We have currently four fully funded European Voluntary Service projects starting in the beginning of next year and

one already in September. Two of the projects are in Spain, two in Belgium and one in France. Apply ASAP for all the projects. If you are interested in any of the projects above or would like some more info, contact us at evs@xchangescotland.org

Profiles of the organisations: European Voluntary Service in French speaking Belgium

2010-BEFR-43 Centre for asylum seekers Fedasil in Rixensart (Brabant Wallon) 12 months starting on January 1st, 2014 The volunteer will integrate the service of leisure activities, whose aims are, on the one side, to support children and teenagers in their schooling and, on the other, to organise leisure time activities, mainly in the cultural and social field, for the residents. Some activities in the neighbourhood are also carried out, whose aim is to raise awareness in the local community about the asylum seekers. The volunteers will in the leisure activities department in the centre. He/she will have to co-lead and co-organise different activities for the children and also with the women. The activities vary from creative and artistic workshops to cultural excursions to sports activities to helping the youngsters in the cyber cafe. Occasionally the volunteer will also have to help the kids and teenagers with their homework. Accommodation in a shared flat in Brussels (the volunteer may share a room with another EVS volunteer). 2010-BEFR-48 Facere- day care and overnight centre accommodating with cerebral palsy (Brussels). 6 months, starting January 1st, 2014. The volunteer will integrate a team of workers that runs workshops related to gardening, cooking, computer, science, art-deco, musical comedy, painting, world studies and intercultural exchanges, radio, the making of animated films, cyclo-dance etc. as well as various athletic activities and cultural outings. He/she will also be able to suggest new types of activities and participate in their planning. The presence of the volunteer will give residents, who are all physically handicapped, a taste of fresh air of somewhere new and different as they have only a few chances to meet people from outside their family and the staff. It is important for the volunteer to be sincerely interested in an understanding of the difficulties associated with living with a handicap and capable of working in this sort of

environment. Accommodation in a shared flat in Brussels (the volunteer may share a room with another EVS volunteer).

European Voluntary Service in Spain

COCAT 2010-ES-115 Activity dates: 01/02/2014- 01/11/2014 COCAT is a platform organisation of international workcamp organisations in Catlaunya. It gathers organisations that implement activities in the social-educational field. Our main is to promote international volunteering, understood a tool for personal and community development and social transformation. We promote international volunteering mainly in two ways: -Sending Catalan volunteers to the world to do workcamps, mid and long-term projects (also EVS), trainings, youth exchanges etc. -We promote sustainable practices both in the projects in Catalunya and in the travels our volunteers do on their projects. EVS in COCAT The role of the volunteers who will participate in our EVS project will be to support the incoming and outgoing volunteering areas. It means one of the volunteers will be supporting the work that is done to host volunteers (incoming) and the other one will be supporting the work that is done to send volunteers (outgoing) abroad. Here you'll find a summary of the tasks that each volunteer will carry out during their EVS project: INCOMING: Preparation of the documents to start the workcamp season: The first step to start the workcamp season is to prepare a detailed programme with all the information from the local partners to provide to the international partners in the annual Technical Meeting with Alliance, our international network. Visiting and participating in work camps: The volunteer will be visiting the workcamps with rest of the team. She/he will also be given an opportunity to participate in a work camp, if she/he wants to. Evaluations: At the end of the work camp is the time for evaluations. The outgoing EVS volunteer will go through the evaluation forms and also will participate in the evaluation meetings to understand and get to know better the experiences of the volunteers sent by COCAT. Personal Project: In the second part of the project, the volunteer will have the opportunity to develop

his/her own project in collaboration with other local or EVS volunteers. It can be related to communication, social inclusion our sustainability campaign. OUTGOING: Information: The first step for a volunteer who wants to go abroad on a work camp is to be well informed, so the first thing the outgoing EVS volunteer will do is going to be related to this: Giving information to the volunteers by phone and emails Producing informative material Participating in informative talks Updating the web and social networks creating a blog for the volunteers Registration: The next step is the registration process. The outgoing EVS volunteer will support the registration process by using our database and contacting our international organisations. Trainings: Volunteers that participate in work camps have to attend a training before leaving. The outgoing EVS volunteer will support COCAT's team in the preparation and implementation of the training. Visiting and Participating in Workcamps: The volunteer will be given the opportunity to participate in a workcamp if he/she wants to. Also he/she will be visiting the workcamps with rest of the team. Evaluations: At the end of the work camp is the time for evaluations. The outgoing EVS volunteer will go through the evaluation forms and also will participate in the evaluation meetings to understand and get to know better the experiences of the volunteers sent by COCAT. Personal Project: In the second part of the project, the volunteer will have the opportunity to develop his/her own project in collaboration with other local or EVS volunteers. It can be related to communication, social inclusion our sustainability campaign. Common parts of the project: Possibility to participate in a work camp/ training or to support a volunteer with fewer opportunities. Participation in talks about work camps and/or long-term projects to promote volunteering. According to the initial language level of the volunteer, he/she will receive a basic course of Catalan and/or Spanish. Information service to volunteers (phone calls and e-mails management) Personal project: possibility to develop a personal project related to communication, social inclusion or our sustainability campaign.

Requirements for the EVS volunteers: Strong motivation for youth voluntary projects Experience in volunteering Good English and basic Spanish level Consciousness that the project will have a big administrative part (although in summer the project gets more dynamic). Will be positively valued: Having participated in a work camp or in other international youth projects (youth exchanges, trainings). Willing to learn Cataln and ability for foreign languages. IWITH.ORG Iwith.org is an international foundation based in Nyon (Switzerland) and Barcelona (Spain) with beneficiaries in 4 continents. The mission statement of Iwith.org is to promote information and communication technology as tools for solidarity and improvement in society. The main aims are: Help non-profit organisations with new technologies: -to reduce costs -to improve their communication -to make their work easier and more efficient Promote communication between organisations: -to share resources -to share ideas, so that they can join efforts, instead of duplicating them. Approach new technologies to civil society: -improve the management of information in internet without any technical training -promote Open Source tools -the organisation believes that new technologies should be a part of the need to the organisation and not the other way around. Promote New Technologies as a useful and positive tool: -so organisations are not apprehensive about them -so that success can be applied immediately because the organisation believes they are only a tool and it is only how we apply them that makes them good. Create a Network of experts in information technologies: -because training is the first step to bridge the digital ridge -because knowledge has no owners -because Iwith.org believes in sharing what we know.

EVS in Iwith.org One of the aims of this project is to involve volunteers in the daily work of, with autonomous activities, supervised by the staff, contributing with opinions and participating in the the support process with NGO-s. Volunteers play a very important role, as it is based on long-term collaborations where all parts make contributions and learn in this new and exciting environment, where internet and non-profit world meet. The project ITC Communication has 2 parts, both of them based on communication in NGOs and the use of ICTS: Collaboration with the communication team iWith.org and dissemination of our

projects in the internet Support NGOs with Internet

The tasks will be established for each volunteer according to their knowledge, concerns and learning skills. Usually, volunteers provide their international point of view to our communication actions and participate in their design and implementation. Here you'll find some examples of the tasks that each volunteer could carry out during their EVS project: Translation of short texts Write articles on web sites, forums and blogs Collaborate with other volunteers Support NGOs using the internet Participate in the management of annual campaigns (Book Day, Contest of Summer Photographs, Internet Day, Christmas Cards etc.) Participate in supporting internet communication of NGOs Up-date web contents, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google+ and other social network sites. Help to carry out events, presentations, video broadcasting via internet etc. Requirements for EVS volunteers: Strong motivation for non-profit projects Advanced use of internet, browsers, e-mail and social networks. Good English Consciousness that the project will have a big administrative part. Will be positively valued: Experience and interest in graphic design, photography, video or blog writing. Willing to learn Catalan and ability for foreign languages (we usually work with English, French, Spanish and Catalan).

European Voluntary Service in France

LTVSJ03 Le Crneau (2010-FR-202) Project starts in September Created in 1993, the association 'Le Crneau' is the delegation of Solidarits Jeunesses in Auvergne/Rhne-Alpes.Its objectives are the following: To have a meeting and hosting structure where the dominant theme is intercultural exchanges through group life and . To help enliven and develop the region by working in cooperation with the local government and education centres (recreation centres, clubs, schools, etc.). To support projects sponsored both by our association and the community by organizing international work camps. To help people with social and professional difficulties get back on track.

The Crneau keeps it's doors open to everyone. in doing this we hope to enable all types of people to meet and live together, learning from each other in spite of linguistic, social, and economical barriers. We feel that these kinds of exchanges are crucial in fighting prejudices. The Crneau encourages active and responsible citizenship through promoting values such as solidarity, justice, respect and peace. The project is based out of the Chteau des Prureaux, in the village of Montcombrouxles-Mines in the centre of France. The nearest towns are those of Vichy (45km, pop. 26,000), Moulins (50km, pop. 22,000) and Roanne (60km, pop. 40,000). ClermontFerrand is the nearest city (90km, pop. 250,000). The chteau is surrounded by fields and forests, and itself rests on a piece of hedged farmland. Montcombroux-les-Mines is a small village with around 400 inhabitants, and both the name of the town and the architecture reflect it's mining past. The region is rich in natural and architectural beauty, but marked by an ageing population. With little to no industry, the locals here rely on green tourism, the sale of artisan goods and quality farming dominated by cow breeding. There is little public transportation, and the closest train stations are St.Germain-des- Fosss (35km) and Digoin (25km). The chteau itself is located in a very isolated spot, 6km form the nearest services. However, the presence of the permanent team and the groups that we host regularly make up for the relative isolation. The castle is a bourgeois mansion that was built in the 19th century over the foundations of an old farm. In addition to the main building there is a small forest, a farmyard, a vegetable garden, and several smaller buildings that make up a courtyard. Since 1993 the association has been devoted to the restoration, maintenance and revival of the area by promoting the artisan traditions of the region (basketry, bread making, etc.) and other local actions and organizing international work camps that host volunteers from all origins. There are some rules that the members of the association, the volunteers, and all hosted groups are asked to live by, namely the schedule, the sharing of daily responsibilities (cooking, cleaning, etc.), break making, ecological awareness, and the fight against all forms of waste. The association is made up of two permanent staff members, around 15 active members, a number of individual and collective partners, and the French and foreign volunteers who frequent the centre regularly. In addition to this, Le Crneau is a member of several local associations, and as a result volunteers have the opportunity to participate in many local events such as La Zoreille Festival with the General Council, the association forum, environmental days, and the like. The volunteers are also encouraged to participate in international work camps that are organized each year (12 in 2006), either as a volunteer or a leader. This is an excellent way for them to meet local youth, and for the youth to gain a knowledge of the possibilities that await them at Le Crneau. The work : The main part of the work consists in restoring the buildings and keeping them in a good state, as well as laying out the gardens, farmyard, etc. Throughout the year groups of people will join us at the Chteau, many of them with social difficulties. Volunteers will help in planning activities, workshops, etc. according to their personal interests. Other opportunities may include organizing workshops in the schools, participating in and/or leading an international summer work camp, gardening, and promoting the association through local events. Individual project - We strongly believe that is important for the volunteer to implement, during his/her voluntary service, one or several personal ideas in accordance with the values and the project of the association. We think voluntary service should also be an opportunity to reflect, to experiment and to take

initiatives. Time is set aside each week in order to allow to the volunteers to dedicate themselves to their personal projects. Collective life : The volunteer will participate in the group life,together with the staff, the official members and the guests. His/her accommodation will be in a shared room with 3 other volunteers within the castle, and he/she will contribute: to the general renovation: masonry, painting, maintenance; to the daily tasks: cooking, cleaning,shopping, bread making; to the general organisation: weekly meeting, host and transportation of the guests; to the activities implemented: video projections, debates, games, happenings,trainings. The volunteer will work an average of 30 hours per week and will take his/her free time in accordance with his tutor and the needs of the association. We do not have any specific criteria of selection. We want to offer an opportunity to share in the experience here to all kinds of people, regardless of their age, their social origin, their level of French language, or their skills. We just ask that the volunteer : to participate to the whole project, which will at times include evenings and weekends; to have the willingness to join other people, share impressions and ideas and to live a sometimes hard but very rich collective experience for several months; to note that Le Crneau is situated in a very remote place, in the middle of the countryside, without Crneau is situated in a very remote place, in the middle of the countryside, without any public transport.