Saint Nicolas Association works in the north of Poland, in Gdynia, Chylonia district. Chylonia is one of the oldest settlements in Gdynia. There are many families, among them large families that were relocated to social buildings in Chylonia district. These families live in very difficult conditions. They face with a number of problems that are destroying their lives (alcoholism, violence, unemployment, poverty, crime). These people have no hope for change. They are detached from the cultural opportunities and deprived of social and spiritual support. Our goal is to work in accordance with the principles of Catholic social teaching to restore their sense of hope, dignity, desire for good, love and development. While helping others we want to tackle a sense of “entitlement to do everything for free”, that characterizes many people in this district. We involve people we support in the various forms of reciprocal help, as well as in social projects. We work on the basis of the following principle "good displaces evil" - the more good we will create, the less space for evil, "pay it forward" – what you receive should be used and given to other people and "real life" - the good has to happen in real life, not in the declarations, imagination, or intentions. Saint Nicolas Association is an organisation, active since 2009. Our target groups are children and their families, youngsters and elders. Our regular activities include running day care center for children 7-18 years old, parents' club and a senior club. Moreover, several times during the year there are events and actions animating the local community, festivals and family events. The biggest activity of the organization is a day care centre, where children in different age-groups come after school. A typical working day includes preparation time for activities, planned socio-therapeutic activites, diferent workshops, chatching up with learning, free time activities, common meal. Volunteers are involved in assistance to the educators, animating free time, helping in meals preparation and as far as possible helping children in doing homeworks.

We are looking for volunteers (18-30 years old) to help us create Christmas craft and ornaments for Christmas market in Saint Nicolas Bishop Association. We would like to invite group of volunteers from different countries for "Creative Christmas Exchange". Our idea is to create Christmas crafts with mums from the parents club and celebrate the spirit of Christmas together. The volunteers may share their ideas, skills and handicraft techniques, while also learn from the mums traditional methods of making baubles and other ornaments. Together we will create unique artwork, which will then be presented at the Christmas market. Profit from the event will go towards funding family trips, ensuring that our work will contribute to creating special memories for many families that cannot afford it. More information on our website 🙂 Candidates interested in taking part in voluntary activity should fill in online application available here: https://cwm.org.pl/wolontariat-miedzynarodowy/573

The Participant profile: Volunteer’s role: ·Collaborating with the project coordinator in organizing activities related to crafting and holiday decorations. ·Assisting in planning workshops for the moms from the parents' club, where they will share their skills and traditions related to making Christmas ornaments ·Taking part in the workshops to learn from the moms and create crafts together. ·Collaborating with the team in the process of creating and organizing the Christmas fair where the crafted items will be sold. ·Actively participating in organizing the Santa Claus party for children. ·Leading cultural workshops about your country for youth in schools and in the Neighbourhood Centre, 1-2 times a week
Deadline: 14/09/2025 23:59

The project is implemented under the European Solidarity Corps Programme, financed by the European Commission.
The participating organisations have to be mindful of these needs as they are responsible for providing a respectful and trusting hosting environment. At the same time, the organisations participating in the initiative devote a great deal of time, energy and resources to set up a high-quality activity; they should therefore expect that European Solidarity Corps participants show a similar level of respect for the local communities and the people that are directly concerned by the activities (https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/mission_en).
What do we provide ?

• Training before and after the project
• Health insurance during your project
• round-trip travel reimbursement
• accommodation and food
• pocket money
• language course
• Return Week-end
• Youth Pass and SVI international Volunteer passport

Before applying for this volunteering project, you need to enroll yourself at European Solidarity Corps Platform (https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en) and specify your European Solidarity Corps Participant Number (PRN).
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label.
Contact the ESC coordinator at +32 2 888 67 13 to get more informations.