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Let's volunteer to be active citizens
Let's volunteer to be active citizens
Start date: Aug 1, 2016,
End date: Nov 30, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
“Let’s volunteer to be active citizens” is a 9 month EVS group project involving three volunteers coming from three European countries (Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria) in activities dealing with social inclusion of elderly and disabled people. “Let’s volunteer to be active citizens” EVS project, as the title says, is based on the strong connection between active citizenship and volunteering. When we speak about active citizenship, we often link this concept to solidarity with other people; to giving something back to society; to breaking down barriers and demonstrating that we are all mutually dependent, and that what we do for others we also do for ourselves. In this sense, volunteering is one important element of active citizenship, which benefits the volunteers as much as those they support.In this way our project becomes at the same time a way to promote volunteering, to foster active citizenship and active participation of young people. Starting from this background, with this EVS project we aim at pursuing the following objectives: 1. To raise the desire of becoming ACTIVE CITIZENS among young Europeans, informing them about the meaning and concrete practice of VOLUNTEERING, based on the direct experience of civic and voluntary organisations.2. To raise awareness towards the importance of SOCIAL INCLUSION of vulnerable social groups, by fighting prejudices and discrimination;3. To contribute to an INTERCULTURAL APPROACH and INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE in our society and to the creation of a model of social harmony based on diversity and mutual recognition between cultures;4. To foster international cooperation based on shared values, e.g. the value of volunteering, social participation and active involvement.In the framework of this project we also aim at promoting YOUTH EMPLOYMENT. In fact the three selected volunteers will be all unemployed. Starting from the objective situation that is affecting many youngsters, we would like to offer 3 youngsters the opportunity of acquiring know-how in the social sector as well as new intercultural and linguistic skills, in order to improve their chances of getting a job once back to their sending countries.The organizations the volunteer will be engaged in are: INSIEME SI PUÒ working with disabled people and RIFUGIO RE CARLO ALBERTO, active in the field of social inclusion of elderly people. Volunteers will be particularly asked to assist the local staff by providing social, emotional and practical support to the guests of the organizations in activities aimed at improving their social integration. The EVS experience will offer the volunteers the chance to develop their communication and practical skills, and will foster their social, personal and cultural growth. Thanks to this opportunity, they will disseminate good practices, promote the importance of volunteering and encourage activities that lead to social change. Thereby, these young people will become active agents of citizenship creating awareness and stimulating debate on the need for the larger involvement of civil society in European countries. In the framework of this project, AFSAI and all partners have planned and agreed on a specific working method strategy, with roles, responsibilities and a timetable, regarding each phase of the project: project drafting phase, volunteers selections, volunteers and host organization’s preparation, Evs activity implementation (monitoring and support), Evs activity closure, project evaluation and follow up. AFSAI, as coordinating organization, will make sure that a good, fruitful and effective cooperation and communication will be kept during the whole project in order to lay down foundations for a future cooperation in the framework of the new Erasmus Plus Programme.