1.The project “Cultural Volunteering – UNITED BY IDEA!” aims at permanent increase of the social activity of people aged 14-26 and adults including +50, through participation in training workshops and self-fulfillment of voluntary tasks, in the framework of the 7th International Festival of Youth Creativity FOLK INSPIRATIONS. The festival is a great “experimental training ground”, an opportunity for young and adult people who want to gain skills and experience in organizing artistic events – concerts, exhibitions, handicraft workshops, fashion shows, studio recordings, online and media promotion, film spots, foreign guests guidance.
The project is about significant participation and influence of the participants on its implementation through the selection of mentors – coordinators of festival tasks and types of voluntary activities.
2. There are three organizations cooperating within this project, whose staff and / or existing volunteers will enhance their potential, gain the skills and experience for further development of their cultural volunteering opportunities:
- Foundation for Promotion and Support of Creativity CONVIVO in Lodz, which aims at strengthening the competence of regular volunteers and gaining new regular workers.
- Julian Tuwim Youth Centre in Lodz, within which there is the Youth Volunteering Centre and which has a volunteer base. Thanks to the project they will attract new volunteers, i.e. people who wish to engage in cultural activities-charity concerts etc. on a regular basis several times a year.
- Janusz Korczak Public Integration School No. 47 in Lodz as a partner aims at education, increasing the awareness of students and parents about the importance of volunteering.
3. The project is going to implement the following objectives:
a) Increase of volunteering activity of young people aged 15-26, adults, including those aged +50 and those with fewer opportunities for culture, art and cultural heritage.
b) Reinforcing local social and intergenerational bonds through volunteering work for and with the local community, as well as making the cooperation among volunteers of different age groups possible.
c) Developing civic and pro-social attitudes by raising the awareness of the importance and benefits of engaging in activities for the sake of the common good, as well as getting to know and experiencing work in non-governmental organizations.
d) Increasing the popularity of volunteering ideas among project recipients by active communication and building social awareness by volunteer participants.
e) Development of hard and soft competencies of participants – useful in further social activity in the sphere of culture through training workshops, mentor care, support of awareness of strengths, work in project teams, entrusting responsible, independent festival tasks.
f) Sharing experiences in cultural volunteering between partner organizations, creating a common offer of volunteering for culture by project partners.
g) Broadening the knowledge and openness of the participants and recipients of the project to cultures, traditions, history and customs of nations and ethnic groups of different regions of the world by engaging in the preparation and implementation of the 7th International Festival of Youth Creativity Folk Inspirations with the participation of guests from several countries in the world. Raising public awareness about the need to integrate with people with fewer opportunities by including them in equitable action with the other participants in the project.
4. The project is implemented in 4 stages:
STAGE I – 1.02.2017 – 30.04.2017
Project promotion, information and recruitment activities, training.
Within the first stage, there will be training workshops on the following topics:
For volunteers –school students:
- “Good volunteering practices” – preparing volunteers to take actions. Volunteers will learn good volunteering practices, get volunteer tools, practical tips and solutions.
- “Tolerance? I like it!” - strengthening the attitude of tolerance, building social awareness. Volunteers will learn basic issues related to tolerance, discrimination and multiculturalism. They will discover sources of discriminatory behavior, they will seek ways to counteract such behavior.
- “Me- Volunteer” – supporting the process of building a volunteer workshop. Volunteers will gain insights into project work.
- “My image, my plan, my success“ – building conscious goals achievement skills. Volunteers will learn how to build their image and plan a path of development. They will learn how to overcome weaknesses and find out one’s strengths.
For volunteers-students and adults:
- Familiarizing the volunteers with the possibilities of raising funds for organizing local cultural events. Participants will learn about the sources and ways of applying for funds from self-government, foundations and private sources. They will analyze the application form and sponsorship proposal. They will find out where to seek training and advice on fundraising.
- Getting to know the methods of preparing a cultural event. Participants will get acquainted with the process of creating an event – from the analysis of needs to creating a comprehensive program. They will learn how to adapt the forms and methods of work to the needs of different audiences.
- Good practices of organizing cultural events. Participants will find out what challenges the organizer of the outdoor concert faces, what challenges the organizer of the fashion show has, and what the animator of workshop activities must know.
- The most important soft skills in social work. Volunteers will learn about such important issues as teamwork, coping with difficult situations and conflicts, team communication and self-evaluation.
STAGE II – 1.05.2017 – 18.06.2017
Consultations and care of mentors – coordinators of festival tasks, preparation to perform volunteering tasks during the festival and organization of a stall promoting the idea of volunteering.
STAGE III – 19.06.2017 – 30.06.2017
The realization of voluntary tasks: logistic, organizational or program tasks depending on the predispositions and interests of the volunteers involved in the volunteering campaign.
STAGE IV – 16.08.2017 – 30.11.2017
Evaluation and summary of the project, consultations with mentors, plans for further development of volunteers, reporting.
5. Participant of the project “Cultural Volunteering – UNITED BY IDEA!” is obliged to register at www.folkoweinspiracje.pl - the ON-LINE REGISTRATION . Information about the next steps will be sent to the email address provided in the APPLICATION FORM of the volunteer.