Are you a social, outgoing person, maybe looking new challenges and friendships? In VCS, we host several international volunteers from Europe, who are part of the European Solidarity Corps programme. Usually they come to Macedonia for the first time and as the cultural change might be a bit confusing – we are providing them with a mentor to support their journey.

What is Mentor?

”Like a first friend” – mentor is providing the volunteer on-going personal support during their volunteering in Macedonia, when it comes to social, emotional and cultural differences. The role of the mentor is to:

• Give the volunteer the opportunity to integrate in the local community, to meet other young people and to socialize
• Support the volunteer to carry out a self-reflection on the learning outcomes of the volunteering project
• Provide support on a personal level for all duration of the volunteering
• Encourage contact with other volunteers and locals whenever possible
• Facilitate in a conflict situation, the communication between the volunteer and the local environment or the volunteers work place

Becoming a mentor requires commitment, motivation, energy. Everybody can become a mentor, but it is important to be aware of the following aspects:

Knowledge
– Good knowledge of the hosting organization environment and of the local community where the volunteer is hosted
– Knowledge of administrative procedure which regards a foreign person in the country (such Visa, Health system, etc.)

A­ttitude
– A good listener
– Open mind and ready to deal with diversity
– Reliable and flexible to adjust according to the volunteer’s need
– Motivated and interested in support learning of a young person

Apply!

We will train all the mentors with required methods to understand their responsibilities and to be ready to mentor a volunteer. Apply by following these steps:

1. Send an e-mail to vcs_contact@yahoo.com
2. Write “Mentoring in VCS” to the subject line
3. Present yourself shortly
4. Attach your CV in English
5. Attach motivation letter in English, answering at least the following questions
   • Who are you?
   • How old are you?
   • Why do you want to be a mentor?
   • Do you have previous experience in similar role?

Apply until 6.4.2022