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Free Waves
Start date: Jan 1, 2016, End date: Dec 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

[Context]“Free Waves” is a project aimed at increasing inclusion in Europe.This project wants to serve a forgotten group in Europe, which keeps on being excluded from the possibilities that Erasmus+ is offering: young people with fewer opportunities. Due to the several challenges they face – social, economic, educational, handicaps, geographical, cultural – they are hardly accepted in their societies and in the majority of volunteer projects which are now taking place across Europe, or any other projects within Erasmus+ frame. We want to give the push for these young people to become independent and active citizens. We want them to use their potential to be the free waves that can bring its energy, power and inspiration to the shores of European society.[Objectives]• Increase the EVS mobilities of young people with fewer opportunities who never participated in any kind of European projects.• Create a safe and healthy environment where young people with less opportunities can develop a structured daily routine. • Establish an international environment for the participants to work and live in, in order to develop the sense of European citizenship. • Promote Erasmus+ and volunteering through several activities involving the participants and the partner organizations;• Increase the involvement of young people with fewer opportunities who participated in short-term EVS in Erasmus+ projects and other volunteering projects.[Profile of the participants]“Free Waves” will involve in total 93 participants – 84 young people with fewer opportunities and 9 youth workers – coming from 10 different countries: Croatia, France, F.Y.R.O.M., Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania and Spain.[Activities]It will consist of 3 main activities, all of them taking place in Ommen, the Netherlands:1) A Group short-term EVS where participants will live together and do volunteer work with 11 local organizations, between April and August 2016.2) An Advanced Planning Visit for planning a Youth Exchange in November 20163) A Youth Exchange where the participants will they share their experiences with EVS and promote them with the use of media, in February 2017. In this Youth Exchange 25% of the participants will be the ones who took part in the Group short-term EVS of this project and 75% will be former participants of short-term EVS organised by Olde Vechte between 2012 and 2015.As an additional activity, the participants will have 5 meetings in their own countries in order to organize at least 3 promotional events about EVS and volunteering.[Methods]We will use experimental learning, informal learning, intercultural learning and media as tool.[Results and impact]These are the main results:• Increased inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities by creating a total of 99 mobilities: 84 mobilities through 3 Activities and at least 15 mobilities more by the end of the project;• The participants developed their social skills and their sense of European citizenship by living in an international community;• Increased the employability of the participants by having a daily work with 11 local organizations;• Increased the autonomy of the participants by supporting them into developing a structured daily routine;• 30 testimonial videos produced about the experience of EVS to promote Erasmus+;• Create 8 videos to promote the local organisations involved in EVS.• Organized, at least, 3 events for promoting EVS and volunteering by the participants in their countries;• 30 written evaluations about the EVS experience filled by the participants;• Created 1 info pack about Erasmus+ especially designed for the target group;• Strengthened the network of youth organisations working with this target group;• Increased the visibility of the work done with the target group at local, national and European level.[Long-term benefits]• A swift on the accessibility of young people with fewer opportunities into “normal” opportunities, leading to empowerment and proactivity and more participation in society;• More inclusive projects in Erasmus+;• Growth and strengthening of youth organisations working in this field and expanding their network;• Reduced discrimination in all its forms, leading to a more cohesive European society• Bringing EVS and Erasmus+ closer to the core values of inclusion and equity that European Union and its society stands for.
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