Firefly International is happy to announce that 3 young people have now been selected to volunteer through EVS in Bosnia with our local partner Svitac. They’ll be working with Svitac’s staff, and local and international volunteers to help run its exciting programme of summer events for kids.
There were a lot of strong candidates so thanks to everyone who applied and be sure to keep an eye on the site for upcoming volunteer opportunities.
UPDATE: These positions have now been filled. Thanks to everyone who applied, and please keep an eye on http://www.fireflyinternational.org for information about upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Would you like to volunteer with young people in Bosnia, working through art to help bring people together? With all your costs covered?! Firefly International is looking for 3 volunteers based in the UK aged between 20 – 30 to volunteer with our partner organisation Svitac in Brcko, Bosnia from June 15th 2012 – August 31st 2012.
The volunteers will work on either Music or Arts and Crafts programmes with young people from a variety of backgrounds, living in North East Bosnia. All costs will be covered (travel, accommodation and basic living expenses) as part of the Youth In Action European Commission programme.
More details:
Firefly is looking for 3 people aged between 20 – 30 from the UK to volunteer for 10 weeks with Firefly’s partner organisation in Brcko, Bosnia, Svitac. You will organise and develop music and drama workshops and activities alongside local staff and volunteers. You will also work alongside local staff and volunteers to organise various events, festivals and music and arts camps, which will be held both inside and outside Brcko.
All of these activities aim to encourage communication and dialogue at a local level, between people of a wide variety of backgrounds and ethnicities in Brcko, Bosnia, and to give people in Brcko the chance to meet and work with people from outside of Bosnia. Due to Brcko’s special status as an ‘inter-ethnic district’ within an increasingly divided Bosnia and Herzegovina these workshops are all the more needed. While focusing on common projects rather than divisive issues the EVS volunteering project aims to emphasise and develop a sense of belonging to a wider European community, and at the same time explore complex issues surrounding conflict, national identity and nationalism.
If you are would like to take part in hands-on peace-building through the arts, informal educational and cultural activities, enthusiastic about tackling social problems, and want to co-operate with young people from other countries, then please contact us!
No previous international volunteering experience is required.
For more information on this excellent opportunity please email by May 1st, 2012.
DETAILS:
The Organisation:
Svitac (Firefly Bosnia) is a multi-ethnic youth arts organisation in based in Brčko, North-East Bosnia. For over ten years, Svitac has worked in Brčko to use the arts to bring about reconciliation within the community, as well as strengthening local young people’s connection to the rest of the world and letting them indulge your creativity.
We believe that working on shared interests can help strengthen a community as a whole, and overcome perceived boundaries through communication, friendship and the arts. Young people in Brcko and the surrounding areas are often marginalised and disenfranchised, these projects will let them take control of something and make it their own while working together as a group.
These workshops and festivals give young people the chance to meet each other in a neutral place where they can put behind them the post-conflict tensions that still dominate everyday life, and learn ways of co-operating together in the pursuit of common goals.
The Volunteering
We are looking for 3 volunteers aged between 20 -30 to volunteer in Brčko, Bosnia from June 15th – August 31st. The UK volunteers’ main role will be to coordinate different creative workshops and help with festivals through the summer. Svitac already hosts Arts and Crafts and Music workshops, and these are very popular. We are therefore looking for volunteers with specific skills in these areas to aid our programmes in Bosnia. Volunteers will each run 4 workshops per week for children and young people aged 10 to 18 in Brcko district, Bosnia. A further role that you will be asked to fulfil is in supporting local under-18 years old volunteers in developing their project management skills and confidence, by working alongside them throughout the project.
Festivals and arts camps are a key element of Svitac’s work. As a volunteer with Svitac you will also take part in the planning and implementation of the Music and Arts camp and the Svitac summer camps. All of these events and workshops are for children and young people of different backgrounds and ethnicities from Brcko, Bosnia, and the surrounding areas.
The Language:
As Svitac is based in Brcko, Bosnia there are people from a variety of backgrounds living in the region, speaking Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian. These are all linguistically close and are grouped together as ‘jezik’. Before arriving in Bosnia you will receive a preparation pack (with basic language training and information what you will need to bring, and about the Brcko and Bosnia). On arrival in Bosnia, you will receive 2 hours of language lessons per week, as well as a tour of the area, history and geography lessons as part of your welcome. You will also take part in meetings with staff and will be assigned a local mentor from the area, who will help you plan activities.
Accommodation:
During your stay, volunteers will live in a shared apartment in central Brcko. Each volunteer will have own bedroom, but may share a kitchen and bathroom with each other. From time to time, short-term volunteers may stay in your living room on a sofa-bed or in your spare room if you have one. Landlords in Brcko usually charge an amount per person (not per room), so if you would like to have guests to stay, your guests may have to stay in separate rented accommodation or pay extra to your landlord. This will need to be agreed in advance each time with Svitac staff (police registration department must be informed about these visits as well by EVS volunteers). You will have acess to cooking facilities and it will be your responsibility to prepare your own meals. Of course you can go to cafes, bars and restaurants in the town or buy food in the shops and supermarkets, but should bear in mind that local staff does not usually eat out and it is much cheaper to prepare food at home. You will be given the same amount of funds for food that local staff receive in wages (approximately €100 per month) and in addition to this, certain bulk foods, such as rice, pasta, flour, oil etc. will be provided for you in your flat.
Local staff will arrange transport when necessary (by bus or using your cars) although nearly all activities will be within walking distance of the Svitac office, the youth centre and the volunteers’ flat.
The Funding:
This project is funded by Youth in Action and the European Commission as part of the European Volunteer Service (EVS) project.
Return travel from UK – Bosnia, accommodation in Brcko and food costs and a small amount of pocket money are provided for by this.
Extra costs (such as holiday travel within Bosnia, eating out, luxury goods etc) will not be covered by this funding.
Person Specification:
Please note: we are very open minded to applicants skills and education. All specifications are as desirable, not essential. If you are enthusiastic and interested, that’s the most important quality we’re looking for!
| Education/ training | A degree is not essential, our focus will be more on experience and skills you can offer |
| Experience | Experience of working with children and young people (desirable) |
| Experience of working with the arts (desirable) | |
| Experience of teaching (desirable) | |
| Knowledge/technical skills | Ideally some specific skills in either Music and/or Arts and Crafts |
| Personal skills | Communication skills, organisational skills |
| Ability to work independently of direct supervision |
The Culture Under Fire panel discussion gets underway at the Reel Syria festival in London. Dave Stelfox for The National
‘On Thursday, one year to the day from the first stirrings of unrest in Syria, a crowd gathered in London’s Frontline Club for a screening of two films by the late director Omar Amiralay. Shown in association with Dox Box, the annual Syrian documentary festival, these short yet powerful works made a stark and appropriate introduction to Reel Syria – a four-day programme of art and culture being held in London and Edinburgh.’
Read the full story by clicking here
REEL SYRIA 2012
London / Edinburgh
March 15-18
A 4 day festival of Syrian films, music and arts, London & Edinburgh, March 15-18 2012
At a time when Syria is engulfed in violent conflict, the festival will present a nuanced portrait of the country and its people. On the anniversary of the uprising, Mosaic Initiative for Syria will also raise funds for Syrian displaced and affected by the current violent crackdown.
Highlights of the festival include a Syrian film programme by DoxBox including a screening of ‘A Flood in Ba’ath Country’ directed by the late, celebrated Syrian documentary maker Omar Amiralay, a performance of Score 328: SURROUND by ‘The 17’ an international public performance project conceived by artist/author/musician Bill Drummond (KLF), an evening panel discussion on creative resistance with guests, including Syrian Caricaturist Ali Ferzat, Asian Dub Foundation’s Steve Chandra Savale, Syrian novelists Manhal Alsarraj and Mamdouh Azzam, and others. There will also be a fundraising Syrian-style bazaar and major fundraising concert for humanitarian aid for Syria in association with Mosaic Initiative, held at Kensington Town Hall.
Check out our blog for the most up to date details: http://reelsyria.tumblr.com/
Anti-fascist Day 2011 in Brcko, Bosnia. Hosted by Svitac
Would you like to volunteer with young people in Bosnia, working through art to help bring people together? With all your costs covered?! Firefly International is looking for 2 volunteers based in the UK aged between 20 – 30 to volunteer with our partner organisation Svitac in Brcko, Bosnia from April 1st 2012 – March 31st 2013.
The volunteers will work on either Music or Arts and Crafts programmes with young people from a variety of backgrounds, living in North East Bosnia. All costs will be covered (travel, accommodation and basic living expenses) as part of the Youth In Action European Commission programme.
More details:
Firefly is looking for 2 young people from the UK to volunteer for 12 months with Firefly’s partner organisation in Brcko, Bosnia, Svitac. You will organise and develop music and drama workshops and activities alongside local staff and volunteers. You will also work alongside local staff and volunteers to organise various events, festivals and music and arts camps, which will be held both inside and outside Brcko.
All of these activities aim to encourage communication and dialogue at a local level, between people of a wide variety of backgrounds and ethnicities in Brcko, Bosnia, and to give people in Brcko the chance to meet and work with people from outside of Bosnia. Due to Brcko’s special status as an ‘inter-ethnic district’ within an increasingly divided Bosnia and Herzegovina these workshops are all the more needed. While focusing on common projects rather than divisive issues the EVS volunteering project aims to emphasise and develop a sense of belonging to a wider European community, and at the same time explore complex issues surrounding conflict, national identity and nationalism.
If you are would like to take part in hands-on peace-building through the arts, informal educational and cultural activities, enthusiastic about tackling social problems, and want to co-operate with young people from other countries, then please contact us!
No previous international volunteering experience is required.
For more information on this excellent opportunity please email by March 1st: evs2012@fireflyinternational.org
Svitac Dance Workshops 2011 with
The Rebecca Davis Dance Company
Collaboration Between Svitac and RDDC:
The Rebecca Davis Dance Company (RDDC), in conjunction with Svitac, began a collaborative partnership in 2009 when Rebecca first travelled to Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) to establish a series of dance workshops designed to build self-esteem and encourage social integration amongst youth. Since 2009, children have presented a dance work each year at the Annual Children’s Day Festival.
In 2010, RDDC selected two Brcko youth to travel to the United States for one-month of extensive dance training. In 2011, Rebecca returned to Brcko during the Children’s Festival to prepare another short choreographic work which was performed at the Annual Festival. The video excerpt of this dance can be seen here:
History of RDDC:
The Rebecca Davis Dance Company (RDDC) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit arts organization based in Philadelphia, USA. It has been working in BiH since 2009. The mission of RDDC is to build sustainable projects in post-conflict countries using dance training, performance and exchange as a tool of reconciliation in conjunction with community revitalization and economic development.
In 2005, RDDC was founded on the notion of bringing literary works, significant historical events and modern social issues to the stage using the medium of dance. The Company has grown quickly, amassing a repertoire of six original full-length contemporary ballets: Antigone (2006), Helen Keller (2007), Darfur (2008), Greed: The Tale of Enron (2009), Van Gogh (2009), and Braving the New World (2010).
Presently, RDDC is focused on building sustainable dance programs for underserved youth in three countries: Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Guinea. For more information, please visit:
Firefly International is very happy to announce that we will be taking part in this years Cultural Leadership International programme, to be held in October in Istanbul. The programme is coordinated by the British Council and brings together cultural leaders from around the globe for a week of activities. For more information please visit their website: http://creativeconomy.britishcouncil.org/cultural-leadership/news/british-cli-participants-announced/
We are extremely greatful to everyone who turned up to the Firefly ‘Peace and Reconcilliation’ Fundraising exhbition. The event was a huge success, with over £4000 raised and all rooms in the gallery full of people and beautiful works of art which had been donated to the event. Firefly primarily relies on donations from the public to continue it’s work in Former Yugoslavia, the Middle East and the UK, and funds from this event will go towards the Ellie Maxwell Youth Centre in Brcko, Bosnia.
Peace and Reconcilliation Exhibition, 30/08/11
We are very thankful to all the wonderful artists who donated their work, including Patsy Hickmen; Marie-Lilas Schneiter; Renee Kennedy; Anita Walford; Sarah Anderson; Georgina Craig Harvey; Ben Constable Maxwell; Esme Howard; Lyn Constable Maxwell; Peter Constable Maxwell; Caroline Irby; Zia Constable Maxwell; Julia Rous; Andrew Conolley; Ann Witheridge; Michael Dormer; and members of the Svitac Art Group, Bosnia.
A special note of thanks to Marie-Lilas Schneiter, who did a wonderful job of volunteering to install the exhibition and of course to Virginia Maxwell, without whose tireless work the event would not have been possible.
SAWA Iftar Buffet. Photograph by Pennie Quinton © 2011
There was a remarkable atmosphere of solidarity at Saturday evening’s Ramadan Fundraising Iftar for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The event was held at London’s Conway Hall on 13 August, and brought together British-Syrians, young Syrians completing their studies in England and friends of all backgrounds. Lebanon’s English language paper, The Daily Star, has reported from the makeshift shelters in Lebanon that Syrians who fled the Syrian regime’s brutal crackdown on its own citizens still lack basic freedoms as well as necessities; they fear going outside the shelter because they entered illegally through the unofficial border crossing. Approximately 2,500 UNHCR-registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been staying in the Wadi Khaled area. Many have been in Lebanon since the early days of the five-month unrest and the majority are from Tal Kalakh. Some of the recent arrivals, however, are from Hama.
SAWA, together for the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, organized the fundraising Iftar or evening meal to break the fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The purpose of the event was as much to raise awareness as funds, and we were reminded that Syrians of all creeds and ethnicities were united in condemnation of the Assad regime’s crimes against humanity, which have directly caused the humanitarian crisis on Syria’s borders.
We broke the fast with a few dates, our thoughts with those who were unable to enjoy the traditional family gathering at home this year. There was then an open buffet where the food was high in quality and quantity. Diners ate to the sound of Moroccan music on the oud, while children were treated to face painting.
The highlight of the evening was the auction directed by professional auctioneer Claudio Cassuto. Those gathered for Iftar enthusiastically bid for several large ink calligraphy drawings (generously donated by Evertitte Barbee), a traditional Syrian-made chair and table inlaid with mother of pearl, vouchers for beauty treatments and even a designer bag.
SAWA Fundraising Auction. Photograph by Pennie Quinton © 2011
The evening was an outstanding success, raising over £8,000 for the Syrians fleeing violence and repression in their home villages and cities.
If you were unable to attend, but still hope to contribute to the cause, you can donate directly to:
Reference: Together
please ensure you include this reference so we can process your donation
Bank Name: Barclays
Branch: Edinburgh
Acc name: Firefly
Acc no: 80900729
Sort code: 202923
IBAN: GB85BARC20292380900729
Swift code: BARCGB22
Please keep checking here for future fundraising events.
Firefly is a European Voluntary Service (EVS) hosting and sending project. This year we have been involved in a number of wide ranging projects, including sending young people from the UK to to Bosnia to work with Firefly’s sister project, Svitac on Summer camps and ongoing inter-cultural dialogue projects & Iceland to work on Environmental and Cultural Diversity projects, as well as hosting a young person from Syria to work on Syrian refugee support in the UK.
If you would like to be an EVS volunteer then Firefly wants to hear from you! Please visit our EVS page and then email us for more information.
EVS is part of the Youth in Action programme, supported by the European Commission and administered in the UK by the British Council.
