Volunteering | Cherry International Foundation

CARE

Community Animal-Assisted Resource and Engagement

4 volunteers will be selected for our CARE ESC project to spend 2 months or 1 year here in The Netherlands. Due to our accreditation for ESC, we can host EU member countries only.

CARE is a project focused on practical and digital work to engage with the local community.

Drenthe tends to be xenophobic about foreigners, and with CARE we would like to show them that foreigners can even improve the areas where they live. Manual tasks help creating this connection as well, since it is always connected to an immediate result. The video above shows the first version of our volunteering project, we now added the benefit of animals as a promotion of welfare and engagement in it.

The project focuses on engaging the community by organising workshops and developing a small scale, social cat hotel, followed by digital work such as social media and website management.

This being a European Solidarity Corps program, there are certain rules attached to it. Meaning that if you choose to be part of this project, you are expected to join the activities and working places related to this project, these include mentoring and the Dutch classes as well.

Monday to Friday usual working days, weekends off
Every month you can request 2 days off, which are cumulative
There are 2 obligatory trainings from the subsidy program: On Arrival and Mid Term trainings, they focus on your settlement here in The Netherlands.

You also have the possibility to work in other working places besides Cherry, such as the community garden, the Tibetan museum, DARA, ngo collecting funds for the educational support for children in Cambodia and more.

Please mind that if you choose to do short term you can only do a long term project in another organisation of maximum 10 months (not 12).

We are looking for 4 participants between the age of 18 and 30 years old.

You:

General profile

Come from an EU member country (resident)
Like to take initiative (and if you've been in our projects, you know how much we care about it).
Are an entrepreneur, don't wait and hope for something to happen.
Come with alternative solutions for a problem.
Are open to cultural differences and even in case of cultural shock, willing to give it another shot.
Are willing to realise practical work or to learn about it.
Are willing to cooperate and work with the Dutch community.
Speak and understand basic English (diploma is not necessary).
Are aware that you will be living in a Dutch town and village in a rural setting.
Are accountable/responsible for your actions.
Are aware that a bicycle will be your means of transportation no matter the weather, even at -20 degrees (tricycle is also an option). It rains a lot in The Netherlands.
Have a driving license could be handy. Not mandatory though.

Work related profile

Have experience with social media (posts, content creation, reels, video editing)
Are interested in maintaining a website (text, newsletters, blog - we use Wix)
Like to do office work, administration, writing
Are motivated to organise workshops for the locals
Respect animals in their behaviour, and you don't force them for your own entertainment

The project is subsidised by the European program European Solidarity Corps. The subsidy covers:

Travel (arrival + departure, calculated with the subsidy's distance calculator. Starting point is the address of your sending organisation, not your home address).
Housing
ECAS health insurance
Living costs (153 Euro pocket money + 210 Euro living money = 363 Euro per month)

Check with your sending organisation if they ask for any kind of (participation) fee.

Trips that are project related are covered by us (i.e. going to the Cherry center). You will also receive a bicycle from us which will be your main transportation within a 10-kilometer route.

In CARE, taking initiative is very important. You will notice that it will help you finding out what you like to do. We are flexible in the tasks that you can do and motivate you to work on your own interests, as long as they support your development and match the objectives of the project.

These are the tasks that you can expect during CARE:

Maintaining social media channels of Cherry
Creating Newsletters
Creating content for the website's blog
Planning, organising and promoting workshops for locals (regarding animal care, or for example bird houses, toys for animals, etc.)
Planning the set up of the cat hotel
Creating promotion material for the cat hotel
Maintaining the Cherry garden with its animals
Assisting in the management of the cat hotel (taking care of the cats, cleaning, playing, updating the social media channel of the cat hotel, etc.)

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

In your CARE project, we offer:

The possibility to develop yourself and your interests
Personal guidance through tailor-made mentoring (you'll meet the mentors before your arrival through a video call)
Personal guidance with animals when possible
Work in a dynamic environment
ECAS health insurance
housing
living and pocket money
Dutch and cultural lessons
Cultural trips

The project and its activities will take place in the Dutch region of Drenthe, located in the North Eastern part of The Netherlands. Your housing/living will be in the town of Emmen. The Cherry centre/office is in the village of Dalen (16,5km from Emmen. You need to take the train to reach it, which we pay for).

In the tab "tasks", you can see the Cherry centre, our headquarters. Because we do not have a fixed accommodation for volunteers (we rent it), you will receive the pictures of it during the application process.

Emmen is a town of 108.000 inhabitants, it has all kinds of entertainment that a city can offer, including a cinema and one of Netherland's most famous zoos, Wildlands, which more than a zoo, it is an adventure park. Shops, restaurants, bars, pubs, and much more, can be easily found in Emmen.

Dalen instead, is a typical Dutch village (3.470 inhabitants), surrounded by green fields and parks. Dalen has a few shops, a supermarket and a few restaurants. It also has a train station which is located at 10 minutes walk from the Cherry centre.

You and your fellow ESC's will be housed in the same house, with common areas. Each of you will have your own room though.