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Be brave - be a Volunteer!
Be brave - be a Volunteer!
Start date: Aug 1, 2015,
End date: Dec 31, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
The project "Be brave - be a Volunteer" is continued project. When coordinating EVS projects close contacts with a different host organizations was created, Hosting organizations would like to continue working with EVS volunteers, because both: volunteers and organizations they see high value of this program and both sided are receiving some new experience.
The project involves 9 host organizations (non-governmental kindergarten “Nendrė”, SOS Children's Villages in Lithuania, Antakalnis Open youth center, Lentvaris Open youth center, Open youth center "Mes”, PI “Toys Museum”, PI “Valakupiu rehabilitation center ", Trakai Open youth space and Day Center "Šviesa"). 2 of these HO (Nendrė and SOS Children's Villages) have 6 years experience in participating in EVS. Day center "Šviesa" and Lentvaris OYC has 3 year experience with EVS volunteers. Other organizations (Antakalnis AYC, AYC "Mes”, Toy Museum and VRC) joined EVS program in year 2014, Trakai AYS – in year 2015, so this will be the first experience for them with EVS volunteer.
The aim of the project is to strengthen young people's skills, become more tolerant that they would be more competitive in the labor market in the future. The project will also seeks to strengthen organizations through intercultural communication with EVS volunteers. EVS volunteers will organize various activities in their host organizations, will offer and implement their initiatives, will organize activities to different target groups, will offer new ways of working and will help organizations to carry out their goals.
The project will provide for young people the opportunity fully participate in the activities of hosting organizations and encourage them to participate actively in social community life, that will help also to local community to learn more about other cultures and to make wider their viewpoints about Europe. In the end of the project, each EVS volunteer will be provided with the Youthpass certificate, which helps to recognize competences and knowledge gained throw non-formal education.
The openness and transparency selection process was ensured by HO close cooperation with both CO and SO, as well as dealing with the same elected candidates to find out their expectations. The project totally involved 14 EVS volunteers. Non-governmental kindergarten “Nendrė” chose a girl and a boy. Valakupiai rehabilitation center and Day center "Šviesa" will also have 2 volunteers of different genders. SOS Children's Villages in Lithuania will have 2 volunteers. Trakai AYS, Lentvaris AYC chose for a boy. AYC “Mes”, Antakalnis AYC, PI "Toy Museum” chose for 1 girl in their volunteering activities. So in the project was ensured volunteers genders balance. All volunteers, who will participate in the project is over 20 years old. The average age of volunteers is 24 years old. There are 5 volunteers with fewer opportunities included in this project, who are quite a long time excluded from the labor market and did not have opportunities to participate in such kind of programs before. EVS volunteers in each host organization will carry out the individual activities with different target groups. Volunteers will do educational activities that will allow for them to gain personal, professional and social skills.
The coordinating organization will be responsible for all the practical and logistical issues: accommodation, food money, pocket money, transport, Lithuanian language courses and volunteer’s arrivals. CO assumes financial and administrative responsibility for the entire project, but the project all participating SO and HO is also responsible of quality of the project. In preparation process CO discussed a lot about different issues with partners and volunteers. CO will keep contacts regularly with each HO and SO by emails (if necessary by phone) in order to monitor the learning process and for avoiding some critical situations. With each partner and volunteer CO will signed agreement, where will be written al responsibilities of each participant: CO, HO, SO and volunteers.
The project objective is to ensure the profit for 3 target groups: organizations, volunteers and the community. During EVS activities volunteers will provide an opportunity for the local community to gain a positive intercultural experience, also will help for HO to raise their awareness, solidarity, tolerance, etc. The project will raise young people's awareness of their responsibility as European citizenship and will help them to understand their role in society. Volunteers, by their real example, will encourage many local people, will teach to put more attention to existing problems in their country. Moreover, volunteers will encourage local community’s tolerance and will help to "brake" cultural stereotypes. The project will promote European values such as: human rights and respect for other cultures, religions and different people.