EVS vacancies at SPEA, Lisbon, Portugal

Associação Spin, acting as the coordinating organization,  is currently looking for 2 EVS volunteers for a project starting in June 2017!

Host: SPEA
Coordinator: Associação Spin
Vacancies: 2 (1 for the Terrestrial Conservation Dept. – DCT & 1 for the Marine Conservation Dept. – DCM)
Activity start date: 1st June 2017
Activity end date: Duration: DCT – 31st May 2018/12 months
DCM – 28th February/9 months
Application deadline: 15th January 2017 
Application consists of: Filling this Google form + CV and project­specific motivation letter
Application sent to:  evs.spea@gmail.com

The Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds is a non­governmental non­profit environment organization that promotes the study and conservation of birds and their habitats in Portugal, funded in 1993. It is the Portuguese member of BirdLife International.

VOLUNTEER TASKS:

1) At the Terrestrial Conservation Dept:

The volunteer will be mainly involved in “Birds and Powerlines” project and the “Bird Atlas” project, among others, with field work, office and lab work.

a) Field work: bird census for Bird Atlas;Prospection of birds under powerlines; participation in Birdwatching and environmental education activities;

b) Office work: organization of databases; internet search on several conservation themes such as ilegal capture of birds

c) Lab work: Help with the treatment of feather and bird bones for SPEA Reference collections

2) At the Marine Conservation Dept.:

The volunteer will be mainly involved in the tasks of the Marine Conservation Department of SPEA related to the project “Life Berlengas”,with both office and field work, being trained according to the specific needs and having guidance from members of staff. SPEA began, in June 2014 , together with other partners, including the Municipality of Peniche, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities ,a LIFE project for the restoration of habitats of Berlengas’ Marine Reserve and the implementation of its management plan.

a)In LIFE Berlengas, they will support the team implemening these activities:

• assess and minimize threats to seabird populations and endemic plants;
• promote the sustainable use of the reserve. Mainly in terms of Fishing, Recreation and Tourism;
• effectively implement the Management Plan of the Reserve;
• construct artificial nests.

b) Communication and Environmental Citizenship:
• update the website of the project LIFE Berlengas;
• communication activities related to the activities of the marine department of SPEA;
• write articles for SPEA’s online magazine “Pardela”;
•developing content related to the work of SPEA;
•collaboration in the promotion of bird watching activities.

c) Support other staff members of SPEA with their projects;

SPEA intends to support the volunteers to create their own events or initiatives, in accordance with their principles and upon Board’s approval.

General Conditions:

Volunteers are expected to spend 30-­35 hours a week working. Their timetable will include space for work in the office, field trips, language lessons, days off, social activities and development of their own project ideas, etc. When working hours include weekends or other extra hours, due compensation time during the week is previewed.

Concerning the stay of the EVS volunteers in Lisbon, the coordinating organization, Associação Spin, will provide the lodging in an apartment, double bedroom with fully equipped kitchen, toilet, laundry facilities and living room. The costs with electricity, water, gas, tv, are covered by the Coordinating Organization. The volunteers will have to share the apartment with other volunteers/students/young people. Each volunteer will also be sharing their room with another youngster, volunteer or student, of the same gender. The flat will have all standard and safe living conditions as well as respect all hygiene and general Portuguese safety standards. It will be located as close as possible to the workplace and the city center. The Coordinating Organization will provide towels and bed linen for the entire period of the project. In Lisbon, the volunteer will use the public transportation network with the “Lisboa Viva” card which will be provided.
A monthly allowance is provided by the coordinating organization to cover food expenses and local public transportation, including also pocket money.
During field work, SPEA will provide acommodation, meals and travel with the project team, as well as a specific insurance if needed.

Volunteer profile:

We are looking for young motivated volunteers aged 18-30, open minded, eager to learn about new cultures and lifestyles, as well as to participate in the project activities. It is not required to have any particular degree of formal education, but to have positive and proactive attitude, show tolerance, flexibility, motivation and enthusiasm. In this project, patience and the capacity to work in a team will be highly appreciated. We encourage applications especially from youngsters who already have some experience in volunteering or in working with environment related issues, available to commit to a long term experience of volunteer work abroad and willing to know more about the work developed in ornithology and environmental preservation in Portugal . Priority is given to candidates with fewer opportunities (please consult your sending organization whether this status applies in your situation). Any knowledge of Portuguese is a plus, however it is not a requirement.

Special remarks (please read carefully):

• this project has not received funding from the Erasmus+ Program yet, we are going to apply for funding to the Portuguese National Agency on February, 2nd;
• we only accept complete applications that contain all the required documents (Filling this Google form+CV + motivation letter)
• we can´t consider applications sent after the deadline
• send your application to evs.spea@gmail.com, applications sent through other communication channels (Facebook, Youthnetworks, etc.) will not be considered
• due to the high number of candidates, we are only able to contact the short-listed candidates (in order to invite them for a brief Skype interview) all the other candidates will be informed about the selection results by January, 28th through our website.

Good Luck!