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EVS - Spread the light
EVS - Spread the light
Start date: Jan 1, 2015,
End date: Jun 30, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
„EVS – Spread the light” is a project that was implemented in Cracow.
The project was addressed four volunteers – young people from France, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy .Volunteering activity lasted 10 months in each volunteer’s case. Ivana from Bosnia&Herzegovina and Antonio from Italy were working in Occupational and Social Therapy Workshops at Gaudium Et Spes Association. Marianna from Hungary and Bastien from France were volunteers at Special Educational School Nr 11. Both of hosting organisations are involved in the area of disability.
Volunteers at Gaudium Et were assisting therapists during vocational and social rehabilitation of mentally challenged – thanks to the therapy participants are enabled to receive knowledge and skills necessary for independent daily life. Rehabilitation takes places during the following workshops: information technology, artistic, hand-crafting, tailoring, conservatory-carpenting, language or household keeping.
French and Hungarian volunteer were assisting teachers and therapist at Special Educational School No 11, working with children and youth with diversified types of mental and physical disability. School has two branches consisting of primary school, secondary school and vocational school. Both branches address their offer to the mentally and physically challenged students. During various classes pupils learn how to deal with the daily life and overcome upcoming obstacles.
Volunteer’s activities were adjusted to one’s profiles and fields of interest, thus the project was result with high satisfaction of achieved learning outcomes. While realizing “EVS – Spread the light” project volunteers were acknowledge various methods of therapy and working with disabled, received practical experience in daily assistance of disabled in the hosting organizations, realized their own projects and significantly increased their cross-cultural competences.
The construction of the project allowed volunteers to acquire new skills and abilities in a non-formal way, so that the developed basic skills and put emphasis on the sense of social responsibility for their own actions.
Undertaking activity for the social inclusion of the marginalised social groups
(disabled, but f.e. seniors as well) was the aim to the project.
Moreover, “EVS – Spread the light” project goal was promotion of volunteering as a tool and mean of social activity, being a fundament of modern civic society.
During the project, volunteers prepared articles about their activities and project itself. Articles were focus on their development and experience gained while volunteering. Articles were published at project partners’ web pages and portal of Regional Volunteer Centre of Lesser Poland. Volunteers also organized meetings based on idea of “living library” addressed at seniors and local youth, during which they shared their experiences and EVS project outcomes, both on personal and general level. Participation in the “EVS – Spread the light” project increased social involvement not only of the volunteers, but also people not directly involved in the project and beneficiaries of the planned additional activities.
Throughout the project, volunteers received the chance to learn foreign languages, gained information about activity and work in different European countries and understood unknown cultures.
Each volunteer whom took part in the “EVS – Spread the ligh” project received organisational and formal support throughout and prior to the activity, Polish language course and mentor support. Project lasted 18 months.