The European Voluntary Service “Discover the Caucasus – Volunteering across cultures 2” brings four volunteers from Germany to get active in two different EVS hosting organisations: - Youth Cooperation Centre of Dilijan (YCCD) in Dilijan, Armenia (2 placements) - SIQA – Georgian Association of Educational Initiatives (SIQA) in Rustavi, Georgia (2 placements) The volunteers are sent by the European Intercultural Forum e. V. from Germany. The EVS service will take place from September 2015 to August 2016 (Armenia) or from October 2015 to September 2016 (Georgia), a total of 12 months. The project aims to empower young people from Germany, Armenia and Georgia. Specific objectives include: - to qualify four young volunteers to become youth leaders and to engage into activism fostering social inclusion, equality and peace in Europe and its neighbouring countries - to foster intercultural, interpersonal and social competences of volunteers from Germany and deprived youth from the communities of Dilijan (Armenia) and Rustavi (Georgia) - to promote volunteering and active participation as a tool for personal and professional development, thus for employability Volunteers will plan, implement and evaluate non-formal educational activities for local children and young people (13 to 25 years old) from deprived areas in Tavush and Kvemo-Kartli regions in Armenia and Georgia. This includes: - workshops and activities around European cultures - workshops on specific topics (e.g. Human Rights, gender, sustainability, etc.) - communication language workshops in English or German - leisure activities (arts and crafts, sport activities, theatre, dancing classes, etc.) - promotion of volunteering in local schools and on local events - support to local projects of the hosting organisations - supporting visibility action of the project (blogging, writing articles, answering interviews, etc.) The volunteers are full actors of their own service as activities will be developed based on their talents and interests. Content and methodologies of the activities implemented in the frame of the EVS project are based on non-formal approaches and highly welcome creativity and innovation from the volunteers. The project contributes to the development of deprived and rural areas in Armenia and in Georgia by raising educational opportunities for local young people and access to youth information. It strengthens the outreach and impact of two grass-root youth organisations in addressing local social issues. Learning outcomes of the volunteers are fostered thanks to a learning path strategy that allows them to reflect consciously and actively about their personal learning and development before, during and after their service in the Caucasus. Several support milestones and schemes such as mentorship or the SALTO-EECA training’s, allow a coherent and continuous support to the volunteers all along the service. The dissemination strategy of the project allows a broad outreach at local and international level, promoting volunteering and active participation, as well as raising awareness of the youth reality in rural regions of Armenia and in Georgia. It includes online and offline activities such as local promotional activities, blogging, publishing articles written by the volunteers, organising final EVS event, etc. All in all, this EVS project is part of a long-lasting cooperation among the European Intercultural Forum e. V. (Germany), the Youth Cooperation Centre of Dilijan (Armenia) and SIQA Georgian Association of Educational Initiatives (Georgia). The project is framed into a long-term sustainable strategic support to local grass-root organisations based in the regional areas of the Caucasus.