The project "Intercultural working with people with special needs" of AWO KV Bremerhaven e.V. is a 12-month EVS project in Bremerhaven for a volunteer from Italy. The main topics of this project are: Disability and special needs; Inclusion and equality; Active European Citizenship and European awareness. The volunteer will be employed in a residential community of the Center for Social Psychiatry and will bring his/her interests and abilities in order to assist residents with their special needs due to mental illness and social disadvantage for their reintegration and development. During voluntary service the volunteer will learn especially by the principle of non-formal so informal learning. After the orientation phase in which he meets the different offers and work areas of the Centre for Social Psychiatry the volunteer will decide together with team where he/she will set his/her priorities. He/she will be explicitly encouraged and supported to contribute own ideas to the project’s goals in the form of their own small projects. Particularly the intercultural dimension of EVS and the individual and cultural knowledge of the volunteers could enrich the program of the institution in a very positive way. Profile of the volunteer: For us it is most important that volunteers are open minded to people who suffer from mental diseases and the effects which they can cause, such as lack of motivation, depression, etc. It is desirable that the volunteer is interested in languages and motivated to explore and get to know cultural peculiarities with an open mind having fun by making new experiences in this field. In general we wish that the volunteer has a sense of responsibility and is empathic. He/she should have vitality/joy in life while working with people who suffer from mental diseases as well as a stable personality and a positive, life-affirming attitude. While working with people with mental diseases it is also important and required to be patient. We are really interested in integrating the volunteers with their knowledge, experiences and skills, which can be expressed in different ways such as music, sports, other creative fields or special social competences, which can be discovered and shown while being with the residents. Tasks of the volunteer: The volunteer will mainly support the staff in the resident for people with psychological and mental problems in doing his daily activities, which means to keep the educative, human and autonomous process working. The tasks of the volunteer will mainly be: -Support within the practical areas for ex. in the daily living together - cleaning and tiding up, cooking, shopping, companionship to medical services, support and management from leisure time activities, companionship and taking care during excursions, walks, etc. - Realizing new ideas to create a leisure time offer to the residents. It is possible and wished to be involved in the creation of intercultural activities or cultural specialties from the original countries of the volunteer. This could be for example: readings or informational events about the countries of origin or traditional events like dances, celebrations, etc. -Being part of the planning and the realization of special events which are linked to particular topics and festivals. -Personal help or companionship of the residents in case of questions concerning his relatives. The working time and the arrival of the volunteers are flexible. Results and potential longer term benefits: The independent living in a linguistically and culturally foreign country in an unusual family and social environment as well as getting used to this country and its language contribute immensely to the social and personal development of young people. Concerning the present EVS project the volunteer will be offered different possibilities for acquiring skills through non-formal learning - depending on the respective areas of work which he/she chooses and where he/she collaborates concretely. The local community and the employees will insofar also benefit from the work of volunteer, as they make new learning experiences, their work can be viewed from a different angle. Individuals and entities of the local municipality will discover new opportunities for international youth work supported by the Youth in Action Program, which may open new perspectives for their work. The EVS activity also contributes to strengthening of the partnership between hosting and sending organizations and can in this way have a positive influence on future projects between two partners. Through the implementation of this EVS activity we expect to develop a considerable partnership between receiving and sending, which will in its turn have a positive impact on the number and quality of future EVS projects in the long term benefits. The contact to former volunteer will help us to build a kind of "Alumni Network", which in turn can have sustained multiplier effects.