Is international volunteering right for you? This document will give you a brief outline about
volunteering in Romania? Please read this information carefully and also read the
Application Process on the website. If you have any other questions email us at
[email protected] and if you decide to apply, please download the
application form and the guidance notes from the website. Application deadline: 31st
January 2016 midnight
Project summary
The Transylvania Playwork Project 2016 is looking for
Playwork Volunteers to work and host a summer camp
for the Roma children of Valea Rece (Cold Valley) in
Tirgu Mures. We require 10 volunteers who love to
have fun and adventure while finding out about other
cultures. The trip will be from 7-21 June 2016, with 5
days at camp with 44 children aged 8-13 years old.
You will supervise a cabin of 4 children while at camp.
You will also be expected to supply some children’s
clothes, playful resources and bring some ideas with
you. Translators/volunteers from the children’s village
will be with us at camp and in the village at all times, to support any
language/communication barriers.
The volunteer work
Your team leader for the project is Kat Firth, a member of staff from the International Office.
Kat will be working with the charities main contact Joan Beattie, who you will meet if you
are selected and will be travelling out to Romania in October to plan the volunteering and
meet the Roma community. Your volunteering experience will be challenging both
physically and emotionally but highlights will include:  a 2 day (overnight) visit to Ormenis a German/Romanian farming community village,
including:
- delivering a ‘pop-up’ play event for up to 100 children
- a horse and cart ride through the beautiful Romanian countryside
- an opportunity to make traditional bread – cooked over stones
- a visit to the traditional sheep cheese-making ‘factory’ in the forest
- experiencing the Romanian welcome of hospitality over coffee and cake
- meeting the villagers, with a traditional gypsy barbecue
- picking fresh salad and fruit from the fields/orchard
- home-made wine tasting
- traditional milking of cows by hand
- dinner at the fresh fish farm in the mountains and return trip via Sighisoara
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play sessions in the children’s home village of Valea Rece
a final night party and Cantina with the children in the village
talking about Playwork and reflecting on practice
enjoying 2 traditional Hungarian meals in the village
visiting a local market (usually means an early start)!
a trip to the waterpark
time to enjoy sightseeing in the lovely city of Tirgu Mures
Romania and its people
Romania is situated in the south eastern part of
Central Europe and shares a border with
Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and the
Republic of Moldova to the northeast, and
Bulgaria to the south. Romania joined the EU in
2007 and in general the economy is improving.
However, Romania has the largest population of
Roma people in Europe and many feel they are
shunned by the local community and government
and are made to live in poverty, with limited
access to employment, education and health
care. Discrimination is widespread and Roma people in this area of Transylvania are made
to live on waste or industrial land as the government does not give them access to good
facilities. Volunteers who have visited the Cold Valley Village were shocked that such living
conditions could exist in Europe, with villagers living in makeshift houses mainly with no
electricity, no running water, and no sanitation.
The children from the Cold Valley Village speak Hungarian (not Romanian, which is more
generally spoken in Romania). Few of them speak very much English, but this is not really
a problem for volunteers as play is a pretty good communication tool, and there are always
some adults around who speak English.
We advise anyone interested to spend some time doing some web research into the history
of the Roma people across Europe and the current situation of the Roma or Gypsy people
in Romania today.
Accommodation
While at camp you will stay in cabin accommodation. While in Tirgu Mures your
accommodation will be in a hotel in the centre of the city of Tirgu Mures on a bed and
breakfast basis. Valea Rece is on the outskirts of the city of Tirgu Mures and is within
walking distance. (The trip to Ormenis will include sleeping in a tent in an enclosed garden,
with use of the family flushing toilet and sink for washing. New sleeping bags and tents will
be provided).
Pre-departure activities and commitments
There’s quite a lot for volunteers to do before departure. If you are interested in applying
you must make sure that you will have enough time to prepare for the trip in between your
studies and your work. As well as fundraising activities there will be compulsory team
briefings and a camping weekend in the UK. Don’t forget that the preparation for the trip will
add to your personal development!
Below is a list of key dates between now and departure. Dates for other sessions, the
camping weekend and some fundraising activities will be agreed at the first team briefing.
Feb, March, April
23rd & 24th April
7th June
21st June
2,3 & 4th meeting
Great Big Volunteering Abseil
Project starts
Project ends
About the trip and the itinerary
The volunteering will be from 7th – 21st June 2016. You will fly from London Luton with Wizz
Air into Targu Mures. We will arrange shared transport from Leeds to Luton and back on
your return.
Day 1 – Travel from Luton to Targu Mures
Day 2 – Play session in Valea Rece village + meet Romanian Playworkers
Day 3 – Play session in Valea Rece village. Cantina. Prep for Camp
Day 4 – Pop-Up Play/School’s Out Party in Ormenis village
Day 5 – Ormenis Village and home via Sighisoara
Day 6 – Play session in Valea Rece village. Final Prep for Camp
Day 7 – Coach Travel to Camp
Day 8 – Camp
Day 9 – Camp
Day 10 – Camp
Day 11 – Coach travel from Camp
Day 12 – Free time/Photos developed
Day 13 – Waterpark (some children from the village will be there too)
Day 14 – Visit Valea Rece village – Cantina and camp photos handed out to children
Day 15 – Travel from Targu Mures to Luton
The costs
The overall cost for each volunteer is about £850. For first time international volunteers
Leeds Beckett pay £200 of your costs, so as a first time volunteer you would pay £650.
This includes:
 Accommodation for the whole 15 days
 Some food
 Flights
 Transport in the UK & Romania
 Travel Insurance
What isn’t included:
 Spending money
 Food when not on camp
 The cost of some free time activities
 The cost of any independent travel
 Vaccinations
 Money to get photos printed
Food, drink and travel are much cheaper than in the UK. Taxis from the centre of the city to
the village should not cost more that £2. An evening meal with drinks is approx. £10. A
bottle of beer is about 40/50 pence. There will be about 5 occasions when you will have to
pay for your own evening meals.
Fundraising
All the money you fundraise will go towards the ongoing activities within the village and to
purchase clothes and activities for the children. The gypsy children have very little and
some literally have nothing, so we need to provide them with everything they will need for
camp so they can have the best time ever. Each volunteer will be asked to bring with them
clothes/resources for 4 children. So in total each volunteer will need to bring:8 T-shirts
8 pairs of trousers/skirts/dresses/leggings (8 items in total)
16 pairs of pants
16 pairs of socks
4 jumpers/cardigans/sweatshirts (4 items in total)
4 facecloths
The clothes can be good quality second-hand clothes, so you might like to ask the children
you work with or family members if they would like to donate anything they have grown out
of, but it is best to buy new pants and socks which you can get relatively cheaply in the
supermarket.
The cost of the trip is also used to provide other items to distribute to the children at camp
that are easier and cheaper to buy in Romania i.e. soap; toothpaste; toothbrushes;
shampoo; towels; sandals; combs; brushes; snacks for camp; large play equipment e.g.
balls, rackets, bats, hoola hoops and also frees up space in your luggage for you to bring
activities and sweets, and any other prizes you think would be useful for the final night party
and games at camp!
Fundraising for the charity that you will be working with is a
requirement to being accepted on the trip. As well as
providing much needed funds for the organisation you will
be visiting, we think it’ll be a great way for you to get to
know your team. Lots of our previous volunteers have had
great success fundraising and some have continued
raising money after they got back (after being so inspired
by the work of the organisation). We’ll help you with your
fundraising and encourage you to work as a group.
Previous examples include cake sales, abseils, sponsored walks and even approaching
companies for donations and previous teams have organised a themed evening at the
Restaurants in Headingley. Don’t forget, volunteering and fundraising look wonderful on
your CV!
Minimum fundraising target: £100 or enough to cover all the clothes and activities
More information
If you have any questions please feel free to email Cara McCosh on
[email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.