***call closed***If you are a creative and curious person, would love to work with kids and to explore Waldorf pedagogy, then this ESC Voluntary Service in Bremen will be perfect for you!
Dates: 05.09.2023 – 31.08.2024 & 02.10.2023 – 30.09.2024
Location: Bremen, Germany
Hosting Organisation: Waldorfschule Touler Straße
We are looking for two motivated volunteers to join the team of the school – particularly in the after-school activities!
About the School & Your Tasks
Founded in 1949 the Freie Waldorfschule Bremen Touler Straße is the eldest Waldorf School (Rudolf-Steiner-School) in Bremen. The whole curriculum of Waldorf Schools is based on the development needs of the pupil, taking their emotional, intellectual and personal abilities and needs into account. The curriculum is integrated, inter-disciplinary and artistic. Thus imagination and creativity, which are most important for the individual as well as for society, are awakened and developed. The students learn two foreign languages from year one onwards. They all learn how to knit and sew, and how to work with wood. In Year 8 and 12, they stage a theatre play and work on a year-long theoretical and practical project of their own choosing. Subjects like Gardening and Eurythmics are an integral part of the Waldorf curriculum. All kinds of crafts stimulate a differentiated development of the will and a practical orientation of the student towards life.
Waldorf Pedagogy is a distinctive way of education. There is a global network of schools that work according to this pedagogy, and you can read more about it here
If you know German (or use a translation tool), you can also read more about the school’s pedagogy on their own website.
In your ESC year, you will work in the after-school care centre, which is attended by the children in grades 1 to 4 after class (age 6 to 10). The after-school care centre has its own building with a large outdoor area. The focus here is on playing together, you might do as well homework supervision or have lunch with the kids, depending on your position in the team. Our after-school care team consists of 3 pedagogical specialists and 3 volunteers. It is also possible to contribute your skills and interests in a second work area, e.g. in support with social media activities or events.
Common tasks:
- Helping the team in the after-school classes which includes homework support, playing with the children, helping the team organise the space and supervision of the kids (age 6-10)
- Development of your own ideas for activities with the kids in the after-school classes
- Organising small local projects for the community of Bremen together with the other 14 ESC volunteers in Bremen
Optional tasks, depending on profile:
- Supporting the planning and implementation of school events (concerts, theatre performances, etc.)
- Helping the team of the school to set up an Instagram and other social media pages, also helping with the website if needed
- Supporting in the school garden and design of the school grounds (creation of nature classrooms, cultivating vegetable beds, furnishing schoolyard) .
This depends on your interests, the activities of the school at the time and your willingness to try out new things
To get a better idea of what this position entails, you can read Marie’s Final Report, Tamara’s 1st Report and Arina’s First Report about their voluntary service.
Logistics
Our organisation, NaturKultur Bremen e.V., will be the coordinating organisation in charge of all logistical matters.
You will be accommodated in a flat or a house in Bremen with 4 other ESC volunteers. You will have your private bedroom and share the kitchen, bathroom and other spaces in the flat/house with other volunteers.
Bremen is a city in North-West Germany (around 500.000 inhabitants), not far from Hamburg and the North Sea coast. Bremen is a vibrant, multi-cultural city with a lot of young people and both a historical centre and newer areas of towns.
As an ESC volunteer, you will receive health insurance, monthly pocket money for food and other expenses (242€ + 150€).
Travel costs will be reimbursed depending on the travel distance (normally between 180-360€).
You will be supported by a Coordinator and a Mentor to help you get settled in your work place and the city of Bremen. You can also attend our German conversation class of at least 1 hour per week, and use the OLS Language Tool to learn German online independently.
But – how is it to volunteer in Bremen?
And if you’d rather watch a video – here you can check out some stories from our volunteers.
Or find out more about Maria, who was volunteering in a school in Bremen.
You can apply, if you…
- … are a resident of an EU Country (not Germany) /partner country
- … are between 18-30 years old (on the day you start your ESC)
- … can communicate in English (A2-B1) AND German (A2)
- … you are committed to improve your German skills during your time at the school
- … are interested in working with kids and doing hands-on work
- … love to be creative, to try out new things and have a lot of curiosity to explore Waldorf pedagogy
- … have patience and care about helping other people grow
- … are an open-minded person, motivated to work in a team and with people from different religious, cultural and social backgrounds
The European Solidarity Corps is financing the voluntary service. The mission of the ESC is to bring people from different backgrounds together to form a society based on mutual acceptance, solidarity and cohesion.
If you have any further questions, please get in touch with Lina: [email protected]
Sounds like your dream project? Apply below!
Application Deadline: 30.04.2023