EVS Vacancies at Boutique da Cultura (Lisbon, Portugal)

Associação Spin, acting as the coordinating organization, is currently looking forone Italian and one Spanish volunteer for our partner organization, Associação Boutique da Cultura.

Host: Associação Boutique da Cultura (934727891)
Coordinator: Associação Spin (2012-PT-21)
Sending IT: AFSAI (2013-EACEA-13)
Sending ES: Fundación Paideia Galiza (2013-ES-112)
Project name: Boutique Plus
Activity start date: 1st June 2015
Activity end date: 31st May 2016
Activity duration: 12 months
Vacancies: 2 (1 Italian resident and 1 Spanish resident exclusively)
Application deadline: 26th April 2015
Application consists of: CV and project-specific motivation letter
Application sent to: sve@afsai.it (Italian candidates) & voluntariadoeuropeo@paideia.es (Spanish candidates)

Boutique da Cultura is a Portuguese non profit Association founded in 2013. It´s main aim is to promote culture in its diverse forms of expression.
The regular activities include creation, preparation and implementation of theatre plays, dance shows, concerts, cultural workshops for families, courses and trainings on cultural and artistic topics, photography, exhibitions and cultural trips.
Boutique da Cultura doesn’t have a specific target group, as each cultural show/project could be designed for a specific audience or be for all general public to attend. Nevertheless, our underline purpose is to include all sorts of public in all our regular activities.

We work with a settled local partnership in diverse areas, which provide us support, especially related to spaces for activities. Recently we have signed a protocol with Junta de Freguesia de Carnide in order to develop all our artistic and production activities in a specific place named Espaço Bento Martins, located in the building in front of our office, in Junta’s premises.

The volunteers’ tasks will be to:
– Preparing and settling up cultural exhibitions: host the artists, take care of the specific arrangements for the settle up, create posters and flyers, prepare openings, host the exhibitions for general public.

- Support for the production of Theatre plays, dance shows and concerts: taking care of the stage, scenarios, costumes, create media materials for promotion and dissemination (videos, photos, posters, flyers..),

- Support organization and implementation of Parties and Workshops: suggest and implement EVS volunteer’s own ideas for events, support the organization and logistics of Parties and Workshops for general public.

- Support in researching and arranging itineraries for cultural visits, selecting and preparing the groups for departure and settling up meetings for evaluation and exchange of contacts/photos and socialization.

- Front office and back office work: reply to requests of information of general public, preparing press releases, help in ticket management, contacts with artists, creation of invitations for public authorities and local partners, etc.

All these activities and tasks are aimed at providing the best cultural option at the best possible social price (if possible even for free) for the local community in order to tackle ignorance and contribute for social inclusion. “People with culture are free people(..)” that said by Angel Ganivet, and it is also the belief of the Boutique da Cultura’s HO that, by providing all sorts of artistic and cultural high quality options to all audiences, with special attention for the integration of people with disadvantaged background, will stimulate the broadening of views and stimulate active participation and citizenship at a wider dimension.

Conditions:
Volunteers are expected to spend 30-35 hours a week working. Their timetable will include space for work at Boutique da Cultura, language lessons, days off, social activities and development of their own project ideas, etc.

Concerning the stay of the EVS volunteers, 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.

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 (150€) and local public transportations (35,65), including also pocket money (100€).

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 in the local community. 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. We encourage applications especially from youngsters available to commit to a long term experience of volunteer work abroad and willing to know more about the social work developed in a special community of Lisbon, Carnide. Priority is given to candidates with fewer opportunities (please consult the sending organizations 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 already received funding from the Erasmus+ Program, so it is sure that it will start in June
• only candidates residing in Spain and Italy may apply (our sending partner organizations are from those countries, there is no possibility of change in this regard)
• we only accept complete applications that contain all the required documents
• we can´t consider applications sent after the deadline (April, 26th)
• if you reside in Italy send your application to sve@afsai.it
• if you reside in Spain send your application to  voluntariadoeuropeo@paideia.es
• applications sent through other communication channels (Facebook, Youthnetworks, etc.) or other email addresses, 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 May, 10th through our website.