EVS – EUROPEANS VISIT SLOVAKIA! vol. 4

European voluntary service in regional youth center in Košice


Duration: 6 months (April 2011 - September 2012)

Hosting organization: Regional youth center in Košice, Strojárska 3, Košice

www.rcm.sk                        HEI: 2010 – SK - 40

Contact: Miloš Kažimír, milos.kazimir@rcm.sk
 
KOŠICE – Center of the eastern Slovakia

The second biggest town of Slovakia KOŠICE is not only the centre of eastern Slovakia but also the core of the Eastern Carpathians where several ethnicities live.

The city of KOŠICE (with population of 235,300) lies on the Hornád river on the western edge of the Košická kotlina basins has a long and agitated history and its present is also dynamic. It had been the most important town of the region for centuries and a natural centre of trade, culture, and education.

HISTORY

The medieval town of Košice was settled approximately on the half way from the Abbey to the castle. The first written evidence of its existence is from 1230. In the first historical documents it was referred as Villa Cassa, later  in Latin Cassovia, German Kaschau, Hungarian Kassa, and the Slovak Košice.

The town citizens acquired important privileges of the royal borough in 1342. The date of 7 May 1369 is especially important for the town because it received the document of coat of arms signed by the king as the first European town. Today it is celebrated as the “Day of Košice”. In the 15th century Košice with its 7 thousand inhabitants became the second biggest town of the Kingdom of Hungary following Buda and Bratislava.

The 20th century has dramatically changed the town of Košice although the motifs were mostly political. The town was included in the new state formations: on the last day of 1918 it was included in the newly formed Czechoslovak Republic; in 1938 it was annexed by Horthys Hungary for more than six years.

In April 1945 the Czechoslovak Government met for the first time on homeland ground and issued the document known as the Košice Programme of the Government treating the after-war arrangement of the free Republic.

However, some other attributes of Košice has also changed, particularly its size, ethnic structure and its general appearance.  Its population more than doubled after the Second World War. New housing estates were constructed for immigrants from the rural area.

Today the majority of its inhabitants are Slovaks coexisting here with Hungarian, Czech and Roma minorities. The Východoslovenské železiarne (East Slovakian Iron-works, today U. S. Steel) became the biggest company not only of Košice but also of the country in general.

MONUMENTS

Almost all monuments of Košice are concentrated in the historical core of the town, size of which makes it the biggest Town Monument Reserve of Slovakia. The spindle-shaped Hlavné námestie square of Košice is the heart of the town and rightly considered one of the most beautiful squares in Slovakia. It is closed for traffic and skirted by numerous wonderful historical buildings. The most valuable monuments are situated in its centre. The dominant of the square and the town is the monumental Gothic Cathedral of St. Elisabeth. This building, rather isolated from the rest of the square, is the largest church of Slovakia and the easternmost situated Gothic cathedral of western type in Europe.

In front of the northern walls of the Cathedral of Košice stands what was originally Urbanova veža tower built in the 14th century. The Urbans tower and the chapel of St. Michael, former charnel house, from the end of the 14th century, which stands in front of the southern side of the Cathedral of St. Elisabeth form together a complete unique Gothic set of monuments.

The area between the Cathedral and the theatre is a very lively place above all in summer. Its main attraction is the Singing fountain.

The southern part of the Hlavné námestie square provides the first opportunity to see the medieval town fortifications of Košice. Entering the basement one can see reconstructed foundations of the Dolná brána gate, which is now used as an unconventional gallery and concert hall.

The symbol of Košice is also the statue of the Marathon Runner. It reminds that the International Peace Marathon is organised in Košice every year in autumn since 1924. It is one of the oldest marathons in the world.

One of the admired exhibits of Východoslovenské múzeum (East-Slovakian Museum) is the famous Golden Hoard of Košice. The overall weight of the hoard is 11 kilograms. The unique collection of golden coins comes of 81 mints of Europe. The majority of coins are from the 15th to 17th centuries.

Basic and practical information about Slovakia you can find at the website www.slovakia.travel and information about Košice you will find at the website www.kosice.sk.

INFORMATION ABOUT EVS:

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD

Volunteers will live together in the 3 room flat. In the flat, there is a kitchen (fully equipped), bathroom, WC. Flat is just 20 min by bus from the centre of the Košice.

Every month the volunteers will receive, together with pocket money also money for the food. Volunteers will prepare the food by themselves. There is also a possibility to have a lunch in the restaurant close to the center, where our employees go for lunch.

ACTIVITIES OF THE VOLUNTEER

Volunteers will take a part in the activities of the Regional youth center in Košice. Regional youth center is one of the three regional youth centers in Slovakia (Košice, Banská Bystrica, Trenčín).

Most of the activities of the volunteers will take place at the Department of international cooperation of Regional youth center. In this department we are organizing and preparing all the new activities for young people, especially activities with international dimension. Department is responsible also for providing information to young people (using the EURODESK network www.eurodesk.eu). We are preparing camps, trainings, international youth exchanges and seminars. We will be very glad when the volunteer will come with some new ideas and we will give them possibility to prepare their own project under the supervision of our project manager.

Generally, the activities in which the volunteers will be involved are:

- preparation and coordination of international projects
- preparation and coordination of local and regional activities (trainings, youth camps, etc.)
- providing the communication trainings in foreign language
- providing the information for young people through the Eurodesk network
- preparing different workshops (according to the abilities and interests of the volunteer): music workshops, drama workshops, painting workshop, video workshop, some other creative workshop, etc.
- collecting the information about the specific topic (according to the actual topics of the center)
- creating the promotional materials for the activities of the center
- participation on the trips for youngsters and students

For this EVS periode we have some specific topics and tasks:

- trips around the region (participation of the volunteers in the trips, taking the pictures, preparing the short information about every trip for the website, etc.)

- collecting the information about the region

- leading the workshops in different places of the region for youngsters

Volunteers will have a opportunity to participate in various clubs in the Center. In our department we are preparing clubs like Club of multicultural education, Forum theatre club, Conversation clubs, Project management club, Eurodesk club, Democracy club, History clubs, Language clubs and many more.

- gathering the information about Slovakia for foreigners and preparing it for the website of our center

- SYTYKIA: workshops about European Union for secondary school students at the schools (volunteers will help us with workshops)

- participation in preparation of the projects within Youth in action

- participation in other international activities of our partner organizations (going as a group leader for youth exchanges abroad), etc.

- participation in the ENOWES Photo club (taking the pictures, learning how to make a photo, how to take a good pictures, preparation of the exhibition, etc.)

- research about opinion of young people about their free time (questioning the people, helping on organizing the focus meetings, etc.)

- documenting your stay using video technologies or just making different funny or serious videos with the topic you choose and with help of our local young people

- we cooperate also with high schools in the region, so if you wanted, you would have the possibility to help at schools with language education

WHAT YOU CAN LEARN DURING THE EVS IN REGIONAL YOUTH CENTER?

Volunteers have a possibility to learn a lot during the EVS. It is up to them how much they will get from the time spent in Slovakia.

First of all, they will have possibility to learn Slovak language. They will have 6 hours of Slovak language every week. Also they will have possibility to communicate in Slovak language. If they would like to get more of the Slovak lessons, we will provide for them more lessons and practical communication.

Volunteers will have possibility to get to know Slovakia quite well. During the trainings about Slovakian history, during the camps, by visiting of castles and different cities in Slovakia, etc. They will travel a lot, so they will know the country very well. If they would like to spend their free time by discovering the country, we can help them to make a plans, etc.

Other possibilities depend really only on the volunteer. In our international office they can get the experience in: project management, coordination of international activities, communication, activities methodology, language courses methodology, research techniques, etc.

In the ENOWES photo club, they can learn everything about photography.

By helping in EURODESK network, they can get the knowledge how to work with information; they can learn everything about EU and European institutions, etc.

What you have to do, if you want to be a part of our TEAM?

You have to send your CV and motivation letter by e-mail to milos.kazimir@rcm.sk. You will receive then the application form and you have to answer the questions and send it back. This everything you have to do till 28th of OCTOBER 2011, till 14.00h, because that date we will make a selection of the volunteers. The same date you will receive also the answer if you are selected or not.


WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU!

Download INFO KIT here