October volunteers and interns played the city game “Explore Krakow”. They formed four competing groups “Die Glücksbärchies”, “People”, “Stereotypes” and “Boo”. Starting from Wojewódzka Biblioteka Publiczna w Krakowie in Rajska 1 they interviewed Poles, met challenges and finally became rewarded with Zapiekanki at Plac Nowy in Kazimierz where the game ended after more or less 150 minutes of exploring. We officially announce the 1st place with 500 points: “Stereotypes”.

Let`s imagine 15 young people. They are in a library in Krakow. Running around but trying not to distract anyone (because it`s a library still).  Eager to find this one painting. The artist name is Pawel Slota.

“Register and make a library card. (Trust me, it doesn`t take long and is free of course) After this you borrow one book (In the 2nd floor there are also foreign languages).” This task was also successfully completed by (most) of the rivals, as you can see here:

Next stops: Stare Miasto, Bania Luka, Collegium Maius, Tree of Independence, Ambassada, Wawel Dragon. What happened at the Wawel dragon is worth to show you, so enjoy this funny task: “Create a human circle around the Wawel dragon with each of you holding hands. The dragon is pretty big, isn`t it? Your challenge is to find people to support you to close the circle. Take a photo!”

“I was surprised that so many people supported us creating the circle” ~ said a volunteer from one of the groups. Also the interns from Germany are enjoying to get to know Krakow in an interactive way. “We are happy that the organization goes so smooth and that the cooperation is uncomlicated” said one of them.

However, in the end every group made it to the final task and everyone was rewarded by a huge Zapiekanka (Polish Pizza baguette) and they decided to “den Tag ausklinegen lassen” in a cozy Cafe (meaning having a nice and relaxed ending of the day in a Cafe).

article by

Katharina Becker

EVS volunteer

Introduction

The last day of September eight (ex)volunteers, Marija, Nataljia, Georgina, Pascal, Ilfonso, Rafa, Giorgi, Kathi and Natasza from IB Polska office visited and supported the Farmer`s Day (Dzień Farmera) at the Farm of Life in the village Więckowice. The farm is a home for people who suffer from autism – the only one in Poland. We were a pretty multiculti and balanced group of volunteers, representing seven different countries which are Spain, Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, Germany, Georgia and last but not least Poland. Together we supported some activities for children and enjoyed the delicious traditional Polish food.

Chapter I – The Welcoming

For us the day started at Nowy Kleparz at 10 am. By public transport we travelled to the village Więckowice and the head of Farma życia welcomed us and showed us around the places. Everywhere people were busy preparing things for their stand of marmelade, honey, self-made porcelain-sculptures, cake as well as a barbecue. Soon the event was oficially opened and more and more people and visitors came. We prepared big papers for a game for children, it was supposed to become a print made out of human hands. We also ate a lot because we could try all the food such as sausages, salads, different cakesand coffee and tea for free.

Chapter 2 – The Mini-Run

After two concerts we started to prepare seven stations for the Mini-Run as a challenge for chidren, but not only for children – everyone was invited to try the run. 1st station – boule game, 2nd station – throwing a medicine ball as far as possible, 3rd station – throwing a basket ball into a bucket, 4th station – slalom-jumping race in sacks, 5th station – throwing small soft-balls into rings, 6th station – parcours on the playground and last station – painting the big paper with hands and feet prints (It was a lot of fun for the children to run over the paper with bare, painted feet) and also for us it was a great peasure to see the development of the print, not knowing how it will look like exactely in the end. Especially the small children enjoyed the fast games such as jumpin-race in sacks and parcours on the playground. Some of th autistic people didn`t like that so much honesty, but really enjoyed thowing small soft-balls into the rings. Pani Gea was also very happy to paint the hair of the children.

Chapter 3 – Human Print and Reward

After a while the children had enough of the games and we finished it. We became also a part of the human print and Natasza painted our hands in different colours. Fortunately we even had some time to explore other attractions such as horse riding, horse carriage riding, fire truck and a huge bouncy castle. The time was come to reward the chidren for their hard work and they received a certificate of participation as well as bags with some small prices and gadgets. We volunteers enjoyed the day and the sunny weather with fresh air in the countryside and would like to visit the farm again.

photography by

Marija

(EVS volunteer)

Pascal

(EVS volunteer)

Giorgi

(EVS volunteer)

Nataljia

(EVS volunteer)

article by Katharina Becker

(EVS volunteer)

Last days of June our volunteers in Autism Centre (Centrum Autyzmu i Całościowych Zaburzeń Rozwojowych), Beatrice, Giorgiana and Xabier, decided to organize a multicultural dinner with all the teachers that had the opportunity to share their classes with.

In this dinner, we had the chance to taste food from different countries: lasagne, grissini, tortilla de patatas, quiche, cheese, ham or salami and Rafaellos and brownie with ice-cream as a dessert.

With all the funny and joy moments, they also had time for surprises so our volunteers get a few gifts as a reward to their job.

From this post, volunteers wanna thank all the teachers they have met during their EVS project and the effort and how involve they were to make then felt integrated. Finally, they would also like to thank Mario (One of the previous volunteers in this Center) for his availability to join this event.

article by Xabier Valcárcel Dagá

(EVS volunteer)

Picnic at the end of holidays

School will start again for children and teens in Krakow in September after summer holidays. Parasol/Rakowicka10 organized a picnic to celebrate the last days of holidays with the help of three volunteers – Geea, Guillaume and Kathi – from I.B. Polska in Ogród Zabaw park.

Parasol/Rakowicka10 is a partner of I.B. Polska. Usually they are working with children from districts Stare Miasto, Kazimierz and Podgorze, living in social difficulties. Also they have street-workers, offer active creative activities and distribute eductional material. This was also a part of the picnic. We have had a space for sharing books. Children could rummage and take books they liked. The aim of the picnic was to promote healthy food and an active lifestyle. Therefore children had the opportunity to cook healthy. They made salad, guacomole and finger-foods. Parasol had also prepared some pasta salad and cake as well as herbata (tee) and kawa (coffee). Mostly the children liked the circus-workshop because they could play different games. Their parents were there and could spend some happy hours all together. During the day more people came and newcomers participated in activities such as egg and spoon race and drawing games. The weather was very warm and the children could play a lot. Even after jumping with skipping rope they had still enough energy for dancing zumba!

We (the volunteers) would like to say that we`ve had a lot of fun with the children and people from Parasol during that day.

article and photography

by Katharina Becker

(EVS volunteer)

In August four volunteers took part in a workshop lead by Paulina Drzal in I.B. Polska office. The aim is to upgrade the original “Anti-Discrimination Pack“ by ICUD to raise awareness about discrimination online.

We distinguish between digital and online discrimination. On the one hand technologies could be used to ‘digitally redline’ unwanted groups, either as customers, employees or others. On the other hand is the internet a platform to spread discrimination and hate anonymous.

We researched examples for hate speech but also for love speech online. We found out that it is much easier to find hate speech than love speech on social media and online platforms. Love speech often is only an attempt to counter hate speech.

We watched a short documentary about Marshall Rosenberg`s (American psychologist, 1934 – 2015)

Non-Violent Communication concept, wich is also know as “compassionate“ or “collaborative“ communication. He explained that our way of education gives two possible ways to choose as a response, either submission or rebellion. It would be better to use a request than a demand because it gives more freedom to the person who receives it. Now, that person can decide to fulfill or deny because a request is not forcing any actions. Before posing a request we must explain our feelings about that particular situation to the other person. We brainstormed about how to promote Non-Violent Communication and love speech online. We wrote the keywords love, respect and tolerance. But those are very general ideas. In my opinion there are two major results of the workshop. Firstly, all volunteers agreed that it is difficult to abandon hate speech completely because the internet is not the reason of it. It only makes it more easy to spread negative thoughts of negative people. To reduce hate speech online, contents must be deleted immedately but that also means control and censorship. Another way is to change minds. I guess this famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi fits in this context, because “thoughts become words (and) words become your actions (…)“. In the end thoughts must be change offline to change online enviornment. Rosenberg said that choise was internal.

Secondly, a result of the workshop also is summed up by a quote by Rosenberg, who said that “the most direct path to peace is through self-connection“.

photgraphy by Paulina Drzal

article by Katharina Becker

(EVS volunteer)

Meeting in Centre for Social Inclusion in Tychy

Centre for Social Inclusion in Tychy is the project of IB Polska and is active since 10 years.

On August 11th four EVS volunteers and Natasza – coordinator from IB Polska office went to Tychy, which is about 1 hour distance from Krakow. The meeting supports cultural exchange between the people of Tychy and the diverse EVS volunteers.

Social worker Paweł Świeżko and the manager Bartłomiej Szymczyk welcomed us and explained their mission. The social centre supports unemployed people (however, unemployment in Tychy is only 3%) and also they set up events for local seniors in order to create a regular senior club and promote social contacts amongst the Tychyerians. About 1300 people get help through food support. Students have the opportunity to do an internships.

First we met people suffering from unemployment due to different reasons. Beatrice prepared a presentation about unemployment in Italy, which is about 40%. She explained that particularly in the South of Italy unemployment is higher than in the North.

The presentation was followed by discussion and the Tycherians are highly interested about the situation of our home countries. Also, we talked about refugees in Europe and realized again that there are huge differences in dealing with refugees in Europe. Polish borders are closed. Italy has to deal with many, many people who fled from war or hunger. Germany is not located at EU border. But this is another pair of shoes.

The volunteers are asked about what they mostly liked about Poland. The answers: Girls, Polish cities (Gdansk in particular), the EVS lifestyle in Krakow.

Later that day we met the seniors who welcomed us warmly and the atmosphere was very positive. Guillaume presented France and Xabi made a video about Spanish culture and the country. We danced and sang and ate food that we prepared. We have eaten delicious Spanish self-made Tortillia di Patatas, French baguette and cheese and German Rote Grütze (also self-made of course).

The seniors prepared traditional Polish “Szla dzieweczka do laseczka” song for farewell, they sang with a lot of passion.

What I like most about that day? The world is a small village. Pawel and I found out that our grandmothers were born in the same Polish village in the North of Poland. Maybe they know each other, I am excited to find out, but we will see. 🙂

article and photography by

Katharina Becker

(EVS volunteer)

story written by Arantza Belmonte

Youth! Together!…What?!

This story starts long, long time ago.
This story doesn?t have a prince and a princess.
Actually, this story has a lot of them.
And, as the stories for kids, it has a happy ending.

Ten months ago, in the mysterious Poland, the project called ?Youth! Together! Now! ? started.
It was a difficult mission for four beginners volunteers. Four knights from all around Europe?Their names were Ksenia, Patricia, Endre and Arantza.  I?m one of them and I?m going to tell you the magic story of the crusade ?Multiculturalism? that took place in Krakow.

Chapter 1

All started with a meeting with our coordinators.

At the begging of the mission we were lost. Even our superiors were confused.
It was so difficult to define the purpose of our work: Why are we doing this? What are we going to talk about? What do we want to share? Who is going to do this? or that? or whatever? Will the people listen to us? What the hell is ?Multiculturalism?? Co to jest ?zine??

?We are doing this because now we are involved in a European program and we should spread the European values in the community where we are living now.? To find out that answer was easy. Multiculturalism? Well? It?s something about opportunities, differences, culture, art, to discover? That one was not so clear.

Due to that chaos in our minds we decided to draw a map to order our thoughts. Then, we started to talk and share our ideas until we found the way? after few months.

Chapter 2

After thinking a lot we met again with our coordinators to talk about the mission and the strategy we decided to follow.

We are knights, but we love kids and we want to teach them the right path. We wanted to know how they see the world so we can help them to understand it and to respect other people. We wanted to show everyone that ?Multiculturalism? is not only a topic for adults and cultivated people. Kids can also understand what it is. Furthermore, it?s a topic that goes by our side since we are born until the day we die.

So, this was the strategy:  we needed to split up to cover more territory.
Then, each of us had their own task. One of us had to prepare workshops to teach the kids (and also the adults) about different topics such as sexuality, dyslexia or gender.
Other knight had to record a movie to explain the people that sometimes discrimination is not as visible as it seems. Then, the other two of us were going to interview the kids to know more about their perception of the world and the main topic. Also they organised workshops to get deeper inside the investigation. Finally, the mission was heading to end up in a public event exhibition to show everyone what we have found out during our crusade.

Chapter 3

Each one of us got on its way.
We worked a lot. We spent a lot of time to accomplish our mission. We visited so many different kingdoms and regions.
The kids had a lot of things to say. They had a lot of things to dream about.
Workshops were done, for kids and adults. Interviews were done and even one of the volunteers did handmade portraits of some of the kids. Different kids, with different appearance and smiles. But, despite that, all of them love each other so much.
It seemed that all the knights were doing their work well. But sometimes it?s difficult to reach a happy ending?

Chapter 4

Like in every mission, not everything it?s perfect. Like in good stories sometimes there are some obstacles that make the knights work harder. Like in good stories, there?s someone who don?t arrive to the end….
Our obstacle was the time. EVS time was going to end and we had to manage to finish our tasks on time. When can we show the results of our work? Each of us had a mission somewhere else?(We were busy knights)
Finally we agreed in the place and date. Our final battlefield was going to be Łaka Café.

Chapter 5

21^st of June arrived and we were ready to face our last challenge.
The exhibition was prepared: we hung in the wall the answers of the kids and the portraits. Also we had the collages that kids made and some delicious food was served in the table; delicious traditional food from different countries to celebrate the triumph of an intercultural crusade.
We offered also some games related to the topic, and, furthermore, one knight prepared a workshop for those who came to join us in our last day of mission.
We explain our crusade, our goals and how we reached them. We explain how hard we fought. But we also explain how happy we felt after all the effort.

Now there?s just one thing left? the final report. Something that in our EVS lands it?s called ?zine?.

The End?

Organizers: EVS volunteers “Youth! Together! Now!” project, Internationaler Bund Polska
Disclaimer: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission within Erasmus + framework. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

On 28th of October a group of volunteers ? Bastien from France, Ivana from Bosnia, Antonio from Italy and Marianna from Hungary ? all participating in the project ?Spread the light? held a photo vernissage, a final presentation of their daily work through photos.

They all work as volunteers in different schools specifically for disabled people. At the vernissage they exhibited 28 photos, 7 from each school, representing their work and some students from their schools also contributed to the event since they made some works of art to be exhibited. The exhibition took place at Zespół Szkół Specjalnych nr. 11 at Dobczycka Street, where one of the hosts of the event, Bastien, works.

            To the vernissage the volunteers had the possibility to invite other volunteers and friends and also people from different organisations. The event started at half past 7: first, the director of the school had a speech and then Bastien gave his own speech about the exhibition where his explained to the visitors what the volunteers wished to express with the pictures: to enable people to discover how volunteers get by at their workplace. In the pictures we can explore on the one hand, the happy aspects of their work, showing how much volunteers and disabled people can give each other but on the other we can also see moment of their daily tasks, such as feeding, helping in music class.

            To sum up, it was a really nice event, which may have the importance for the future in the presentation of the volunteers daily life but at the same time allowing visitors to see how beautiful the job of a volunteer can be.

Organizers: EVS volunteers “EVS – Spread the light” project, Internationaler Bund Polska
Disclaimer: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission within Erasmus + framework. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

article written by Iryna Panchak

Hi! My name is Ira, I?m 23 years old and I?m from Ukraine. I would like to share with you my feelings and experiences which I got during my EVS in Krakow.

Before I came to Poland I was working in Charity Foundation ?Wings of hope? who helps children with cancer. After one year of working there I understood that I need to change something in my life totally. I thought that I need something special which will give me a chance to develop myself and give me new aim in my life. And I was right when I decided to do my EVS in charming Krakow and awesome hosting organization Zespół Szkół Specjalnych  no. 11. During these 10 months I gained huge experience in working with children with disabilities, moreover I got used to being in international team and creating something interesting together.

Except of working in school 6 hours per day, the second part of my EVS planning, managing and implementing an event  within my project ?Youngsters on the Move?.  The project gathered 8 volunteers from different countries, different nationalities, thus variety views and opinions in life. The aim of the project was to highlight the issue of human migration, reasons, consequences and influences of it in the world. Of course, for us it was big challenge to create something together in multicultural team (from Morocco till Ukraine) and it required a lot of patience and understanding, energy and creativity. Participation in this project gave me a chance to look at  human migration from different perspectives (European Union, North of Africa and Post-Soviet country). Each of us has different experiences and insight about human migration; because of that reason, we decided to create our world with different countries, territories, religions and laws and to put everything in the game ?No borders, No barriers?.

The main idea was immerse participants of game in the world of countries with starvations, wars or natural disasters. 4 countries with 11 characteristics, 19 participants and 35 minutes of ?migration? to different countries just trying to find better life for themselves and their families.  Everyone had their own role and story of life and moving to each of 4 countries forced them to reflect on migration process, to solve different problems of moving and make a decision at the moment. This game helped us to present how volunteers see phenomenon of migration, what people could expect by moving in different country and what is waiting for them there.

So, 13^th of June we organized our event, where each of us, but most of all me got a lot of an unforgettable and unique experience to work with international team on important topic nowadays.

Today is 28^th of June and after 3 days I will finish my EVS, my amazing and adventurous trip. This fact makes me sad but I?m also so grateful for having this chance in my life. My EVS was full of the greatest emotions, events, people and experiences. I met a lot of new friends, got new knowledge and great opportunity to improve and develop myself.

Organizers: EVS volunteers “Youngsters on the move” project, Internationaler Bund Polska
Disclaimer: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission within Erasmus + framework. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.