ESC: Help us - Help yourself II

MAS Horní Pomoraví (further under the abbreviation MAS HP) is a non-profit organization/ a local action group. The organization was established in 2006. The main goal of the organization is focused on the development of our region (economically weak, submontane, frontier area) by the principle of sustainable development. The development is based on the efficient use of local resources and works in cooperation with a wide range of partners. The headquarters of the organization is in Hanušovice and the contact office is in Zábřeh and Šumperk. We currently have 19 employees and we continuously cooperate with other external sources and volunteers (e.g. teachers from schools, sports lecturers, mothers on maternity leave and students) What we do regularly - our everyday tasks: – We look for financial, educational, and organizational resources within the LEADER strategic plan (the overall strategic plan of educational, financial, and organization development of the project/region). We make public announcements offering financial support for regional projects and help applicants to develop and implement their plans. In addition to LEADER, we also make use of different types of subsidies/grants and other resources. The target group is our partners (about 100 partners of MAS) but also the public from the MAS´s area of competence, i.e. an area with approx 50,000 inhabitants. – We operate our Information Center in Hanušovice (very small sub-mountain town, about 3,500 inhabitants) – We provide information about tourist attractions, cultural, social, and sporting events, etc. to the public. The information center is open daily from 8 a.m to 4 p.m and is visited annually by around 10,000 visitors. – We are the founders of the Regional Trademark JESENIKY – This trademark represents original products from the Jesenik Mountain Region. It includes handcraft products, locally grown food, and agriculture and catering services, and accommodation facilities. We help local businesses (around 80 subjects) within the trademark with marketing and PR. We organize markets (2 times a year) and promote their products/services at different events like seminars and visitor tours (4 times a year). This area of work is very interesting also for foreign volunteers. – Long Term Projects in Education – We are trying to improve the quality of education in basic schools and kindergartens (around 30 schools in the region – many of them are very small village schools with only 40-60 children). Activities are for children, students, and teachers by cooperating with local organizations in both formal and non-formal education forums. We organize seminars, lectures, and workshops several times a month, where new teaching methods are introduced to teachers and parents, school founders, and other non-profit organizations active in education. These events allow teachers to collaborate and share examples of effective teaching strategies. We also prepare activities for children to introduce new learning approaches to education. We usually work with a group of 12-30 children mostly directly at their school. Cooperation also consists of a shared native speaker and intercultural education. We are very happy to involve our volunteers in these activities. – Senior Citizen Community– We organize regular (from October to May) virtual university for senior citizens (a group of 12-20 seniors) seeking additional education and other physical activities to engage the elderly in an active lifestyle. –Projects and Cooperation in the Social Field – We help long-term unemployed people in our region (currently working with 3 groups of 10 people) return to the labor market by offering courses to prepare them for a professional work environment like preparing CVs, and classes on how to operate different technologies. We cooperate with other NGOs to improve the quality of life for socially disadvantaged people in the region. What we do occasionally: – We organize annual Community Events, for example, the “Ball of the Institute of Disabled People”, over 200 people take part in the event and activities for “Czech’s Day Against Cancer”, in which about 20 local volunteers are involved, mostly older pupils of the primary school in Hanušovice – In the main tourist season, we often organize cultural and sporting events to support community life in villages and towns of the region. We actively participate in several (about 10-20 events on weekends) community events in the region every year. In some activities, we often work also with local volunteers. These volunteers are mostly students from the region who help us with the preparation and throughout the events. Volunteers, in general, can offer regional products, lead fun and active activities for children and senior citizens, and/or take photos and videos during events. We also expect volunteers under European Solidarity Corps to participate in these weekend events.