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Time for Challenge!
Time for Challenge!
Start date: Sep 1, 2016,
End date: Feb 28, 2018
PROJECT
FINISHED
"Time for Challenge" aims to bring diversity into local youth work, improve key competences of youngsters and volunteer and raise tolerance in community. Two volunteers from Spain and Slovakia are expected start their services between the period October 2016 - January 2017. Spanish volunteer will work in the youth house of Hiiumaa youth Work Centre and Slovakian volunteer in the youth center of Emmaste Leisure Center. Volunteers are not selected yet but motivated, courageous and initiative volunteers who want to work with youngsters are expected to start their services. Hosting organizations are located in Estonia, all of them on the island of Hiiumaa. Hiiumaa is a very small island with only 8220 people. There is not a wide cultural diversity on the island and every person from other nationality enriches the community of small towns. There is a great chance to develop youth work field on the island through new cultures, languages and different people. People on the island have less opportunities or compounding opportunities to travel as transport between the mainland is rather infrequent. The average salary is not very high on the island, which limits the possibilities to travel. That is why it is important that volunteers can come and bring their culture with them to show youngsters that there is a wide world outside Estonia. Youngsters have a chance to practice their English. This project is the key to diversify activities that youngsters can do. This project will also help to raise tolerance in the community towards foreigners as people have become intolerant due to the situation in Europe. Volunteers in the youth house have to communicate and play with youngsters. They have to introduce their culture through language and culture club or culture evenings, they will lead and organize several activities and events. Volunteers can organize hobby groups according to their own interest. Spanish volunteer can also join a youth worker who works with NEET youth and carry out social activities for them. Activities will be carried out according to the interest and initiative of youth. Both volunteers will have a Estonian lessons, reflection and youth pass meetings regularly. These activities in the youth centers help volunteer to gain confidence, self-knowledge, courage and social skills. Volunteers will gain experience in youth work field, organizational knowledge and experience of team work and leader role. Volunteers will also learn planning skills, time management, team communication and coordination, conflict management. Youth will become tolerant, they will be aware of other culture and their awareness of Europe will be raised. Not only volunteers will improve their key competences but also youth. In long time period, this project helps to collaborate with organizations on Hiiumaa, in Estonia and even inter-nationally. More and more organizations on Hiiumaa are interested in hosting a volunteer, through volunteers it is likely to work together with organizations in Estonia and sending organizations can widen our contacts in Europe. Youngsters on the island will be more aware of EVS and willing to start their own service. And of course, lots of people from Europe will know better about Estonia through volunteers. As volunteers will evolve themselves and develop skills, it should be easier for them to find job after the service. Tolerance towards foreigners will raise and youth will have diversified activities in youth centres.