Volunteer in the magical city of Krakow

It’s not too late to sign up for a summer adventure of a lifetime.  

ELI is pleased to announce new summer volunteer opportunities in Poland, based in one of the most beautiful historic cities in Central Europe.

English-speaking volunteers are needed to work and play with needy children and young people; teach English in an informal, fun setting; help out with field trips, sports, and art/music/computer projects.

You’ll work with children who live in orphanages or come from impoverished or dysfunctional families. These summer activities offer them an escape from their difficult circumstances, a chance to leave the city, to just have fun. Most of these placements will be based in Krakow and include frequent field trips to nearby mountains, rivers and countryside, so you too will have a chance to visit  these beautiful areas. Volunteers are needed to teach English, to assist art and music teachers, to accompany children on field trips, and to help with sports activities.  If you play an instrument, sing, play basketball, soccer, etc., or just want to teach English, you are welcome to join their efforts.  There are programs throughout the year, but summer is the busiest period.

As an ELI volunteer, you’re not expected to know Polish: you’ll be paired with locals who speak English. You don’t have to be a social worker or an expert in child development: but you do have to like children, helping out, and enjoy being active.

This is an important, enriching time in the lives of these youngsters. You can add to it immeasurably. And in the meantime you’ll enjoy a unique off-the-beaten path adventure in the heart of “new” Europe.

Why Poland?

Go beyond the ordinary. Poland only recently emerged from beyond the Iron Curtain, joined the European Union and landed on the itinerary for travelers go want to escape the familiar and touristy sites of Western Europe. Here they’re discovering old cities, castles, lakes and virgin forests. They explore and party in historic cities of Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk that offer hip restaurants and clubs, great live music and a thriving art scene set against the backdrop of cities that date back 600 years.

Why Krakow?

Savvy travelers in-the-know love this compact beautiful city for its history, its chic clubs, and its sophistication. Krakow is home to one of Europe’s oldest universities and retains its youthful college-town feel while at the same time attracting artists and yuppies alike. It’s a haven for Gen Xers, Gen Yers and every generation of hipsters with an imagination. Krakow is today what Prague was in the 90’s – THE destination for European and American expats and travelers.

Teach English at Summer Camp in Poland

About halfway between Krakow and Warsaw, in a rural location just south of Lodz, the YMCA runs a summer camp for children.  Volunteers are requested to help teach English, and to participate in general activities with the children.

Plaszow Camp Reclamation Project (suspended due to lack of funding for the foundation that oversees the project)

The Plaszow Camp was opened by the Nazis in 1942 and was active until January 16, 1945. In that time, thousands of prisoners, primarily Jewish, died of starvation or were executed here. After the war the area became overgrown, neglected and largely forgotten until Steven Spielberg's movie Schindler's List, which was filmed in and around the camp, brought it back into the public eye.

Since then, a new generation of Krakow's residents and city leaders, fighting bureaucracy and indifference, formed a foundation to reclaim this tragic ground. Their goal is to create a commemorative park, a site with memorials and a sanctuary for the remnants of a Jewish cemetery on which the camp was built. Other parts of this sprawling park will include a 'sensory garden' for seeing-impaired children, an animal hospital, hiking and mountain bike trails, and a climbing wall.

A local architecture student designed the memorial and commemorative statues. They are simple, striking and require manpower rather than expensive materials.

Due to the hard economic times in Poland, there is little funding but a great deal of goodwill for the project. And here is where volunteers come in: their help and enthusiasm will go a long way toward making this long-dreamed-of memorial a reality.

This summer, ELI will send volunteers to participate in reclamation of the land. It will be physical work, but a meaningful gesture to those who lost their lives here. The park will serve as a reminder, and as an educational tool for the people of Krakow and those from around the world who come to visit it.