Birka: EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS

Are you ready to start the adventure of a lifetime?

Latvia is a small country but a big world and this project will bring YOU and another amazing person aged between 18 and 30 to Latvia. You will be a team of two working side by side to make an online social media platform for sharing good practices through small but exciting videos. You will be a part of a national organization and will have the opportunity to travel all around Latvia in search of the best sceneries, providing youngsters all around the country with information about your country, Europe and eventually about photography and video making.

SO – WHAT IS THE GOAL?

1. Creating a platform (Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube) for sharing best practices about leading an ecological lifestyle, about civic activities and just about the human decency that we forget in everyday life;
2. Making original video materials about NGOs in Latvia and how they make society better every day, translating English materials to Latvian (with support from language mentor) for sharing global experiences with the local society;
3. Informing young people about their opportunities in the European Union, giving them intercultural experiences and making their mundane life a little more colorful.

WHAT WILL YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE BE LIKE?

• Mornings are usually free, you will have Latvian courses twice weekly;
• Evenings are usually also free, but you will have to organize intercultural events and participate in such events max. two times per week;
• 5 days a week you will have various activities, such as going to Latvian schools and leading workshops about photography, European Solidarity Corps and Europe in general. You will have to make creative photo and video materials during the days, you will have filming times as well. 
• You will meet your mentor once every two weeks, more if necessary;
• There will be Club “The House” events you will need to attend (such as meetings, etc.);
• Your role will also be to participate in various exciting national meetings with other organizations, representing our organization (no worries, that will await you after you have gotten used to the rhythm of things);
• And finally, your everyday life will be full of young enthusiasts, friends, and amazing colleagues.

YOUR BENEFIT:

1. Lots of contacts from Latvia and a whole bag of new ideas and motivation for the continuation of your career;
2. Youthpass certificate, noting all of your gained experiences and officially proving your participation in the project;
3. European Solidarity Corps participant certificate;
4. Europass Curriculum Vitae;
5. Europass Certificate Supplement;
6. The president of Club “The House” will write you a personal letter of recommendation for the next steps in your career;
7. If you are planning to pursue arts or digital marketing, this year will be the boost you need – you will have the chance to add to your portfolio and take partial credit to all of the created materials.

LIVING CONDITIONS AND OTHER LOGISTICS:

• You will have to purchase the transportation tickets for arrival on July 1, 2019 and the travel costs will be reimbursed upon arrival;
• Pocket money of 120 EUR per month (for personal expenses, food covered from organizational support);
• Your apartment will be in Riga and you will be living with your colleague (the other EVS volunteer);
• Health insurance will be provided for the whole year;
• You will have a support person – mentor, who will be available for personal development support;
• There will be a logistical support person available 24/7, they will handle all expenses and help you with documentation;
• Other specifics will be discussed in the video interview and after acceptance. In case of questions, contact us.

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM A VOLUNTEER:

1. You should be aged between 18 and 30;
2. You should be a European citizen, preferably from Poland or Germany;
3. For ensuring project quality, we expect that you are an open person, ready to learn and grow along with the organization and project;
4. You need to have basic communicative English at least;
5. We expect the volunteer to participate for the entire year from July 1, 2019, until June 30, 2020;
6. The candidate should have a basic understanding of photography and video-making, but this is not compulsory.

FINALLY, ABOUT CLUB “THE HOUSE” – YOUTH FOR A UNITED EUROPE

We are young people working for the benefit of society as a whole. Mostly, we make all kinds of cool projects and create amazing memories together, but we also work side by side with the national government and coordinate European School clubs in Latvia. A lot of our time goes into making ties between different young people from Latvia and other countries. 

What is most important – none of us are above the age of 30, the average age of our board of members is 21! But although we seem young, the generations of our organization (which is already 24 y.o.) have passed down all of their experience and we are the spearheads of some very cool and exciting stuff – JEF Latvia, European School clubs, Eurodesk Latvia, National youth projects, Erasmus+ youth exchanges and local arts festivals. 

Our small office is in the Social Sciences faculty of Latvian University. That is where all of our old markers and fresh brochures are located. We won’t lie – it’s a small space, but the warm smiles make it cozy and nice, plus there is always tea, coffee, and cookies (or fruits, because veganism is quite popular right now). On the project you should be ready to spend some time in our office, learning Latvian and teaching others your language, because sharing is caring!

YOUR TIMELINE:

1. Fill this application;
2. Get invited to a video interview;
3. You will have to purchase a ticket to Latvia until June 30, 2019 (to ensure your participation);
4. Arrival in Latvia after July 1, 2019 but before July 27, 2019;
5. Project activities…
6. Departure home after 12 months, depending on when you arrive.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN TO IMPRESS US