Mladinski center Zagorje

Youth centre Zagorje ob Savi (MC ZOS) is a local public body, established to perform extracurricular activities for young people. Fields of activity are: non-formal education, volunteer work, culture and art, health and sport, information and consulting, international projects and mobility of young people, intergenerational activities, participation and active citizenship.

Our main purpose is to provide supportive structure for creative young people in the local area with the goal to create a learning and encouraging environment where they can gain knowledge and experiences, explore their passions and become an active member of community.

Zagorje ob Savi is a small town located in the heart of Slovenia in Zasavje region, known for its coal mining past, with approximately 7.000 inhabitants. It is surrounded by beautiful nature and numerous hills. It offers all necessary infrastructure such as health center, administrative unit, library, police station, shops, cultural center, museum, sports grounds, restaurants, primary and secondary schools, retirement home, airport (sports plane) etc. The town lies 50 km from the capital Ljubljana as well as Celje, the third largest Slovenian town. The railway provides good connections to the neighbor regions, trains depart every hour.

Visitors are attracted by beautiful nature and numerous hills (Čemšeniška planina, Zasavska sveta gora, Kum) that offer limitless opportunities for cycling, hiking and relaxing in nature or adventurous rafting on river Sava.

MC ZOS is situated in a recently renovated building, just within five minutes walking distance from the center, right next to primary school, kindergarten, intergenerational center, gym, football field, and playground. It has a concert hall, an office, multifunctional rooms for different events, music rehearsing room for bands.

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES FOR ESC VOLUNTEERS:
The activities that ESC volunteers mostly take part:
- Regular programme (40%) – various events organized by MC ZOS on a monthly basis and festivals that take place every few months which include activities prepared by the volunteers such as sport events, theme nights, tournaments, workshops, concerts, discussions etc.
- Youth work (30%) – working with young people in the local environment, organizing activities with or for them, street work, mentoring interest groups (in fields of culture, sport, etc).
- Cooperation with other organizations (10%) – we are in regular cooperation with the local schools, kindergarten, organization for persons with disabilities, student club, PUM group (unemployed young people and school dropouts), etc., where the volunteers can get involved by organizing and leading various courses, present their country and help on special school days, events, trips, festivals, programs.
- Intergenerational cooperation (10%) – MC ZOS is also preparing various intergenerational activities where the volunteers can get involved by organizing and leading various courses, present their country etc.
- Promoting the experience (10%) – volunteers share their personal experience of living and working in Slovenia or MC ZOS through writing blog, publishing news, photographing, filming and then editing and posting it on the web. All with the aim to promote MC ZOS activities, to reflect volunteers experience and to encourage and motivate young people to engage in activities of MC ZOS.

The work will mainly take place in MC ZOS and also on different outdoor locations, especially in the summer time. All work concerning cooperation with other organizations, takes place at their facilities.
Volunteers work about 35 hours per week, 7 hour per day, mainly during the week, sometimes also during weekends.

VOLUNTEER PROFILES:
We are looking for reliable and highly motivated individuals that are interested in our field of work. No specific education or knowledge is required, we provide the necessary training and personal mentors.

MOTIVATION AND ESC EXPERIENCE
We have experiences in EVS and ESC projects and a well-established working system and since we perceive so many positive impacts and results we are highly motivated to continue with the ESC program.

Through ESC we are promoting our activities, volunteer work, solidarity and tolerance among young people, respect for cultural diversity and intercultural learning. Projects stimulate our youth to become more involved and to be more active in the local community or in international projects. Participants gain the important competences and an opportunity for personal growth. MC ZOS gains fresh ideas, new perspectives, international dimension and enhanced partnership.