🇵🇱 ESC Volunteering in Poland 🌱 Supporting Youth With Special Needs at a Vocational School 🤝

Description

Special Vocational School No. 16 in Białystok is a welcoming educational institution for youth with intellectual disabilities and autism, offering hands-on vocational workshops and comprehensive support. Through multicultural exchange, the school helps its students discover the world and gain practical skills for the future.

The main activities of the volunteers:

• Support in professional lessons: Assisting students during practical workshops for cooks, hairdressers, gardeners, and hoteliers in specialized training rooms and greenhouses.

• Development of daily life skills: Helping students gain practical independence in areas such as cooking, basic tailoring, computer literacy, and household cleaning.

• Classroom & creative support: Assisting teachers in daily tasks (preparing meals, sewing, cleaning, washing up) and creative activities including theater, music, fine art, and applied arts.

• Educational trips & outings: Supporting teachers during excursions, school trips, and visits to the cinema, theater, opera, and other cultural spots.

• Sports & physical health: Participating in swimming pool sessions, gym activities, aerobics, and local sports competitions in football, table tennis, basketball, and volleyball.

• Rehabilitation & specialist classes: Joining specialized therapy sessions such as speech therapy, sensory integration, and social skills training.

Accommodation, food and transport arrangements

Accommodation is provided by the host organization in a rented flat or a student residence in Białystok. Volunteers are accommodated in single or shared (double) rooms, with access to shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. The volunteer receives monthly food allowance, pocket money, and a city transport ticket. Travel expenses for official project trainings (On-arrival training and Mid-term meeting) are reimbursed based on original tickets.

Training during the activity

Volunteers will participate in official training courses organized by the Polish National Agency (On-arrival training and Mid-term meeting). Additionally, the lead organization provides workshops on Polish language basics and non-formal educational methods for working with children and youth with special needs.

Participant profile

We are looking for volunteers ready to collaborate with children/ youngsters with mental and physical disabilities. Volunteers should be interested in ecological topics and ecological lifestyles, be dynamic, enthusiastic, brave and independent. We would like to welcome someone with an open mind and heart and with big motivation to work with students with disabilities :)

See pictures from previous volunteers

School description

Activity details

Activity type

Individual volunteering

Activity dates

From 11/01/2027 to 25/06/2027

Location

Zwycięstwa 28, Białystok, Poland

Deadline

15/12/2026

Project code

2026-1-PL01-ESC51-VTJ-000401866

Topics

Looking for participants from

25 countries can apply. The activity takes place in 🇵🇱 Poland.