Workcamp Details

Description: Imaginatorium is an alternative educational centre located in the mahala, the Roma district of Gracanica. Since its beginning in September 2016, Imaginatorium is a space in which children and teenagers of the mahala come to learn and play. The center mainly functions through long term volunteers and local members of the organization who offer support with maths and literacy as well as activities such as games, learning languages, arts and crafts.. Imaginatorium also creates opportunities for the youth to develop other skills through music, video, photography workshops and much more. There are around 30 children and teenagers currently coming by and participating in the activities and workshops of the center.

Type of Work: During the camp, you will be involved in the organization of the daily activities of the center with the children and teenagers, and will help with their running. Activities can include:

arts and crafts workshops, organizing event, exhibition or similar, gardening workshops, Music workshops, indoor/outdoor drawing and painting activities, sports and recreation activities, You are always welcome to share your own ideas and use your knowledge, crafts and skills to create your own workshops or activities as part of the program of the workcamp; possibilities are vast! Even though most of the activities will take place in Imaginatorium and the mahala, you will also participate and help with the excursions outside of Gracanica, supervising the group of kids and teenagers.

Study Theme: During the camp, you will gain experience in working with a marginalized group, but you will also have the opportunity to exchange and learn from the other volunteers, the kids and the community. The learning process is very experiential and informal, and depends on how you engage in the activities and with the community.

Accommodation: You will be staying at GAIA’s volunteers’ house in Gracanica or in tents in the yard, next to Imaginatorium. You should bring your sleeping bags and sleeping mats. The house has a bathroom and a kitchen that will be shared by all. Cooking will be done together with all volunteers and food will be vegetarian and local. We have cats and dogs, so you should be animal friendly.

Language: We mainly use English to communicate and work together. Kids and teenagers speak Romanes and Serbian, although some of them also speak Albanian. Some of them also speak English and can help you with the others who don’t. Most of long term volunteers speak either Albanian or Serbian and will be able to translate to make communication with the children easy.

Requirements: Previous experience working with children is a plus, but you should mainly be motivated and flexible. People with various interesting and unique skills and talents are always welcome! As it is summer school break kids will be full of energy, so be prepared to invest a lot of your own :).

Approximate Location: The camp will take place in Gracanica, located 7 km away from Pristina, the capital city. It is a Serbian enclave and is mainly known for its 14th century Orthodox monastery, which made the city a centre of Serbian culture and Orthodox church after the conflicts. It counts around 11 000 inhabitants, out of which around 1 800 are members of the Roma community. There are a few nice places nearby that can be visited such as an artificial lake (Badovac, 5km away), an archeological site dating back to the Roman period (Ulpiana, 2 km away) and a bear refuge (Bear Sanctuary Prishtina, 10km away).