Project in Romania: Cultural Fiesta – working with museums

We are looking for volunteers with the European Solidarity Corps program!
The aim of this project is starting both from the needs presented by the cultural institutions regarding the low number of young people who cross their threshold, and from the result of a research: youth in our community know little about the cultural opportunities they have. With ”Cultural Fiesta”, we aim to support the approach of young people to the cultural activities that take place in the city, especially in the 3 cultural partners: the mineralogy exhibition, the village museum and a museum of history. Volunteer participation will therefore be the link between the institutional perspective. Using their ideas and creativity volunteers will ”upgrade” the approaches of these institutions.

Proposed activity period:

• October 2022 – February 2023 (around 5 months) – possibility of project extension

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

1. Increasing the participation of young people (16-35 years old) in the cultural activities proposed by the 3 partner entities with a percentage of at least 20% until the end of the Cultural Fiesta project.
2. Development by the 6 volunteers involved in the project of at least 5 of the 10 most sought after competencies on the labor market, according to the World Economic Forum (solving complex problems, coordination with collaborators, people management, critical thinking, negotiation, quality control, guidance towards services, discernment and decision making, active listening, creativity), thus increasing their chances on the labor market.

Each volunteer internship is divided into several stages:
The first 2 weeks represent the accommodation period. The volunteers have the introduction in the organization, in the city, the presentation of Romania. Also from the first stage is the participation of On Arrival, the training organized by the National Agency. Also, during this period, the first meetings with the mentor take place, on which occasion they establish their personal learning objectives. Then there is the meeting with the 3 public institutions, in which the volunteers get used to the work spaces and the resource people from the institutions. In the middle and last stage, the volunteers work in raising awareness on cultural needs and participation in the local community. Here they also gain important skills that will help them in the future and actively get involved in the local community.

The second stage consists in the actual implementation of the activities. This period is the bulk of the project. In order for things to be structured, the volunteers will have activities in the 3 partner institutions. There they will discover their expectations, they will propose initiatives, they will be directly involved in making their space more friendly for young people, etc.  Monday is dedicated to logistical training and also to the meeting with the project coordinator, the self-reflection activity, evaluations, etc. On this day most of the activities will take place at the office. Friday is dedicated to interacting with young people in the city, to consult them about their needs and expectations regarding their involvement in cultural activities.

Volunteers will be able to plan activities in which to test non-formal learning methods, to apply questionnaires to organize workshops, etc. so that young people from Baia Mare discover the value of culture.

The third stage is represented by the last two weeks of the project. At this stage, attention is directed to measuring the impact, gathering and summarizing the results of all activities, as well as to complete the Youthpass certificate.

A meeting will be organized with all the local partners and with the 10 local young people who will be constantly involved in activities in these institutions and together with them will be established some directions and objectives for the next period.

ACCOMMODATION, FOOD AND TRANSPORT ARRANGEMENTS

Accommodation in rented flats, together with other volunteers and even the room if its needed! The flats are located in the town, have access to public transport, shops and entertainment facilities. The flats are equipped with WiFi, furniture, beds, bed sheets, cutlery, toiletries. The volunteers are responsible for the cleaning and maintaining of the flat. All expenses are paid (and the rent) by the project. Volunteers receive 150 E per month as food money. Local transportation for activities can be reimbursed. International travel expenses are also reimbursed up to a limit!
Pocket money (3 E per day) is provided!

TRAINING DURING THE ACTIVITY

We provide logistic support in the activities. The volunteers take part in On Arrival Training, organized nationally (these may be done online due to covid restrictions). Apart from this, the volunteers have Romanian language lessons included in their schedule. They will undergo short workshops and training’s on: pre-departure training, welcome meeting, getting adjusted to the local reality, working with young people, projects management, safety and security, discovering the area, discovering themselves, teamwork, digital design, how to work with teams of young people, using non formal education methods to work. By their tasks the volunteers will also receive valuable information related to: fundraising and communication.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

The ideal profile we would like is:

• responsible persons with open mind.
• friendly and positive attitude.
• interest in the topic of the project: supporting local culture institution and bringing youth closer to the museums. 
• able to follow an activity plan, and to prepare and lead an activity.
• comfortable with working with all ages groups (with the focus of young people).
• between 18 and 30 years of age.
• serious and motivated persons, ready to get actively involved in the local community, with all the challenges that the pandemic and changes in schedule bring.
• national of any EU state or residency in an EU state.
• good knowledge of English BUT ready to learn a new language (Romanian).
• assume the role of a cultural ambassador for the country they come from, and work towards reducing stereotypes, racism and marginalization in the groups he will work with.
• attentive to the needs of the young people the volunteer will work with, and to the needs of our organization.
• interested in supporting the cultural institutions they will work with and the activities they do.

Participants are accepted regardless of gender, beliefs, preferences, level of education.

You must be able to stay the full duration of the project!!!

EXPECTED RESULTS of the Cultural Fiesta project:

• the volunteers will involve 10 young people from the area of  Baia Mare to design together activities for promoting the cultural institutions in the town.
• the creation of 10 activities/initiatives to attract local young people to cultural institutions.
• getting involved in at least 3 public events to promote youth inclusion, access to culture and support.
• creating and sharing a booklet with at least 30 cultural institutions in Romania.
• creative ways to promote our NGOs activity and the activity of cultural institutions / events in Baia Mare (both offline and online).

DEADLINE TO APPLY: no deadline
HOW TO APPLY?: trough ESC website: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity/placement/25758_en

(You need an ESC profile, a ready CV in English to apply)

The pre-selected candidates will be contacted by the project coordinators to complete a form. They get in touch with us directly (video interview for the purpose of final selection). 

 

HERE YOU CAN FIND SOME PREVIOUS EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES IN THE SAME PROJECT: 

ESC stories: No Siesta – by Chiara

Soundcloud Podcast with Elvi

Soundcloud Podcast with Merle

Elvi Cultural Fiesta: About Baia Mare Village Museum – YouTube