We are excited to announce that once again we are looking for 2 long term volunteers for our projects in Oostende and in Ganshoren (Brussels). Both projects will start in September, so we are looking for someone that can join us end of August beginning of September.
A little back ground:
Youth Centre De Takel: the project is to support a Don Bosco Youth Centre in Oostende for 12 months as a youth worker. They do activities about sports and crafts. But the main aim of the project is to be involved with the youth that visits the centre. The majority of the members of the youth centre have a migration background, or have arrived in the country as refugees and asylum seekers. That is why we ask for someone that is open and likes multicultural environments. As an extra, it they have experience in the youth sector would be nice, since they would be involved right away with the youngsters.
I will attach the info pack for more practical information, as well as the link to the European solidarity Corps website so they can apply. If you have someone that is very interested in join us and you feel like it is a good fit, you can directly send their CV and motivation letter to me directly!
Opportunity detail page | European Youth Portal
 
Boarding School Don Bosco Ganshoren: the project aims to support the Don Bosco Ganshoren Boarding school for 11 months. The volunteer will join the team in the boarding school as a responsible for the living group, this refers to the youth that lives in the accommodations during the week due to difficulties at home, or within the family. However, during the day they will join the children’s group, doing activities, helping them with homework etc. Now, since they will be joining the boarding school, they also have to oblige with the rules of the accommodations, for example a curfew at 22h. It is quite a shock for most that is why we want to give as much information as possible so they know in advance that during the week they cannot leave the facilities after this time. We are looking for anyone that is enthusiastic about education, that wants to experience working with different age groups and that is committed to the project. 
Once again, I will attach the info pack for more practical information, as well as the link to the European solidarity Corps website so they can apply. If you have someone that is very interested in join us and you feel like it is a good fit, you can directly send their CV and motivation letter to me directly!
Opportunity detail page | European Youth Portal
 If you know of someone that might be interested let us know! And if you have any further questions don’t hesitate and message me!
Celia Aller Irurzun [email protected] 
​

Long-term ESC in Germany in a public kindergarten
When: 1.09.2025 – 31.08.2026
Where:
The public kindergarten in Benediktbeuern is attended each day by around 90 children between 1-6 years old. There, they have the opportunity to learn through playing indoors and outdoors, as well as creative activities. They also share meals and acquire life skills such as communication and community life. The oldest kids participate in special activities meant to help them prepare to attend school in the following years.
 
Your missions:
Each day, you will help lead the children through the day, playing with them, reading books or supervising creative activities. You will also support the team with day-to-day work, such as supporting the kitchen team for lunch. You will have the opportunity to develop your own project with the children based on your own strengths and interests.
 
Location:
Benediktbeuern is a beautiful Bavarian village of about 3000 inhabitants, located at the foot of the Alps. It is surrounded by many hiking tracks, perfect for nature lovers. It is easily accessible from Munich (an hour by train, direct). Shops, doctor’s cabinets and leisure places (swimming pool, gym) can all either be found in the village or easily accessed by train or bus.
 
This is the project for you if…

• You enjoy working with children and supporting their growth and learning project
• You are flexible and spontaneous, able to work in several different fields and adapt to unexpected situations
• You are creative and imaginative and would like to share this creativity with children

Practical Arrangements

• This project is supervised by a supporting organisation: the youth centre Aktionszentrum in Benediktbeuern (5 minutes away from the kindergarten). They will act as a mediator between you and the kindergarten, and take care of all practical details.
• You will work 32 hours per week.
• As per the ESC-guidelines, you will receive two days of holiday each month.
• You will receive a monthly allowance according to the ESC frame of reference. 
• You will be provided with a bicycle as mean of local transport.
• You will have a mentor provided by the supporting organisation for this project. You and your mentor will meet on a regular basis, deciding together on the frequency and nature of the meetings.
• You will get all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) at the canteen of the supporting organisation.
• You will be given a room nearby, with access to laundry facilities.
• At the end of your voluntary service, you will receive a Youthpass certificate.

If you are interested please contact the Coordinator Svenja Kleegrewe under [email protected] until the 01.07.2025!

​Long-term project in Germany – Youth education Centre
When: 1.09.2025 – 31.08.2026
Where:
The Aktionszentrum in Benediktbeuern is a youth education centre from the Salesians of Don Bosco. It focuses on educating and preparing young people for the future. The centre hosts 250-300 teenagers between 13 and 19 years old. They come for three-days-long seminars, with workshops around topics that are important to youth and young adults. The Aktionszentrum is based on a pedagogy that focuses on respecting, treasuring and upholding the value of each person as an individual. It is based on trust and understanding between the teenagers and the team. It is a very friendly and open work environment, where you will have a lot of freedom and varied opportunities.
 
Work fields:
You will support the pedagogical activities with the teenagers and be in daily contact with them through tasks like the reception work or the organisation of their free time activities. You will also be involved in practical activities around the house, overseeing the accommodation of groups and supporting their practical needs. In addition, you will have the opportunity to participate in courses as well as special holiday programs (outdoors camp for young adults, Easter celebration with families…). You are also free to develop your own project based on your strengths and interests, such as creative workshops or free time activities.
 
Location:
Benediktbeuern is a beautiful Bavarian village of about 3000 inhabitants, located at the foot of the Alps. It is surrounded by many hiking tracks, perfect for nature lovers. It is well connected to Munich, with trains running every hour (about one hour ride). Shops, doctor’s cabinets and leisure places (swimming pool, gym) can all either be found in the village or easily accessed by train or bus. The village also has its own university, with a lively community of about 500 students.
 
This is the project for you if…

• You like working with teenagers and young people, and/or are interested in the international field
• You are flexible, creative and spontaneous, able to adapt to unexpected situations
• You are independent, able to take initiative and express your wishes

Practical arrangements:

• You will work between 30 and 34 hours per week. If you work overtime, you will be able to take some time off in compensation.
• As per the ESC-guidelines, you will receive two days of holiday each month.
• You will receive a monthly allowance according to the ESC frame of reference. 
• You will be provided with a bicycle as mean of local transport.
• You will have a mentor provided by the supporting organisation for this project.
• You will get all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) at the local canteen
• You will be given a room nearby, with access to laundry facilities.
• During the year, you will attend two mandatory ESC seminars
• At the end of your voluntary service, you will receive a Youthpass certificate.

If you are interested, please contact the Coordinator Svenja Kleegrewe under [email protected] until the 01.07.2025!

THE YOUTH CENTER
Don Bosko centar is an organization based in Podgorica, engaged in youth work.
The main goal for our organisation is to offer educational and fun programmes to children and young adults, in order to give them the possibility to spend free time doing something useful and creative instead of spending time in the streets where they are unsupervised.
Non-formal education is used at our center, where our youngsters acquire skills and knowledge through different activities.
The preventive system is used at our center which offers the youngster previous warning, in a way that the educator can still speak to him in the language of the heart, whether during the time of his education, or later.
Our center is open to everyone aged between 7 and 18 yrs, regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation but our target group usually consists of children coming from socially vulnerable families, who live in Konik, which is one of the poorest areas in Podgorica. Also, we have significant number of Roma population.
We offer different types of daily programmes as well as programmes during winter and summer school break.
We have the following:

• Social&Youth Circus
• School tutoring
• Carpenter workshop
• Sports Activities
• Creative workshops
• Games
• Musical workshop
• Excursions
• Educational workshop
• SportKAT league
• Camping
• Sports tournaments

Through all these activities our visitors develop their talents and potentials, they improve existing and acquire new knowledge.
Sports activities and games stimulate their physical growth.
In the past we have organized different preventive and social programmes indicating the risks of using drugs or other vice.
We are also active on European and international level. We are supporting and hosting ESC accredited organisation, and we encourage our youngsters to participate in training courses, seminars, youth exchanges, study visits organized within Erasmus plus and other youth programmes.

ROLE OF THE VOLUNTEER
Activity start date is 1. September 2024 and activity end date is 30. July 2025.
Main tasks of volunteer will include the following:

• Involved in the activities of the Youth centre:
• Social and Youth circus (www.donbosko.me/cirkus)
• Educational and creative workshops (different topics, making crafts)
• Socializing in the play-room area
• Sports activities (to stimulate physical growth, to develop healthy habits)
• Winter and summer oratories (workshops during school breaks)
• Activities in nature (camping, work actions, excursions)
• Work in the office
• International exchanges

The volunteer will work 30 hours per week. We are expecting from our volunteer to be active, to share the ideas, to use his/her talents, to interact with the others and to join the local community activities together with other volunteers.
He/she will be encouraged to develop and carry on his/her own project.
He/she will:

• Develop his/her own project;
• Work and live in a foreign country, in a multicultural environment;
• Become independent and develop self-confidence;
• Develop and/or improve social skills and organizational skills;
• Develop responsibility and tolerance, etc.

PROFILE OF THE VOLUNTEER
As the volunteer will be mostly active in Social and Youth circus, we expect him/her to have certain circus skills.
It is desirable for the volunteer to know something of the following because he/she will lead the trainings with our local trainers/coaches:

• juggling
• balance
• floor acrobatics
• aerial acrobatics

The volunteer should have a good knowledge of English language.
He/she should be a motivated, open-minded young person aged between 18 and 30 years, willing to engage in social and volunteering activities, able to work in a multicultural environment, able to work individually as well as in a team.

WORKING HOURS AND DAYS OFF
Volunteer will work 6 hours per day, 5 days per week. He/She will usually be free on weekends, because our activities are held during working days. Activities can be held in the morning as well as in the afternoon.
He/She also gets 2 days off per month, and he/she can have a vacation depending on the current situation in the centre. This will be agreed based on his/her wishes with the project team.

VOLUNTEER ALLOWANCE
The volunteer will receive a pocket money of 90 EUR per month.

HOW TO APPLY
We are always searching for willing volunteers to join us. To apply simply send an email to: [email protected] Until 1st of May 2024
Inside this email please tell us a bit about yourself and what motivates you to come join us. Finally attach a CV (Curriculum Vitae) to the email and send it. You can be sure that your information will not be shared without your consent and will only be used for the application process

FOOD AND ACCOMODATION
Volunteer will have lunch in our organization or he/she will receive money for the food. This will be agreed with the volunteer upon his/her arrival. Volunteer will live in a flat with another international volunteer. During entire service there will be two volunteers at the same time. Volunteer’s appartment will be very close to the Youth center, it is around 15 minutes walking distance. Also, the city center is just 25 minutes walking from his/her place.

TRAVEL
Travel costs from volunteer’s country of origin to Montenegro are 100% covered by the project.

If you are interested, you can write to [email protected]

European Solidarity Corps in the youth centre Aktionszentrum Benediktbeuern (3 Volunteers)
01.09.2024 – 31.08.2025
 
The youth centre Aktionszentrum is a retreat house of the Salesians of Don Bosco, a catholic religious order founded in the late nineteenth century by Saint John Bosco in an attempt, through works of charity, to care for the young and disadvantaged children.
The centre hosts weekly about 250-300 youngsters, coming from different schools of the Bavarian region. The team of the centre leads workshops and courses for school classes. Target group are young people between 14 and 19. Aktionszentrum is also active at international level: every year about 25 young people are sent to different countries of the world to spend one year as volunteers. The youth centre is also leading ESC-trainings on behalf of the National Agency of the Erasmus+ programme “Jugend für Europa”, in collaboration with other youth centres.
 
The volunteer will join the staff starting from the 1st of September and will be active in many fields: support of the pedagogical activities with young people; work in the main office and at the reception; personal contact with young people during the week through different activities (front office, sports, organisation of breaks). The volunteer will also be active in different practical activities in the house. She/He will keep an overview on the accommodation of the groups, making easy handcraft work if required, supporting the catering and kitchen staff. The volunteer will also spend some time in the international office to get an overview on the different activities organised by the hosting organisation. The volunteer will work in a small intercultural team of 2-10 young volunteers, coming from different countries (mainly from Germany).
At the end of the service the volunteers is supposed to develop an own project about her/his ESC-experience.
 
Profile of the volunteers
 
Aktionszentrum is coordinating the three projects and supports the volunteers to develop their own skills and knowledge: changes in the time tables are possible according to the needs and wishes of the volunteer.
Requirements:

• Interest in working with children and young people
• Flexibility in working in different fields, creativity
• At least basic communication skills in German are necessary

 
Practical arrangements

• The voluntary service is 30-39 hours a week. If the volunteer works overtime, those hours can be recuperated at a later stage.
• The volunteer receives 2 days of holiday for each month. The concrete arrangements for this will be made during the team meetings. In this way the volunteer can be offered some flexibility in the choice of holidays
• The volunteer receives a monthly allowance according to the ESC frame of reference The volunteer can use a bicycle as mean of local transport.
• The volunteer will meet the mentor on a regular basis, deciding together on the required frequency and nature of the meetings.
• The volunteer will get meals in the canteen (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
• The volunteer will get a room nearby the centre for the months of service (with laundry facilities)
• At the end of the voluntary service the volunteer will get a “Youth pass” certificate.

 
Benediktbeuern is a beautiful village of around 3500 inhabitants in the south of Bavaria. It has an own university (faculty of Social work) and a community of around 500 students.
The village is well connected to Munich (Trains are running every hour- around 60Km / 1 hour ride).
 
Here some information about the village: www.benediktbeuern.de
The website of the youth centre: www.aktionszentrum.de
The website of the Kindergarten: www.kiga-bb.de
 

Contact 
If you are interested in joining our project, please send a CV, a pass photo and letter of motivation to:
 
Svenja Kleegrewe
Don Bosco Str. 1
83671 Benediktbeuern
Tel: +49 (0) 8857 88-312
Fax: +49 (0) 8857 88-349
[email protected]

Or Apply through the ESC webpage: https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/placement/11639_en 
 
Deadline for Applications: 1st of June 2024

​“Pleasant engagement”, that’s what Bosco Base vzw wants to be. By challenging young people to volunteering, formation initiatives and other ways of free time spending/occupation, a contribution is made towards their complete development.
​Please write to [email protected] if you are interested in these opportunities.
​Application deadline: 15/05/2023.

Volunteer work from 12/09/2023 to 30/07/2024
Activity description
We are looking for two European volunteers ! 
The project which will take place in DB Ganshoren, a residential educational youth centre close to Brussels. Next to residential care, the place offers possibilities for oratory (playground), youth work, holiday camps, homework support and different projects supporting the development of young people. The project will have a specific focus on integral ecology approach and education. We want to propose a new experiment aiming to act in the field of integral ecology education.
The tasks of the volunteers will consist of:

• To build up a relationship with the youngsters living at DB Ganshoren
• Organise cultural, sportive and educational activities/workshops for children, young people of DB Ganshoren
• Support the oratory and youth centre during their activities
• Organise awareness campaigns, workshops and educational activities for young people living in

Practical information
Volunteers will be staying at DB Ganshoren in a separate wing of the building. Every volunteer will have the availability over a personal room with a bed, sink, wardrobe and internet connection. The volunteers will share a kitchen, salon, toilet and bathroom. The accommodation is close to public transport and has good connections with Brussels. During working time, meals will be provided by centre's kitchen. During weekends, volunteers will be responsible for their own meals. There will be a bike available for the projects’ volunteers. and everyone receives a train card for 10 rides.
Volunteers receive a weekly household budget and monthly pocket money.
Participant profile
Some requirements for the ESC-volunteers are:

• 18+
• able to communicate in English (and French - optional)
• have some experience in working with young people
• being an independent person
• open towards other cultures and interested to have an intercultural experience
• motivated and eager to learn
• interested in ecological and environmental project development

“Pleasant engagement”, that’s what Jeugddienst Don Bosco vzw wants to be. By challenging young people to volunteering, formation initiatives and other ways of free time spending/occupation, a contribution is made towards their complete development. 
​Please write to [email protected] if you are interested in these opportunities.

At the Salesian Centre Celje, we are looking for volunteers who would spend a year working in our youth centre, carrying out the activities of our centre as part of the program European Solidarity Corps.
We are looking for volunteers aged between 18 and 25 who already have experience working in similar centres and are close to the sales mode of operation and Don Bosco's preventive educational system.
Volunteers will be involved in all projects in the programs of our centre, and we will want them to carry out a project that will enrich the operation of our centre, while giving them the opportunity to develop their competencies.
We are looking for volunteers for the period between September 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023.
All those interested, please send a CV including your previous experience(s) and a motivation letter stating the reasons for working in the young centre, information on their expectations at work and information on the latest contribution to work in the young centre.
Send applications to the following e-mail: [email protected]