Dear friends of Sodrujestvo all over the world!
We would like to let you know that we are having 3 projects for which we are looking for long-term volunteers. If you or your friends would be interested in the proposed projects – you all are welcome to apply! Here are the descriptions of the projects:

1. PROJECT FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL KIDS:
Youth Voluntary Center “Sodrujestvo” is located in Cheboxary, the capital of the Republic of Chuvashia in Russia. Cheboxary is a provincial town, situated 650 km to the east from Moscow. The Chuvash Republic is a small local ethnicity with about 1,5 mln inhabitants. Its history and culture is rich, but unfortunately it is forgotten and replaced by the more wide-spread Russian culture. It is sad. The Chuvash nationality is becoming a minority verses Russians and the local language is dying. There are also a lot of stereotypes created in the Soviet period of the Russian history where being “Chuvash” was considered “poorely educated, not-intelligent, rural and primitive”. So that way Chuvash speaking people are often excluded and discriminated. Youth Volunatry Center “Sodrujestvo”, whose values are equal rights for people with different backgrounds, respect to all cultures and nationalities is initiating this project to help the revival and promotion of the local Chuvash culture and language. This project will be carried out in a local state primary school where primary school kids will be taught the Chuvash language, its culture and traditions. There will be a lot of work done for breaking down stereotypes and prejudeces, improving the image of the Chuvash culture and creating a positive picture in the minds of the kids and their parents about cultural and national differences. For this project we would like to attract an international volunteer, who will help creating the atmosphere of promoting multiculturalism, multilanguages and tolerant attitute towards “different” background. The target group of the project – primary school kids – will study full time at school and their study program will include different activities aimed at reaching the set goals. The volunteer will take part in this activities and will also organise his own activities (games, role-plays, performances, discussions, lessons) about cultural differences, tolerance towards different backgrounds, breaking down stereotypes and prejudices.
Volunteer tasks in more detail:
• Taking part in the school activities, such as lessons, presentations, role-plays, educational games – 30% of the time.
• Preparing materials for organizing his own activities – 30% of the time.
• Organizing activities for the kids – 40% of the time.
A week will include 30 working hours. Sample weekly schedule is attached. A volunteer will have two days off per week, and usual national bank holidays of the country plus some additional holidays upon request. A usual day of the volunteer will be a day at school participating in the school activities or initiating his/her activities. There will be also days with meetings with activists of the similar projects, outside activities and games, excursions.
Volunteer will be provided accommodation in a flat or hosting family, depending on his/her preferences. Volunteer will cook for him/herself, lunches during working days will be organized at a canteen. Monthly pass for local transportation will be provided. For language training, individual lessons with tutor will take place twice a week.
The volunteer will be working as part of the project team, closely together with the volunteers of “Sodrujestvo”.
Expected outcomes and results of the project, including success indicators:
• Educational and project management experience of the volunteer
• New skills and knowledge about the social and cultural situation in the local ethnicity
• Promotion of multicultural and multinational society in the local ethnicity
• Intercultural learning and understanding of local culture
• Improved social skills of the volunteer

2. INTERCULTURAL CLUB FOR YOUNGSTERS:
Aims: to contribute into the education and development of the local youth aged 10 -20 years in order to make them more educated, more aware of the cultures of the other countries, to teach them tolerance to other countries, religions, races, backgrounds, and more interested in people who are different. This project complies with the annual priorities “Intercultural dialogue” as there will be regular communication of the foreign volunteer with the local youngsters and they will also work together on different projects and working together will create more understanding. There will be 4 intercultural communication clubs led by this volunteer: 3 clubs in the local colleges and one club for the active “Sodrujestvo” young volunteers (aged 10-16). The work of the clubs will be carried out on the permanent basis throughout the whole period of the volunteer EVS project.
Phases:
1. preparation – 1 month
2. implementation – 8 months
3. evaluation – 1 month
Role and tasks of the volunteer:
1. Lead several clubs of International friendship: preparing activities of the club, working out the programe of the activities and
making the clubs themselves.
2. Participate in other intercultural and educational activities, organised by Youth Voluntary Center “Sodrujestvo” in the local context.
Working hours: 6-7 hours a day
Days off: Saturday and Sunday, bank holidays
Food, accomodation, and local transport: the volunteer is provided money for food each month, for local transport and accomodation is provided in the host family or a rented flat. The volunteer will cook him/herself, for lunch he/she can use the canteen.
The volunteer will be prepared, trained and supported by the mentor from the Host Organization in the beginning of the project and later on the daily basis. There will be on-arrival training in the Host Organization and Mid-term evaluation in the Host organization.
The volunteer will work on the project together with the Russian volunteers – members of the Host Organization: International Youth Volunteer Center “Sodrujestvo”. The Russian volunteers will help the international volunteer to integrate and work on the project as a team.
A standard week of service will look as follows:
Monday
9 o’clock – 12.00 o’clock – preparing activities for the club, looking for information, materials, working out the program meeting with the mentor and the Russian volunteers who will help the foreign volunteer to organise the club.
12.00 – 13.00 – lunch break,
13.00 – 14.00 – Russian lesson,
14.00 – 17.00 – making the intercultural club in the Pedagogical University
Tuesday
9 o’clock – 12.00 o’clock – preparing activities for the club, looking for information, materials, working out the program meeting with the mentor and the Russian volunteers who will help the foreign volunteer to organise the club.
12.00 – 13.00 – lunch break,
13.00 – 15.00 – meeting with the youngsters, identifying their needs: what they would like to learn, what they are interested in, what knowledge could be useful for them,
15.00 – 17.00 – making the intercultural club in the Engineering University
Wednesday
9 o’clock – 12.00 o’clock – preparing activities for the club, looking for information, materials, working out the program meeting with the mentor and the Russian volunteers who will help the foreign volunteer to organise the club.
12.00 – 13.00 – lunch break,
13.00 – 14.00 – meeting with the workcoordinator and/or mentor for evaluation and planning, reflection on what can be done for the improvement
14.00 – 17.00 – making the intercultural club in the Social University
Thursday
9 o’clock – 12.00 o’clock – preparing activities for the club, looking for information, materials, working out the program meeting with the mentor and the Russian volunteers who will help the foreign volunteer to organise the club.
12.00 – 13.00 – lunch break,
13.00 – 14.00 – Russian lesson,
14.00 – 17.00 – making the intercultural communication club for active “Sodrujestvo” young volunteers
Friday
9 o’clock – 12.00 o’clock – helping in the office of the “Youth Voluntary Center “Sodrujestvo” preparing the activities organised by us
12.00 – 13.00 – lunch break,
13.00 – 14.00 – helping in the office of the “Youth Voluntary Center “Sodrujestvo” preparing the activities organised by us
14.00 – 17.00 – participation in the weekly “Sodrujestvo” meeting with all the active members, planning, preparing the projects and evaluating the organised projects.

3. PROMOTION OF VOLUNTEERING IN CHEBOKSARY, RUSSIA
The idea of volunteering is still not very widespread in Russia, but we see it as a wonderful way of bringing people together, working together and bringing positive results in many different spheres of life. With this project we want to directly involve an EVS-volunteer in the organisation of our volunteer activities. The presence of the foreign volunteers is motivation for Russian volunteers and it helps to accustom them to the international environment. It is also important that our project partners can be prepared for the specialities of running an international project. Furthermore, we have already hosted EVS volunteers and we are convinced by the positive experience of bringing new and cross-european/-cultural dimension to our organization. The volunteer will inform the possible volunteers about the mission of international voluntary movement, the procedure of how to become a volunteer and what can be done to participate in international voluntary workcamps. She/He will also help with administrative work connected with promoting volunteering. The volunteer will participate in the international camp leader training, too. We highly encourage the volunteer to look for local project partners with whom we could possibly cooperate in the future in organizing work camps. There is also a wide range of opportunities to start a new project with our local partners. Therefore the volunteer will have an opportunity to learn how an NGO works and also how to cooperate with different people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. During the camp season we expect the volunteer to help coordinating the camp. During the whole service we expect the volunteer to participate in our events.
Volunteer tasks in more detail:
• Visiting schools and colleges with presentations about international voluntary movement and sharing with students its values and mission. Communicating with Russian volunteers about their projects and consulting them about how to participate in international voluntary projects – 30% of the time.
• Preparing materials for organizing leaders’ training for the campleaders of our organized workcamps and organizing this training together with the vols of our organization – 15% of the time.
• Preparing and organizing together with Russian volunteers a training for outgoing volunteers about the mission and values of SCI together with the information about the specific character of participating in an international workcamp – 15% of the time.
• Look for potential project partners with whom we could potentially make voluntary projects in the future – which means working with the local voluntary organizations data-base, meeting different activists of voluntary organizations of the region. If possible – start a new project together with the volunteers of our organization – 20% of the time.
• Helping in preparing the workcamps organized by “Sodrujestvo” – working out the plan of activities of the workcamp, its program, helping in spreading the word about the workcamp among Russian volunteers, participating in the workcamp – 20% of the time.
A week will include 30 working hours. Sample weekly schedule is attached. A volunteer will have two days off per week, and usual national bank holidays of the country plus some additional holidays upon request. There will be different types of working days, e.g. days with office work, including internet research, putting together information materials, preparing handouts and meetings, writing letters etc. And there will be days with meetings with local teachers, students and activists, outside activities and games, excursions.
Volunteer will be provided accommodation in a flat or hosting family, depending on his/her preferences. Volunteer will cook for him/herself, lunches during working days could be organized at a canteen. Monthly pass for local transportation will be provided. For language training, individual lessons with tutor will take place twice a week.
The volunteer will be working as part of the project team, closely together with the volunteers of “Sodrujestvo”. The volunteer will have the opportunity to develop his or her own small project, and realize it during the EVS. Possible examples can be – ecological or educational projects.
Expected outcomes and results of the project, including success indicators:
• new knowledge and skills of the volunteer and local activists
• promotion of international volunteering among local Russians, of SCI and its values (raised awareness of the local students)
• organized campleaders training for local workcamps
• organized training for outgoing volunteers
• intercultural learning and understanding of local culture among the participants
• improved contacts with other local voluntary organizations, schools, colleges
• volunteer is involved in preparation and realization of international volunteer workcamp on environmental subject
• presentation and facilitation skills, team work, leadership and work with students