Applicant of the project is ELIX - Conservation Volunteers Greece, www.elix.org.gr
When: from February 2020 to December 2020 (dates are flexible so indicate in your application in case there is any availability restrictions and we will take it into consideration)
Duration: for a duration of 10 months
Place: Athens, Greece
Available places: 1 volunteer per proposed position
Profile of ESC volunteer required:
Young people from 18 to 30 who are ready to move to Greece and are available for a period of 10 months with residence in one of the ESC programme countries.
The project involves a lot of administration work; therefore, volunteers should be ready and willing to work in the ELIX office together with other volunteers and staff of the organisation.
Each volunteer should possess the following:
- Strong interest in international mobility projects,
- Previous volunteering experience (preferably in workcamps or other volunteering activities) and/or international Youth Exchanges,
- Good understanding of non-formal education and informal learning,
- Adequate computer skills (Internet, Microsoft Office, Google Doc),
- Adequate level of English,
- Embraces the values of sustainability, gender equality and social inclusion.
Once this pre-selection is done, candidates will be invited to a Skype interview, in which we will discuss with them their motivation and their possible personal contribution to this project.
About the Project:
The activity will be hosted in Athens, in the office of ELIX and the different venues coordinated by ELIX such as its Learning Centers.
The project will involve volunteers focusing and supporting 2 different areas:
The Incoming Placement Support Officer is responsible for the placement of volunteers in international workcamps (www.elix.org.gr/en/be-volunteer-en/workcamps-with-elix-en) in Greece. Daily tasks will include:
- Placing international volunteers in ELIX workcamps,
- Communication with international partners,
- Updating the workcamp catalogue with the projects running during the summer to be presented to the partners and volunteers,
- Supporting and participation in the camp leaders training course,
- Mentoring camp leaders before and after the camp,
- Lead and/or participate in workcamps during the summer,
- Supporting the organisation of local actions, their coordination and implementation,
- Be encouraged and trained to develop and implement own ideas,
- Support the daily activities of the office and participate in various actions of ELIX outside the office.
Updating/ creation of tools related to volunteering and non-formal education projects implemented by ELIX
The Communication and Visibility Support Officer is responsible for the development of communication and visibility material for the organization and the projects that are implemented. Daily tasks will include:
- Collecting and preparing promotional materials for workcamps abroad,
- Preparing lists for promotion of workcamps,
- Creation of audiovisual and web content to highlight the activity of the organisation (Press Releases, videos, photos, leaflets etc.),
- Collecting the reports from the volunteers after the workcamp and publishing them on the website,
- Lead and/or participate in workcamps during the summer,
- Supporting the organisation for local actions, their coordination and implementation,
- Be encouraged and trained to develop and implement own ideas.
Each volunteer will be assigned with a tutor, a staff member of the organization, and will have the opportunity to be involved in all the necessary steps of the organization of several activities. This service enables the volunteer to have a significant experience within an organization active in sectors of youth and lifelong learning, acquire new skills, get in touch with volunteers of all ages from Greece and around the world and last but not least live in a multicultural environment.
Volunteers will have the chance to develop his/her organizational skills by being involved in the preparation and implementation of different kinds of activities, improve his/her sense of responsibility and initiative towards the tasks undertaken, work in a team in a highly multicultural environment, meet different people and cultures.
Besides that, he/she will have the opportunity to develop a social network and participate in seminars, trainings and other cultural actions of ELIX or partner organizations. ELIX is currently implementing a non-formal education project in cooperation with UNICEF supporting migrant and refugee youth, therefore the volunteers will have the opportunity to be involved in supporting activities.
Finally, all the services and advantages that the volunteer has the right to enjoy, will be provided, according to the European Solidarity Corps programme Guide.
Previous experiences:
You can read below previous experiences from volunteers who completed their service with ELIX in similar positions:
Lisa Thierry: What about my EVS in Greece?
Andres @ ELIX "12 months of constant learning" - 2017
For more stories click here.
Aim and objectives:
Nowadays, given the problems prevailing at both European and international level, European Solidarity Corps program creates the most advantageous conditions to the inhabitants of the continent to come into contact with each other in an organized pedagogical framework, to exchange experiences and views on from current burning issues and take part in a program that promotes the value of active citizenship.
More specifically the objectives of the volunteering activities proposed are:
- To promote international mobility and freedom of movement,
- To promote international voluntary workcamps: 2-3 weeks long voluntary projects in which an international group of volunteers for a common cause,
- To support the preparation, support and implementation of workcamps in Greece:
- “This summer is ours!": Implementation of a creative programme with children with disabilities in the summer of 2019 in Elefsina and Thessaloniki, both in the educational part with the support of competent teachers, and in the reporting part by covering it with video and photographs.
- “Summer in the City”: Organising creative activities for children aged 6 to 12 years old in the municipality of Athens and its surroundings, with the participation of volunteers from around the world.
- Other types of projects such as Environmental and Conservation.
- To support the preparation, promotion and implementation of other international mobility projects such as long and short term ESC, Erasmus+ funded Youth Exchanges, Training Courses, etc,
- To promote the European Solidarity Corps programme: The volunteer will contribute to the promotion of the project, mainly through social media and by coming in contact with the Greek volunteers who daily visit the office ELIX,
- To develop concrete tools for awareness raising on the values mentioned above,
- To make young people more aware about global issues such as migration and climate change,
- To empower young people in designing and implementing effective non-formal education workshops,
- To support the inclusion of participants with fewer opportunities in international mobility projects.
Responsibilities and practical arrangements:
Rights and responsibilities:
Volunteers:
- Will work an average of 30 h/week, always under the responsibility of ELIX youth workers who will be supporting and advising them,
- Are entitled of 2 days-off per week, which will be mainly weekends. They may be asked to work during some weekend due to some specifically planned activity,
- Will have the autonomy to develop their own personal projects but won’t be responsible for an activity on its own,
- Can host a guest in the house only after the communication and the approval from the Volunteers Coordinator and for a period of maximum 7 days,
Practical Arrangements:
- Volunteers will be hosted in a rented apartment in Athens that will be shared among them. They may share their room with another volunteer,
- The volunteer will receive monthly food allowance – 120 Euro,
- Pocket Money - 5 euros per day (appr. 150 euros per month),
- Travel costs to and from Athens are covered up to the amounts mentioned below (section Financial conditions),
- Greek language courses will be provided by the Online Linguistic Support,
- Insurance is covered by CIGNA,
- On-arrival training and mid-term evaluation will be provided and organised by the Greek National Agency.
Risks and crisis prevention:
In order to prevent any kind of crisis, ELIX believes that the info given during the preparation of the volunteers plays a very important role.
- The detailed description of the activities, the possibilities for socializing, the accommodation and food and working conditions are very helpful for the volunteers in order to be orientated before their arrival.
- The volunteer receives a detailed info pack before arrival and a welcome pack upon arrival where she/he can find useful call numbers and emergency numbers as well as info for his/her better integration to the local society.
- The volunteer will participate in a weekly meeting in order to have the chance to talk about difficulties s/he is facing and find ways to overcome any possible issues occurred,
- Once the volunteer arrives s/he attends a 1 day orientation session in the ELIX office, where among other things s/he becomes aware of all the necessary instructions and measures for risk prevention for his safety in the house (house conditions, fire protection, use of electronic or gas devices etc), transport rules and habits, travelling, health prevention and local everyday life.
- The volunteer will be provided with mobile numbers of his mentor and the Volunteer Coordinator. He/she will be able to use these numbers 24 hours /7 days.
How to apply:
Please fill in the application form at the end of the article and send your CV by email to Tilemachos Boni at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject “ESC_Im4ALL_YOUR NAME”.
The pre-selected candidates will be interviewed (via skype).
Contacts:
For further information please contact Tilemachos Boni, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Deadline for responses: Review of applications will begin the 10th of January 2020 and continue until the positions are filled.
Financial Conditions:
Travel costs to and from Athens are covered according to the European Solidarity Corps lump sums, based on the travel distance.
Travel distances must be calculated using the distance calculator supported by the European Commission.
For travel distances between:
100 - 499 km: 180 EUR per participant
500 - 1999 km: 275 EUR per participant
2000 - 2999 km: 360 EUR per participant
3000 - 3999 km: 530 EUR per participant
4000 - 7999 km: 820 EUR per participant
8000 km or more: 1100 EUR per participant
