1. TRATWA is a polish NGO established in 1997 in the city of Wroclaw. One of the objectives of the organization is to develop the "Centre of Intercultural Project DEPOT", a cultural center which is one of the most important meeting places for young people and the local community in Wroclaw. The main projects based in DEPOT are: - Youth Initiatives Centre "My Place" is addressed to teenagers and young people, who are in risk of social exclusion and is based on a non-formal education approach. - The project Informal Community Centre: aims to boost the social and cultural life of the neighborhood of Popowice, Wroclaw, where DEPOT is located. It works as social space, with information and activities for the local community, civil dialogue, public consultation. TRATWA’s work and experience lead us to understand the importance of a quality youth work. Young people need some guidance to become more active, to have a dynamic role in their communities and to develop key skills and competences that will make them better citizens of Europe. We want to carry out this project because we have the experience, the know-how and the network necessary to provide volunteers from all over Europe with great tools for their self-development and well-being, for their social inclusion and for their contribution to the society. 2. Objectives The non-formal education approach, transversal to all the youth work TRATWA does, will engage the volunteers in trainings and activities throughout the months of the project, targeted to some key objectives: - Develop leadership competences, soft-skills and social awareness through youth work (project My Place) and intergenerational activities (project Cultural Center) and the use of non-formal education tools, so participants can become quality social workers, - Empower the participants with experience and competences for solving social problems, by supporting local NGOs, preparing and executing workshops on social activism and to discover and replicate sustainable models of social change, - Increase the visibility and attractiveness of local organizations which respond to social needs, supporting their development and their capacity to offer new programs and activities, - Contribute to intercultural awareness among participants, organizations and communities, in order to gain a sense of European identity. 3. Number of participants: 4 The volunteers should be motivated to work with people, especially with youth and social leaders in a non-formal education context, should be interested in animation activities and preparation of workshops for helping the target groups to become involved in public and social life of their communities. They should like to develop and improve their skills and abilities, be open for experiments, have some hobbies and like to share them when organizing activities and projects for the community. They need to be able to work in a team, be flexible and independent. A motivated, creative, open-minded person with artistic skills will be appreciated, as knowledge of national and international cultural details like dances, music and history. 4. Activities A. Supporting the Youth Initiatives Centre "My Place" The main aim is to support the youth in the process which is leading to social inclusion based on non -formal education. B. Supporting the social and cultural life of the neighborhood of Popowice. Volunteers will support the local community to implement projects to animate the local neighborhood by organizing of cultural events, workshops and exhibitions. The volunteers will be invited and supported in designing and planning the projects for the local community. C. Leading Workshops and Trainings to local communities One of the objectives of the project is to develop a sense of community, leadership skills and intercultural awareness through social activism. They will learn how to be workshop's leaders and later they will design, prepare and execute workshops or local actions. These will be done together with NGO’s, schools or events that are included in TRATWA’s network. 5. Results and impact We expect the volunteers to gain capacities and motivation to become social leaders. We hope to release the full potential of the participants, training them to be active part of society and make participants gain awareness of the cultural differences and on the common European identity. On the local communities, the impact we hope to see is an increase of the social activities, support to the community leaders developing their plans to tackle social problems, the creation of activism groups and the increase of European awareness and cultural openness. The participation in this EVS project will primarily make the volunteers develop a great set of personal and professional skills and competences by experiencing the practical approach of a quality voluntary service.