OPEN CALL

EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE

AT YMCA BITOLA
Vacancies for EVS volunteers: 3 placements (2 Spanish and 1 German volunteers)
Location: Bitola, Macedonia
Host organization: YMCA Bitola, 2016-1-MK01-KA110-035135
Web site: www.ymcabitola.org.mk
Start: 01/10/2017
End: 30/09/2018
Deadline: Urgent
Selection date: By sending organization
Contact person: Jovche Krsteski
E-mail: evs@ymcabitola.org.mk

Profile of the EVS volunteers

Speak good English
Most of the youth in Bitola speaks English very well. There will be a communication problem if the
volunteer doesnt speak English well. This is important criterion and your English language
capabilities might be checked if you are preselected to do EVS at YMCA Bitola.

Be enthusiastic about environmental issues and multimedia

A long term EVS project needs motivated volunteers on: multimedia, photo, video, creative
communication, environment and bicycles lovers, sharing own culture, values, music, food, etc.
Please show us in your application why you want to join the project and YMCA Bitola.

Be proactive
We expect the volunteer to work with us to come up with clear goals and expectations to make the
most from own time during the EVS. That also means personal involvement to improv own EVS.

How to apply
Complete the YMCA Bitola host EVS application form and send it to evs@ymcabitola.org.mk and to
your sending organization. We will contact and select the applicants in cooperation with their
sending organizations. Sending organizations in this project are our partner organizations:
Association Las Ninas del Tul from Spain, tul@lasdeltul.net, Associacion Cultural Euroaccion Murcia
from Spain, info@euroaccion.com and Culture Goes Europe (CGE) - Soziokulturelle Initiative Erfurt
e.V. from Germany, evs@cge-erfurt.org .
 YMCA BITOLA
EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE
SUPPORT INFORMATION

Dear Potential EVS Volunteer / EVS Sending organization,

Thank you for your interest about our EVS project. Here you can find the support information so you
can familiarize with YMCA Bitola and our activities, as well as with the planned activities for the EVS
project, the work environment and our city.

In the meantime visit our: web site www.ymcabitola.org.mk and the @YMCAbitola pages at the
social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Linkedin and Issu).

The project main areas of work

MULTIMEDIA (video, photography, brochures, leaflets, blog posts, newsletter and
exhibitions) and
ENVIRONMENT (campaigns, school presentations, workshops, debates, sustainable urban
transport promotion, cycling workshop, flash mobs and researches in the field).

Project objectives
Build capacity of the receiving
organization by using these
alternative media such as: videos,
graphic designings, blogs, newsletter,
etc.
Provide space to explore alternative
methods of communication and
create products to be presented and
shared with the local community and
on-line.
Promote greener approach towards
the environment.
Raise public awareness on issues
 concerning the local young people such
as: protection of environment, pollution,
etc.
Promote healthier lifestyle by promoting
sustainable urban transportation with
main focus on the bicycle.
Promote volunteering as a sustainable
option in general and promotion of the
EVS program in particular. Promoting the
European citizenship and European
mobility by organizing workshops,
presentations, teaching about its own
culture, traditions, and language etc.

Activities
The main activities of the volunteer will be following:
Working with video and photo
(making, editing, promoting)
Writing on blog and on social media
Work on designing organizational
promotional materials and
newsletter
Organize workshops, presentations,
exhibitions and flash mobs in public
places and in schools using the
alternative media
Promote own culture through:
language, music, food, lifestyle, etc.
Teaching Spanish/German language
Organizing social events for local
volunteers
Sharing best practices from his county
Promoting Erasmus+ and EVS in universities
Work on additional projects as supplement to the main idea
Cooperate with YMCA Bitola volunteers and other local youth
Support YMCA Bitola in the ongoing activities.

Support of the volunteers

The volunteers will receive personal, professional, linguistic and administrative support.
The mentors will provide support to the volunteer to better adapt in the local conditions and
culture. Also the mentor will provide support in socializing with the local people in Bitola and
assistance in town. Besides assistance in the practical aspects of living, the mentor will provide
support for the volunteers so that they can more easily deal with any problems that might occur.
The volunteers will have another task related facilitator/tutor. This person will guide the volunteers
through the learning and service process and will discuss with the volunteer about everything
connected to the service, tasks and responsibilities.
Logistics
Accomodation
The volunteer will be housed in a flat with another EVS volunteer(s), flatmate(s) doing EVS service.
Each volunteer will have separate room and they will share the kitchen and the toilet. The volunteer
will have opportunity to cook in the apartment.

Insurance and safety of volunteers

CIGNA insurance for the volunteer will be done by the sending organizations.
The volunteers will be required to: respect common safety, office rules, respect their work tasks and
working hours, report the reasons of their absence ahead or (in unpredictable cases), avoid the use
of alcohol and/or drugs before and during their presence at workplaces and premises of the
receiving organization, its partners or other cooperating institutions. YMCA Bitola will undertake all
necessary measures to avoid or stop any activities which will endanger the safety of the volunteer.

Costs
Volunteer will be reimbursed for the travel costs according the Erasmus+ guidelines. Each month the
volunteers will be given the compensation amount of nutrition and 60 eur as volunteer allowance.
Local transport will be secured by providing the volunteer a bicycle. The volunteer will receive a cell
phone number on a Macedonian mobile operator that will allow easier communication with the
receiving organization, mentor, coordinator and other colleagues.

Visa
The volunteers will need to apply for visa. They will be supported by the sending organizations. We
as hosting organization will provide all necessary documents that the embassy will require in order
the volunteer to get visa.

Work hours and work environment

There will be 30 work hours a week. The volunteer will usually have weekends off. If take part in
activities during the weekend, will have extra time off at another time. For each month of the EVS
service, volunteer can have 2 days off. Free time can be used to relax and to explore Macedonia.
The main EVS activities will take place directly within our organization space, or outside for field
work on a projects. EVS volunteers are expected to participate in the regular volunteer and staff
meetings.

About YMCA Bitola

YMCA Bitola is a non-profit,
nongovernmental, nonreligious and
an inclusive youthassociation which
aims to provide opportunities for local
youth and to actively work withthem
in our community. YMCA Macedonia
is part of the YMCA family spread
throughout119 countries worldwide
reaching over 58 million people.YMCA
Bitola was established in May 2002.
The main goal of the Association is to provide activities and opportunities in the fields of non-formal
education, promoting healthy lifestyles, arts and culture, and civil society that develop positive
values and attitudes among young people.

We welcome all people with a focus on youth.

MOTTO: Empowering youth!

We focus on activities of public interest: non-formal education, culture and art, healthylifestyle, civil
society and children's rights. We accomplish our activities through: trainings, seminars, workshops,
camps, festivals, international study visits and other activities. We work on both local and
international levels. Check out our activities here: www.ymcabitola.org.mk/activities

About city of Bitola

Macedonias second biggest city Bitola is a grand old town that still bears the marks of its turn-of-
the-century importance being a center for diplomacy. At the same time it exemplifies the countrys
time-honored coffee culture where people take regular daybreaks and head off to one of the
numerous Bitola cafs chat and catch-up. The many cafs lining the citys pedestrian main street (the
Shirok Sokak) provide endless see-and be-seen opportunities for Bitolas fashionable youth.

The stately old architecture of Bitola goes back to more than a century ago when the town was a
center for international diplomats to the Ottoman administration, superseding Skopje and becoming
known far and wide as the city of the consuls. Even today, some of the faded elegance of that
bygone time can be seen in the neoclassical facades of downtown buildings; old gentlemen would
converse in Bitolas parks, all dressed up in their finest Sunday suits wearing hats. Having a
population of 100,000 residents, Bitola has all the characteristics of modern life: hotels, cultural
events, and nightlife. At the sametime, its proud and patriotic people are devoted to passing on the
Macedonian cultural heritage. In addition to the celebrated Bitola Theater, the city has over 500
traditional songs dedicated to it.

Bitolas beginnings date from the 4th c. B.C when the town
was founded by Philip the Second of Macedonia naming it
Heraclea Lyncestis. It was abusy town during Roman times
and continued togrow until it was unfortunately destroyed
by an earthquake in 518 A.D. Migrating Slavs settled in
Bitola and its region from the north later that century. The
outcome of this settlement is the direct descendent of
modern-day Bitola. During Byzantine times Bitola
languished somewhat, eclipsed by powerful Ohrid from the
west. Bitola recovered its lost regional importance when the
Turks came to the rule in the 14th century. Once the
Ottoman Empire became more advanced, Bitola (known as
Manastir back then) became a regional administrative
center and was nicknamed city of the consuls in reference
to the 12 European countries that maintained
consulatesthere. Up to the point of the outbreak of the First
World War and the subsequent division of Macedonia,
Bitolas influence was felt southward. It was second in size
and importance only to Thessalonica and served as a
diplomatic, commercial and cultural center for the
Macedonian people. For more about Bitola visit the link: http://bitolatourist.info/welcome-to-bitola