Do you want to become the next volunteer at Charles University under the European Solidarity Corps programme?
We are searching for the next pair of volunteers for 6-12 months in the year 2024/2025. If you are interested in gaining new life experience, learning new skills and lots of fun networking, this might be the right opportunity for you! You can find more details and contacts here.
Press “here” for more information.
And how does our volunteer perceive her first month?
Read her story:
"Ahoj! I am Olivia from Norway, and I’ve just settled in Prague for my long-term volunteering at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Charles University. This journey started approximately a month ago and for now I’ve got to know all the people I will work with, both colleagues at the offices and the students from the International Student Team. So, how did I end up here, and how did I choose exactly this program? Well, I did my Erasmus at FTVS some years ago and had an amazing time. Unfortunately, Covid-19 came and interrupted my stay, but since I got the interest in languages, I continued to study Czech, so my study background is both sport and languages, and when I graduated this summer and saw the advertisement, I luckily found another reason to come back to beautiful Prague.
If you wonder what the European Solidarity Corps programme is, this is how the EU commission, who is in charge of the programme, defines it: the European Solidarity Corps is an EU funding programme for young people wishing to engage in solidary activities in a variety of areas. These range from helping the disadvantaged to humanitarian aid, as well as contributing to health and environmental action across the EU and beyond.’
It is the first time FTVS and CU hosts ESC volunteers, so there have of course been some challenges in the process of settling here, but with patient and communication, all things get solved. We are all in a learning process, I have never been a volunteer like this before either, so it is instructive to see how both the administrative and practical aspects must work together for everything to function. This is also one of the interesting parts about this ESC position in specific, that I am allowed to see how university sector works from a different perspective, not just as a student.
The faculty has arranged a lot of different activities and events since the very beginning of the semester. We have sport evenings that run every week, such as basketball on Mondays and volleyball on Wednesdays, and every other Thursday we organize another sport, such as badminton and floorball. Every other week, the Student Team is also in charge of a run called MindRun, where we run through different sites in Prague’s many parks. The name MindRun comes from the idea that we want to bring student together to run, get some fresh air and leave all worries behind for a while. Once a month, it’s also time for a sport tournament. First one was futsal tournament, and next one will be basketball. Furthermore, we do also once a month cooperate with the neighboring Sport complex, Sport Centrum Evropská gym, so the students can come and use the gym, squash court and climbing area for free.
FTVS also organize another interesting monthly event which is not sport practices, but a series of discussion called ‘’University of our Stories’’. Prominent people that have a relation to FTVS or CU are invited to have a conversation about their life and profession/work.
The International Student Team was established after I was her last time, so it really surprised me how much the faculty is organizing, especially toward the students.
The International Student Team consists of 15 (?) students that are engaged in creating a healthy and fun student life and environment. Except from the regular sport events students can attend for free every week, we do also have other free events where students can get to know the country and culture better. In the beginning we had sightseeing through the center, teached them some Czech and showed them interesting spots. The next time, they had to figure out the city themselves, as we arranged an orienteering where they had to navigate without their phone to find posts and answer questions! And to give them a real taste of Czech Republic we also had an evening where some of the Czechs from the International Student team prepared typical Czech food that they could try. In few days, it will be another international dinner, where everyone cooks something typical from their country.
But first, we will go on a hike to Sněžka, it will be cold and perhaps snow, and some students might face these weather conditions for their first time in life, since FTVS host international students from all over the world."
More about her journey on facebook .
