I help, I grow!
Start date: Aug 1, 2015,
End date: Nov 30, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
"I help, I grow!" is a long-term group EVS project between one sending organization from Poland, Bona Fides, and two host organizations in Portugal, Associação Spin and Associação Azimute Radical, which together will host two volunteers from 17 to 30 years old, with fewer opportunities, for 9 and 12 months respectively. The organizations responsible for the coordination of the project are the Bona Fides Association and the Spin Association.
The key issue for this project is the mutually stimulated growth of the volunteers and the local community/host organizations. On the one hand, their presence and contribution stimulates the community development and lets the host organizations offer more activities as well as improve their ways and procedures. On the other hand, by volunteering, the volunteers grow personally and professionally, gaining experience that is very valuable for their future.
The volunteers will be involved in the activities and projects developed by the receiving organizations within the frames of Youth and Children leisure and empowerment projects, especially promoting healthy lifestyles, and working against the early school-living and youth unemployment. They will also be able to develop and implement their own project ideas in the fields of children, youth and community work, as well as intercultural learning and dialogue. The methods used throughout the project will be non-formal education methods focused on participatory and learner-centered approaches.
Expected results include the improvement of quantity and quality of HO's work for the development and well being of Carnide's
hosting community, with strong positive impact on all EVS participants and beneficiaries of HO's actions.
In this project, the volunteers will also have the opportunity to experience a different culture and way of living, to master many
useful tools and competences in the three main fields of work, to learn about organization of social and cultural events, to improve
their skills in intercultural communication and learning of Portuguese language. Therefore, young participating volunteers will
benefit from this mobility that provides them the opportunity to develop their social and professional skills and competences which
increases the chances of finding better job opportunities and/or creating their own in the future.
Importantly,this project will contribute to positive change of mentalities for updated European awareness: youngsters from local
community will be more sensitive to European debated issues and also aware of policies regarding youth, all through peer-to-peer
transmission of knowledge, in a non-formal way.