Join the Happy Bus summer project in Poland!

Voluntouring staff

3 years ago

happy bus, volunteer programs in Poland, volunteer in Poland, volunteers, volunteering in Poland

Become a happy volunteer at the “happy bus” summer project in Poland!

The happy bus project – Updated April 2022! – Have you already got plans for summer? Any idea to do something fun, meet people from all over the world and at the same time do something good for others AND for yourself without spending too much money?

I’ve got something for you. It’s all of the above and even more.

Happy Bus Charity Program

Happy Bus is a charity project that takes part every year during the summer holidays in Poland. A team consisting of volunteers from Poland and many other countries departs from the city of Lodz (it’s central Poland, where we are located) to visit rural areas and bring joy to children there. In each village, we stay for 3 days providing local kids with free games, attractions and of course the Happy Bus, which is a usual bus but converted into a mobile playground that kids can play in. This year we have a special mission – our plan is to reach not only polish children but also Uk rainian kids that fled from war and found shelter in Poland. We want to make them smile and forget the sad reality for as long as possible.

As volunteers we take care of the attractions, making sure they are used in a proper and safe way. We organise competitions, sports games, typical kids’ games…any way to keep a smile on kids’ faces is allowed and welcomed. We also paint faces, braid hair, conduct workshops – anything our creativity comes up with. The most important thing is that we give them our time, and our attention, we share with them what we can do and what we like to do – we believe it inspires them from a young age to have dreams and goals. After all, each one of us is different and brings something unique to the team.

Together we create a friendly environment in which everyone feels good and has a great time – including ourselves.

What are our conditions?

There are very few conditions you have to meet to join.

You need to be at least 18 years old on the day of your arrival.
You have to be able to freely communicate in English.
Also, we need you to be motivated to join!

And that basically sums it all up

It’s worth noticing that the whole thing is meant to be an adventure. We sometimes sleep in different conditions, sometimes have to have long walks to showers, it also happens that sometimes we stay up at night to fix something last minute, drive somewhere spontaneously or do something else that requires our immediate attention at the moment – that’s why you have to be ready for challenged and surprises! We can assure you though that the unique atmosphere of the project is worth it all.

What do we give you?

accommodation and food are free and provided
we offer training for everyone about how to use the equipment, we also offer additional theme training, for example, a first aid course
with us you have a possibility to improve your language skills – English, French, Spanish, Arabic…you name it! There’s a very high chance there’ll be a native speaker of the language you’re learning for you to talk to.
You can make friends in Poland and all over the world – trust me, the project is great to develop a real bond with others!
You gain experience working in a team and with children
We also offer trips and some fun activities on the days off
We can provide a certificate for your volunteering with us
Last but not least we offer a really fun adventure that I’m sure you’ll be telling your kids about when the right time comes

The project starts at the beginning of July and ends at the end of August. We prefer the volunteers to join us for the whole 2 months, but it’s not an absolute obligation, so if you think this sounds like something for you – DM me, I’ll explain the details and let you know the next steps.

General info

By volunteering with us you will get a lot of experience working with kids, you will find friends from all over the world and become a part of our happy family. The project usually starts at the beginning of July and lasts till the end of August

Here are our criteria for Volunteers, please read it with attention.

1. 18 years (foreign volunteers)
2. No criminal record
3. Has the ability to lead animation and education activities and games for children.
4. Can work both independently and in an organized team.
5. Can work with diverse age groups (children, teenagers) – also diverse in terms of numbers.
6. Be responsible, creative, communicative, preventive and ready for challenges related to working with children.
7. Involve in activities during Happy Bus 2019.

Also has (optional):

8. Experience in conducting workshops and animation activities with children.
9. Manual skills or interests with which he would like to share with the beneficiaries of Happy Bus 2022

Fees Transparency 🔍

We charge no fees but the flight ticket and health insurance have to be paid by the volunteers themselves.

VISA:

https://www.msz.gov.pl/en/travel_to_poland/visa/ We can offer assistance if necessary.

How many volunteers could you host?

When would you need volunteers?

July & August

How many hours of help per day?

About 6-7 hours

How many days of help per week?

Volunteer expectations:

We know that it may seem like quite a lot of work but it’s not actually that bad. Volunteer’s duties would be to take care of children, play with them, paint their faces, make sure they won’t hurt themselves during their stay with us in the village, set up the playground and take it off at the end of work last day in the village. Besides we want to reach out to as many children as possible. Volunteers will also get some time meanwhile in the project to travel around Poland and nearby countries.

What type of accommodation can you provide?

We generally sleep in cultural centres or schools, so mostly there won’t be any beds – we’re sleeping all together in one place using sleeping bags and mattresses

Diet

Omnivorous. Vegetarians and Vegans are welcome too 🙂

Volunteers’ benefits

At the end of the project, you may get a certification. The foundation will do its best to organise a free tour to some places in Poland for you. Before the project starts all foreign volunteers will take part in a workshop about animation games for kids and in the first aid course.

What to do in your free time

After work volunteers will have time for their private stuff and for integration with other volunteers or with the locals. Sometimes they will have extra attractions organised by locals or foundations. Some days there will be also a summer cinema both for volunteers and the locals.

Language

English

How to get to your site

Most of the volunteers come to Poland by plane. The foundation is located in Łódź, so that’s where they will be staying before the project starts.

Is there internet access?

Yes, but not very strong. About the Internet – in some villages it’s provided, in some, it’s not, but don’t worry, we will always do our best to enable your internet access.

CONTACT DETAILS 🔍📧 How to apply?

We encourage you to take a look at our Instagram account and Facebook fan page (you will find many pics from previous editions there):
https://www.instagram.com/ happy bus
Happy bus Facebook page

You can also take a look at the foundation’s fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/fundacjahappykids/
Hostname: Ewelina D.
Email: happybus@happykids.org.pl