EVS Volunteers Virpi and Jean

Ref. No: 2002-BG-8

Project's aims:

• to support the development of the youth sector focusing on unemployed young people;
• to enhance European awareness and the values of voluntary work;
• social inclusion and youth information;
• to involve more actively young people in community life and decision taking processes;
• to initiate European youth cooperation and possible youth exchanges;
• to promote the sense of being European with the help of an European volunteer.

Project's activities:

• initiating youth projects with a visible impact on the local community (focusing on the needs of young people, their
• integration in society, promoting youth culture);
• adding an European dimension to community life through encouraging European youth cooperation (seminars, round tables);
• European youth contact making and networking;
• disseminating good practices and stimulating new initiatives.

Volunteers' tasks:

Each volunteer will have from 25 to 30 working hours per week. At the beginning s/he will be introduced to his/her tasks by the mentor, who will support him/her during the period of volunteer work. It is envisaged that with the time the volunteer is going to become more and more independent in his/her work. During his/her work, the volunteer will work directly with young volunteers from the region. S/he will have to support them, using his/her own practice and experience, in developing their own ideas for participation in the community life. S/he will add the necessary European dimension and qualities in the respective ideas, which will have to facilitate the promotion of the European values within the youth work in the region. S/he will have to learn to use and implement intercultural methods and approaches of youth work, in order to able to work with every potential young volunteer, including representatives from the minorities. In connection to that the EVS volunteer should be able to prepare and present presentations of his/her country, culture and/or the European Union and of previously gained experience and examples of good practice. Such presentations will be made in front of current or potential active young people, which will include visits to school classes or out-of-school youth clubs. The volunteer will also participate actively in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of different youth activities (e.g. roundtables, trainings or cultural events). To him/her will be given the opportunity to initiate his/her own youth initiatives, which are going to be supported from "Open Youth" with all possible means. Through this work, s/he will be able to give or accept advices from regular volunteers or staff of the organization and exchange experience. That is why the volunteer should learn quickly enough from the experience of the organization or any other, in order to be able to integrate him/herself fully in the activities of the organization. As some of the activities are international, specific tasks will be partly delegated to the volunteer, like networking with current and possible foreign partners, establishing and improving relations with them, exploring common interests and opportunities for carrying out mutual activities and projects. Special emphasis will be put on developing the EVS activities of "Open Youth". In that connection the volunteer will have to be able to meet with young people, who are interested in spending a volunteer period in foreign country. In such meetings s/he will make presentations of the EVS programme, of the opportunities that it gives to young people all over Europe, of possible difficulties, that a volunteer might encounter and of his/her own experience as volunteer. S/he will also have to work on that issue with unemployed young people and convince them to use the EVS as a tool for increasing the future opportunities for finding a proper employment. S/he will help such volunteers to establish contacts with host organizations and to successfully pass the process for becoming an EVS volunteer.

The administrative work, which is possible to be partly delegated to the volunteer, will be connected with checking the appropriateness and the language of project proposals and correspondence in English or other foreign language (if applicable). Most of the volunteer tasks will be performed out of doors.

The volunteer should be able to devote:

• 20% of the working time to motivate potential young volunteers to participate in the community life by making presentations of his/her home country and culture, the European Union, his/her experience in youth work;
• 20% for sharing experience with staff or volunteers of the organization on organization of youth activities, such as exhibitions, roundtables, exchanges and cultural events;
• 10% for enlarging the international contacts of "Open Youth" and networking with possible foreign partners;
• 20% for participating in the organization of youth events, like exhibitions, workshops, debates, training courses and excursions;
• 25% supporting persons for doing an European voluntary service abroad;
• 5% supporting the staff of "Open Youth" in its administrative work, which deals with using of foreign languages.

A typical working day of the volunteer will be as follows:   8:00 a.m. - getting up

8:30 - breakfast
9:00 - 10:00 - language courses
10:00 - 12:00 - working on the volunteer's tasks
12:00 - 13:00 - lunch break
13:00 - 16:00 - working on the volunteer's tasks
16:00 - 19:00 - free time
19:00 - supper

If two volunteers are hosted at the same time, they will work in team, dividing their tasks, increasing the target group, supporting one another and increasing the scope of the activities.

Requirements:

The volunteer should:

• have a basic knowledge of English language;
• be adaptable, flexible, active and enthusiastic;
• have a will for self-development.

Previous experience in youth work is desirable but not obligatory.