📝 Detailed information
💼 What the programme involves
The project takes places in Pikpa, an institution for disabled children and youngsters in Athens. The institution is a home for around 75 residents from 2-30 years old, while some have multiple disabilities and others very light ones. Most residents have no contact to their families. The volunteers bring light, love and care to the every day life of the children and carry out all kinds of different activities (swimming, handcrafts, cooking, toothbrushing, language lessons, excursions..) and are part of a wonderful local and international community. The volunteers are supported to take own initiative and have the support of the coordinator on a every day basis.
Most important of all, we try to be the bridge to the outside world, promote values like equality and inclusion and see in each person its value and potential, rather than its disability.
🏠 Accommodation on site
The volunteers live inside the institution inside a separate building from the children and youngsters. The area around is beautiful and very green, especially in the summer it is nice to have the sea in front of the house. To the center of Athens it takes around 45 minutes with public transport. There will be around 4-6 long-term volunteers living together. Two volunteers share a big room and bathroom. The volunteers live, cook, eat and work together all the time so be prepared for a very intense experience in community living.
🎒 Leisure activities
The volunteers receive arrival trainings, concerning their daily tasks (proper use of wheelchairs, feeding, changing diapers), also they take part in an exchange for one week with another ESC project. Apart from that we offer occasional trainings to learn new techniques supporting the social model of disability.
Weekly meetings and stable Evaluations support the personal development.
All ESC volunteers participate in the On-Arrival and Midterm training, organised by the NA.
⚠️ Requirements
The Participant profil: Motivation, Enthusiasm, Responsibility and Commitment are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY–It is important to keep in mind that most of the children lack contact to their family and do not have any other contacts outside the institution, therefore they depend on the sensitivity, love and attention of the volunteers.Creativity, patience, initiative, maturity, and a good sense of humor are needed, as the work can be hard.An intermediate level of English is useful, as it is the language of communication between the volunteers and the coordinator. Previous experiences with disability are not mandatory.
Deadline: No application deadline
ℹ️ Additional information
Participants are entitled to receive a Youthpass certificate from the organiser, for recognition of their competence development during the activity. Read more about Youthpass:https://www.youthpass.eu/en/
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label. The Quality Label certifies that the organisation is able to run projects in compliance with the principles and objectives of the European Solidarity Corps.