Don Bosko Bulgaria Foundation is non-profit, nongovernmental organization, which is working for public benefit. In the town of Stara Zagora we work since twelve years, and our activity is orientated to assistance the education and training of young people and children in risk, from all the ethnically groups; assisting the social integration and personal realization for the needy children, young people and adults; cooperation with other organizations, which have similar priorities. We organize meetings and talks, seminars, trainings for volunteers. We organize camps for children, excursions. The sport takes important place in our work with the young people. We do charity. In the moment our activity is focused on the Romany children and their parents from the Romany quarter Lozenec, town of Stara Zagora. We cooperate with the organizations: Caritas Bulgaria, Caritas Sofia, Caritas České Budějovice, VIS, Rome/Italy/, Salezians of Don Bosko, Bulgaria, the social service Center for accommodation from family type Small Group House, Stara Zagora municipality, Mission wings foundation, town of Stara Zagora, the municipality of town of Kazanlak, the NGO Center for development Mutual aid, town of Kazanlak. Our main goals are to raise the motivation of the children and pupils for the educational process and school work; to develop positive attitude to the school; to show the individual potential of the children and to encourage them to develop their interests and talents, including them in different kinds of workshops - music and dance, sport, fine arts, ethnic and tradition; to increase the self-assessment and self-confidence of the children and young people, true realization, encouraging and developing of their personal qualities and gifts; to expand the social contacts of the children from 1st till 8th class and to offer them alternatives for new friendships; to increase the level of education of the parents. The foundation is registered as deliverer of social service - Center for information, consultation, education and support (CICES). Five times per week we work in the Romany quarter Lozenec, town of Stara Zagora, in rented from us rooms, where we do different kinds of occupations - from daily study rooms, where we help children to manage with the school material, till workshops in fine arts, dances, guitar playing, foreign languages, Christian ethic. For now we work constantly with 80 children and young people age 6-21 years. We organize groups for girls and boys over 10 years old (future youth leaders), who we want to support in their developing and give them the necessary knowledge and skills for their future responsibilities. Since the beginning of 2011 the Foundation has a registered branch Don Bosko Bulgaria Foundation- branch Kazanlak. In town of Kazanlak a team from Bulgarian volunteers organizes also activities for children and young people, again in CICES. The Center is visited mostly by Romany children and young people - boys, works three days per week. The activities are: thematic games, which are developing the logical thinking, the combinatory; sport and games in open air, introduction in the Christian values. As a long term project we are building our own Center for work with children and their parents from the Romany district, Stara Zagora, which will have a sport hall and field. In the branch of the foundation, in town of kazanlak we also organize and lead courses for Bulgarian volunteers /animators/. One course is lasting two years and happens in 8 weekends. The participants are coming from all over Bulgaria. During the cours they learn how to become youth workers and youth leaders. The equipment of the Don Bosko Bulgaria Foundation is: office - the main residence of the foundation, with room for meetings, kitchen and sleeping rooms; 3 rented rooms in the Romany quarter Lozenec, where the activities with the children are hold, equipped with computers, printer, tables, chairs, different games, musical instruments and matareials for the activities. In the branch of the foundation there is an office - the main quarter of the branch, place for meetings, computer, combined printer-scanner-copier machine, different games and multifunctional playground. There are and three rooms where the activities of the CICES are hold. For the summer period with us are working short term volunteers most of them with the help of the program Cagliero. They help by the organizing and leading the summer camps for girls and boys. As human potential we have at our disposal, trained for work with children and work with volunteers, employees, with education in the field of psychology, pedagogic, philosophy, and sociology. The team of the foundation includes: Director, President of the Board of Managers, two members of the board of the managers, officer of the Foundation, 3 employees and volunteers, who help for the activities.

Don Bosko Bulgaria foundation hosts volunteers since 2010. Till 2024 we hosted over 50 volunteers - long term and short term under the programmes EVS and ESC. We work in town of Stara Zagora mainly with Romany children and young people and their families. True the project "The education - a key to a better future" we want to support the children and young people who will work with in their formal, non-formal and in-formal education. We have a Center for children and young people - Center Don Bosko. In the center we do study rooms, art workshops, skaut meetings, meetings for girls, music and sports. We also do winter and summer camps, excursions and educational trips. We are looking for 2 long term volunteers who will help with the activities in the Center - depending on their own interests and skills. The volunteers will study Bulgarian language. The activities start on the 15. of September 2024 and end on the 15. of August 2025.

The volunteers will have rooms in the building where the office of the foundation is or in the building of the center - there is a choice. In the both places ther is a kitchen that can be used. They can join for one or two meals per day /breakfast, lunch or dinner/ the community of the Salesians of Don Bosko, if they want. Travel money will be reimbursed according to the ESC programm rules. Pocket money and insurance will be provided.

The volunteers will join the ESC-trainings (on-arrival training and mid-term meeting). They will have the opportunity to participate also in the trainings and supperviosions organised for the whole team of the foundation.

The Participant profile: Young people 18-30 years old, interested in work with children and young people; interested in learning new language. Spontaneity and creativity are highly valued by the team.
Deadline: 20/07/2025 18:00

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.