looking into youth future with hope and trust

volunteering

volun teer ing

volunteering

savanorystė

savano rystė

frivillighet

wolontariat

wolontariat

волонтирање

волон тирање

volontørarbejde

boluntariotza

boluntariotza

εθελοντισμός

εθελο ντι σμός

vabatahtliku

vaba taht likuvabatah

tliku

gönüllülük

önkéntesség

önkéntesség

vapaaeh toistyö

vapaaeh toistyö

volon tariat

добраах вотніцтва

volun tariado

volun tariado

volun tariado

frivil lig

arbete

frivil lig

arbete

volun tari ado

dobro voľní ctvo

prosto voljstvo

prosto volj stvo

prosto volj stvo

добро вол

чеството

dobro voľní ctvo

volon tiranje

volon tiranje

brīvprāt īgais

volon tariato

frivillig arbete

frivillig arbete

frivillig arbete

vrijwil ligers werk

volun tari adovolun

tari ado

dobro volnictví

dobro volnic tví

volun tariat

волон терство


FreiwilligenarbeitThe Workplan

Looking into Youth Future with Hope and Trust

Contents

Intro about the Workplan

Looking into youth future with hope and trust

a Word from the allIance course dIrector

about the allIance I. What is a workcamp II. Types of workcamps III. Six dimesions of workcams

trends In InternatIonal Voluntary serVIce What does the phrase “new trends in youth volunteering” mean to you? What are the social challenges young people are facing nowadays in your country?

socIal solIdarIty actIons Study Visit examples Examples of social solidarity volunteer actions in post disaster scenarios

I. Case Study: post disaster scenario in Serbia II. Case Study: post disaster scenario in Japan

InnoVatIVe and best practIces addressIng the challenges and trends In InternatIonal Voluntary serVIce

buIldIng together a shared future strategy for IVs

congress resolutIon

allIance QualIty charter

4

5

8 10 11 12

19

22

26

30 30

3636 38

42

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64

70

The Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations

The Workplan - Looking into Youth Future with Hope and Trust

1st ed.

2014

For the Publisher:

Jelena Ristić Beronja

Xenia Koutentaki

Giovanna Pignatti

Publisher:

Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations

www.alliance-network.eu

Design :

Jovan Petrovic

Edition 1

December 2014,

Belgrade, Serbia

Notes:

An electronic version of this booklet is also available at www.alliance-network.eu

The view expressed in this booklet are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views

of, and should not be attributed to, the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.

Intro about the workplanLooking into youth future with hope

and trust

This booklet presents the readers with outcomes, approaches and practices within the International Voluntary Service, as understood by the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations, discussed and elaborated by its 49 member organisations along the three activities during 2014, supported through the framework of Workplan by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.

Activity 1: Capacity-building training course “Begin Anywhere: Volunteer, Inspire, Engage!” on how to efficiently plan and implement innovative international youth voluntary projects, workcamps, so that they become a real opportunity for a deep and durable personal change in the participation of unemployed youth (Serbia, July 2014)

Activity 2: Study Visit “Mapping social activism of a European Youth Capital in 2014” brings a wide variety of civil society initiatives sustained exclusively through young volunteers aiming to create alternative and sustainable solutions to the economic crisis, where volunteering is used as an extremely powerful and innovative tool for social action (Greece, September 2014)

Activity 3: Congress “Values and role of IVS in the current political, social, economic situation” about the global challenges faced by young people, the existing policies supporting their rights and participation, and the role that high quality International Voluntary Service can and should play to combat exclusion and enhance youth democratic participation (Italy, November 2014)

A word from the Alliance Course Director

In times of crisis and despair, of unemployment and poverty rates that are unthinkable for times of peace, there are many thousands of people who make a silent revolution on an everyday bases.

These people make an existential choice of enormous importance: do not let hope die, do not get isolated, keep on fighting for a brighter future, people who engage themselves in projects of solidarity, social development and global sharing.

These are the thousands of volunteers who get actively involved in local development projects all over the world.

In Alliance we are proud to be part of this movement; we have been working for decades in creating meaningful projects where young volunteers can realize their vocation, and local communities can become part of a global solidarity network.

In this road we are always trying to improve, to identify what are the current needs both of young people and communities, what is the role that Volunteering can play in order to have a significant impact? What new methods, tools, and strategies we will need to develop in order to respond to our vision and mission?

In Alliance we believe that the most efficient way to

2014. Alliance four Working Groups and two thematic Committees (around 70 individuals) took these first data and elaborated them further. Based on the results of this consultation the basic content guidelines were developed. The participants of the three events and the preparatory teams were expanding from one event to the other keeping always a core group of participants who followed the whole process.

We started with a training team of three, facilitating the Capacity Building seminar in Serbia, and we ended up with a group of 25 facilitators and reporters who run the Congress in November. Active engagement, ownership and creativity not only led to the fulfillment of the project aims and objectives but they became a practice affecting deeply the democratic identity of Alliance.

Xenia KoutentakiAlliance Course Director

Athens, December 2014

overcome these challenges is by investing in education. We are totally convinced that an alliance of Knowledge is the only way of achieving long lasting effects. Therefore the action plan of 2014 was dedicated to this educational process: analyse our current tools, explore a future vision for IVS and the educational role it can play in society, empower youth workers and organisations by offering them knowledge and a strong supporting network, and in this way empower both the Alliance and the voluntary movement worldwide.

The work plan realized by Alliance in 2014 was fully dedicated to the analysis of the current global situation and how it affects young people and the voluntary movement.

The methodological approach we have implemented was an innovative and very engaging one. We have since the beginning involved the participants in the content development and the running of the different activities, trying to underline at any moment the values-based connection between the process and the outcomes.

The process we followed was based on a continuous process of communication and feedback between our members and the coordination and preparatory teams. We started with a survey on partners’ needs and perspectives via questionnaires and workshops during the main Alliance yearly meeting in March

[ 9 ]About the Alliance [ 8 ]

About the AllianceThe reasons we do what we do

The Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations is an International Non-Governmental Youth Organisation. It represents national voluntary service organisations which promote democratic youth participation, intercultural education, understanding and peace through voluntary service.

The Alliance, founded in 1982, is presently made up of 49 members from 29 countries in Europe, Asia and America. Each member organisation runs an annual programme of International Volunteer Projects in their own country, on a national level, and exchanges volunteers with each other following the Alliance Quality Charter. Every year an average of 18.000 young volunteers participate in more than 2000 local community projects, workcamps, organised by member organisations.

International Voluntary Service (IVS) projects are organised by the Alliance members either on a national or regional basis but always in partnership with local communities. They engage the volunteer groups in a wide diversity of community development tasks including environmental, construction, renovation, social, cultural and archaeological work. Voluntary work is considered as a tool to improve active citizenship and democratic, political participation.

The Alliance members provide individuals with a chance to exercise volunteering regardless to nationality, gender, age,

economical, social and physical conditions. We believe that volunteering is a service, a duty, an opportunity and a right for everyone.

Amongst the Alliance members there are many examples of projects which have pioneered new working methods and produced dynamic results: the most traditional and widespread form of IVS is the short term voluntary WORKCAMP in its many forms, including special kinds of workcamps addressed to volunteers with a particular profile (seniors, teenagers etc.).

The international voluntary service is a tool for youth democratic participation and community development.

Alliance on the Internet


www.facebook.com/alliancenetwork

@alliance_europet

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The added value of International Voluntary Service, and of short term international voluntary workcamps in particular, is that of understanding it as a non-formal education tool and as a simple and affordable expression of active citizenship and solidarity, as a practical means of intercultural learning and of combating xenophobia, as a contribution to the personal growth of participants as well as an impulse to local communities.


The Alliance principles:

• Full and effective participation especially of young people

• Respect for interculturality and diversity• Social inclusion and accessibility • Promotion of peace and mutual understanding• Acknowledgment of lifelong learning through non

formal education• Promotion of solidarity by cooperation and

networking

Our work is based on the following evidence-based approaches:

• Human rights education and democratic citizenship based approach

• Empowerment of young people• Empowerment of persons with fewer

opportunities• Non-formal education approach

What is a workcampInternational voluntary workcamps are the most common and widespread form of international volunteering within the Alliance. Their basic aim is gathering people from different countries and different cultures for the purpose of addressing local communities’ needs. Workcamps are created to support and encourage local initiatives that will continue after the workcamp has been held. They are organised on the initiative of the local community or an NGO when a need or a problem arises that can be solved in such a way.

Workcamps generally last 2 – 3 weeks and consist of about 10 – 20 volunteers drawn from a number of countries. Projects are often in remote areas, in regions where local people may have minimal opportunity for meeting others from different countries. It is an unparalleled opportunity for volunteers to meet new people, see places, get practical skills, practice a foreign language and, above all, feel useful.

The volunteer groups bring new ideas and experiences into communities, providing a stimulus for ongoing work.

The individual volunteers benefit from the interaction both within the group and with the local communities. The experience gives them the opportunity to travel to another country, use their time productively and make a positive contribution to the local community. They also have the chance to widen their horizons through meeting and learning from each other and local people.

International workcamps are open to people of 18 years of age and above. In general, they do not require any particular skills. The emphasis is on participation in a project in the spirit of international cooperation, in which each person works to his or her own capacity.

Examples of workcampsEnvironmental: workcamps have been used to plant trees, erect fences, clean river beds, plant vegetation to prevent wind erosion, maintain footpaths and trails, etc.

Cultural heritage: historical monuments, archaeological sites and local traditions have been restored and maintained through preservation, reconstruction, excavation, cleaning and repairing, or organising/participating in a festival.


Social work: Examples of this work include caring for elderly people, organising leisure activities for people with disability, running play schemes for deprived children, etc. Volunteers have worked in refugee camps by introducing their friendship, solidarity, training for children and adults, and by improving the condition of the camps themselves.

Rural development and construction are the most common types of workcamp in Africa and Asia. Volunteers work with local people to build schools, clinics and roads; lay on village water supplies; plant trees and help with the harvest.

Emergencies caused by natural and man-made disasters are on the increase. Workcamps can sometimes be useful in the aftermath of a disaster helping to rebuild homes and to rehabilitate the affected population.

Solidarity: workcamps can send a message from young people in one part of the world to support those who are suffering from oppression, hunger or civil war in another. Such camps may involve collecting and refurnishing tools or equipment which will then be sent to a country which needs them, or organising an educational campaign to influence public opinion e.g. in favour of disarmament, international or racial harmony.

Volunteers are normally recruited through a volunteer association in their own country which then arranges the placement through a partner organisation in the receiving country.

Six dimensions of workcampsThe touristic dimension is the biggest appeal and motivation for many volunteers, and by voluntary organisations managing

their expectations they will have a more fruitful experience; Workcamps are an alternative way to discover cultures and places through shared experiences. Workcamps personalize the world by bringing you to the world and bringing the world to you through participation and mobility.

Productive dimension refers to a practical way a group of volunteers offers their skills, competences, time and effort to contribute to the development of a local community. It is the base which gives sense to workcamps, as they are always organised starting from local communities’ needs.

The involved associations have to provide the safety conditions to volunteers during their work: appropriate tools and guidance, health and safety measures, insurance, trained and experienced workcamcamp leaders.

Through the work experience, the volunteers acquire new skills, develop self-awareness and a sense of responsibility.

“It’s the first time I went abroad alone”

http://www.alliance-network.eu/contact/

http://www.alliance-network.eu/contact/


The educational dimension of the work of the Alliance is to dynamically engage formally and informally our participants in emotional and physical development through which we spread the Alliance view of the world underpinned by diversity, equality, peace and mutual understanding.

The key elements identified about the educational dimension:

• Active Citizenship• CV Building• Ecological Educational• Accreditation• Values• Confidence• Formal and Non-Formal• Soft and Hard Skills• Emotional and Physical

The Alliance’ View of the World

• Diversity• Equality• Peace• Mutual Understanding

“I discovered I have abilities I didin’t know I had”

Financial dimension: Individual Alliance member organizations and the network as a whole, are funding their activities by asking/receiving financial support from different sources (public sources, private bodies, member of organizations, general public, volunteers, etc.) and using them transparently on non for profit activities which are corresponding to the values of the network (and the needs of the volunteers and the local communities), sustaining the organizations and insuring accessibility to everyone at the same time. Finances are a necessity, but are not the goal.

Social - emotional dimension: Volunteering is a life changing experience based on a strong social – emotional dimension. Volunteers are subjected in a short period to emotional challenges (friendships, rejections, conflict management, love, disappointment, cultural shock, etc.).

Volunteers are introduced to a network of people (local community, hosting organization, etc.) and actions which push them to explore themselves, learn new things and go beyond their limits.

It is an opportunity to change oneself, one’s mind, challenge stereotypes, through close daily contact with other cultures, groups of people (for example people with difficult social or economical backgrounds).

Political dimension: To empower individuals, organisations and communities to face their social, economic and environmental challenges, the Alliance unities a global network of members, partners and volunteers in collective action

“Even when the volunteers do manual work, generally the actual work is not the most important thing. The essential part of the workcamp is what the volunteers can learn from it.”


through voluntary service and experiential learning. We do this based on our values of solidarity, equal exchange and cooperation.

The goals of workcamps are:

• intercultural learning experience and the opportunity to explore a new country and a new culture in a deeper and more respectful way than as tourists;

• setting for life and work in a group;• mutual goals and gaining experience through

work;• help to a local community or non-governmental

organisation;• education through experience.

Workcamps promote a ‘culture of peace’ on an international, regional or national level (e.g. after a civil war) by developing democratic and non-authoritarian structures, integration, solving problems peacefully, reducing ‘enemy images’, respecting differences, communicating – all this through working together.

The Alliance accessing principle: to offer a “complete educational process that includes preparation, tool, projects and follow-up” to participants who suffer disadvantages. It especially targets a better social diversity of the group of volunteers who attend a project, inviting the IVS organisations to “open one or two places, in as many international workcamps as possible, to participants with fewer opportunities who for any reason face social, cultural, economical, physical barriers to their social inclusion.”

The organizations of the Alliance share the will to transform our communities. They strive for a fairer world, one that is more sustainable, more healthy and with more balanced resources and social justice, that will lead toward the development of people, communities, their happiness and solidarity. This is the main mission that all voluntary service organisations within the Alliance have.

“Participating in a workcamp has bousted my self esteam”

photo: Dubravka Franz

[ 19 ]Trends in International Voluntary Service [ 18 ]

This document is created by the participants of the Alliance Capacity Building Training in Serbia, hosted by YRS-VSS, July 2014, based on the outcomes of the Alliance General Conference hosted by GSM-Youth Services Centre in Turkey, October 2010 1

The main trends in the voluntary world, through the workcamps perspective, today could be presented as follows:

The DECREASE in the number of volunteers and projectsThe network’s statistics from the previous years show there is a trend towards a decrease in the number of exchanged volunteers within the network, despite the general growth of the network in terms of new members and countries.

Do we all organise workcamps in the same way? Is the lack of volunteers linked to the decrease of number of workcamps or other way around?

We have decided that each set of actions to address each trend has one underpinning value. The first of these is QUALITY. This is because the quality of the ‘service’ will

1 Both events were organised with the support of European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe and hosted 40+25 participants from non-governmental organizations from all over Europe and beyond.

Trends in International Voluntary Service Workcamps perspective


enhance both retention of volunteers and increase the popularity of our activities.

The CHANGE of the characteristics and profiles of the volunteer populationVolunteering is not referring only, or mainly to young people aged 18-25 any more, but there are other age groups emerging (pre-teens, teens, 25-30, 30+, 40+, 50+), with different needs and interests which require different approaches.

ACTION: QUALITY1. Increase in the quality of our communication tools2. Increase the involvement of young people in all the phases of our work

(this increases quality and retention of volunteers)3. Enhance the monitoring and evaluation practices throughout the

organisation by developing tools for collective evaluation of the work of the network

4. Ensure that all organisations are adhering to the Alliance Quality Charter

ACTION: ADAPTABILITY1. Continue to explore new technologies and methodologies and how we

can best utilize them to reach the changing audience2. Increase the variability of our projects to meet the needs and wants

of volunteers, specifically Teen, Seniors and Groups. This must also comprise practical considerations, such as ensuring that accommodation is suitable for the requirements of all people, and that each project is accessible both physically and socially.

The CHANGE of types of workcampsThere is an increase in environmental workcamps and an increase in number of projects that offer extra activities that are being payed for (language classes and others).

The CONFUSION about the very definition of volunteeringAs volunteering is a very dynamic concept, its limits change rapidly and need constant revising and raising awareness on possible misuses and confusing volunteerism with other social participation activities e.g. philanthropy, faith-based social action, corporate and professional social responsible activities, alternative travelling, and others.

COMPETITION coming from other areas using volunteering as a toolCorporate Social Responsibility - CSR, social enterprises and governmental voluntarism are contributing to the confusion about what volunteering means for the Alliance, creating more tension and competition for the voluntary organisations. This has raised the issues for our type of volunteering from not understanding the concepts and having less resources

ACTION: CLARITY1. The Alliance must produce a statement of intent on what we mean by

vinternational olunteering and workcamp.2. Through this process, the Alliance should decide on some ‘core values’

that we hold. These values must be applicable, and would be an easy tool for checking if a form of voluntary action meets our standards.


comparing to the companies. Nevertheless, many members of the network have entered in partnership with business sector, realizing the great potential of such a cooperation, but without having any support or ground for sharing their experiences in the network so far.

ACTION: UNIQUITY / COMMUNICATIONEnhance and ensure quality of our cooperation with the local community. This is one of our key values, and something that we need to ensure is achieved with best practice.

It reflects the trends of youth itself and unfortunately it doesn’t give a very positive impression.

Dependency: Increased number of volunteers who want to participate together with friends or in a group, and increased involvement of parents on behalf of their children.

CIEE, Japan

What does the phrase “new trends in youth

volunteering” mean to you?

The volunteering trends follow the megatrends such as globalization, new information technology, global warming/energy consumption, economic crisis, quality of life instead of standard of living, etc.

Voluntary service organisations should wake up and realise that world is changing rapidly and we should also change and renew. Whether it is the use of social media and/or mobile devices or some kind of new concepts for quick actions there should be innovation, common actions and revolutionary thinking.

There are very many commercial companies who are interested in this field and target group and they are going to get the upper hand of this field if the voluntary organisations do not renew their activities.

Even though the number of volunteers has not globally decreased dramatically most western European voluntary organisations have noticed the difference whereas volunteering is reaching new target groups in developing economies such as Asia and Latin America.

Allianssi Youth Exchanges, Finland

Comparing the volunteers of the previous decade, volunteers are nowadays looking for more comfort. Internet connection is always the first question about the workcamp sites. Tent accommodation is never the first choice, etc.”

GENÇTUR, Turkey


On one hand, this means new types of projects, such as eco-farming, study projects, yoga, etc., or projects involving new target groups, such as teenagers, families, seniors. It can be also experimental duration of projects, such as one week or 4-6 weeks, or group experience, when workcamp becomes bi or unilateral.

On the other hand, this is working with the new generation of young people whose attitude to our kind of projects is different, therefore they have different expectations and demands.

ESTYES, Estonia

The new trend in volunteering in Slovakia, as we perceive, is “decline of number of volunteers”. In the competition with all the other possibilities that young people have, it seems that they are slowly loosing interest to join voluntary activities, especially workcamps.

INEX Slovakia, Slovakia

Less participants in workcamps; higher expectations/demands from volunteers concerning travel service and living conditions; trend towards fully funded long-term volunteering programs like EVS, “weltwärts”

Vereinigung Junger Freiwilliger, Germany

A general difficulty in involving young people, when they are not coming from upper level social classes.

InformaGiovani, Italy

Many travel agencies, language schools and other organisations are selling voluntary service all over the world in a package for a very high price - “voluntourism”. This is not what the Alliance is developing and wants to support. All these offers are a competition for us, because there is a trend among the youth for more security and structure, what all these agencies can maybe pretend to provide better, but in reality they do not.

Workcamp Switzerland, Switzerland

On EVS and long term volunteering: more and more young people participate in a project for economic reasons. They’re seeking a job and a source of income.

We note the increasing demand from social organisations for young people with fewer opportunities.

“Access to mobility” in 2014 (via international volunteering between other offers) is what “access to culture” meant in 1980.

Importance is given to the learning outcomes acquired thanks to the volunteering experience.

Adaptation to behaviours of consumption: some volunteering projects may appear as paid service offers. People pay and get what they‘ve paid for.

Compagnons Bâtisseurs, Belgium

[ 27 ][ 26 ]

What are the social challenges young people are

facing nowadays in your country?

Uncertainty due to unemployment and/or temporary job

contracts; high competence to get a place to study; substance abuse (alcohol, drugs); marginalization / psychological problems

Allianssi Youth Exchanges, Finland

Difficult economic situation: students have to pay

for their education, meaning they have to work in addition to studies - this leads to the lack of time and thus low social engagement and civic activism. To continue, low

incomes and high costs force many young people to move to other countries looking for better salaries. This leads to the decrease of young population, especially its

active part. Although the unemployment rate in Estonia is low it is hard to find good, well paid job corresponding the education received.”

ESTYES, Estonia

Introversion, lack of language skills (in terms of verbal

communication) and graving disparity of the society

CIEE, Japan

Unemployment; social, personal and professional instability;

distrust towards politicians and politics; disorientation and loss of role models; individualism”

CONCORDIA, France

Although there is a big demand to travel to other

countries using “volunteering” as a tool, volunteers only become aware of values of volunteering not before their application but during our “info days” or preparation weekend workcamps. The main impact comes after the workcamp itself. They move

from being a participant to being a “volunteer”.

On the other hand, there is a big obstacle in their front to prevent them of having this experience: visa. Even with an invitation letter saying that all costs are covered by

the EU funds, they are rejected by the consulate staff who do not read the invitation letters at all. The reason is “you don’t have enough financial sources to cover your

trip to Europe.”

GENÇTUR, Turkey

The biggest issue of young people in

Slovakia is definitely unemployment. The unemployment rate of young people in Slovakia is one of the highest in the whole EU and unfortunately it is still growing.

This forces many young people to travel abroad to find a job, sometimes to find just a simple job which requires no education even though they have already passed the

second part of the university studies.

Another issue is connected with the first one and that is the quality of education. The educational system in Slovakia does not prepare young people for their future

profession, it gives them just theoretical background therefore they are experiencing problems with finding a proper job for their qualification.

The problem which has gained a lot more attention nowadays is also alcoholism among young people. Young people start to consume alcohol at very early age

(13 - 14) especially in the eastern part of Slovakia. This influences their attitude to education, free time and friends.

As the world is being more and more addicted to modern technologies, so is the youth in Slovakia. Spending too much time on the computers, I-phones and

smartphones, not enough time spending with friends and families. Young people are slowly turning into lonely human beings surrounded by the networks and social

media.”

INEX Slovakia, Slovakia

[ 29 ][ 28 ]

The main problem is for sure lack of job

opportunities and, in general, lack of other opportunities for youth.

Other big social problem is the continuous cut of social budget for services, not only for youth, which is making always more weak the welfare system all over the country.

Such problems are more relevant in southern regions, where youth unemployment has reached 60%”

InformaGiovani, Italy

Too many choices, schools,

programmes, language trainings, but for some young people not enough job positions (specified job profiles). A lot of different people with different cultures,

social backgrounds, but they can get along quite well. It’s a bigger problem for the older generation to adapt to this new society, than for the young people.

Discrimination to find a job for some nationalities, racism.

Workcamp Switzerland, Switzerland

It is very difficult for young people

to find jobs. Even with a bachelor and master degree the chances are few.

Beside this the government is changing our scholar system. The government supported students’ higher education with a student grant. It was available for all

students. Now they will make it a loan. It means that students from less advantaged families will decide not to go to college or they will have to pay back a lot of money to

the government when they have finished. It stimulates more inequality in the Dutch society.

A second challenge is the increasing amount of seniors and the decreasing group of youngsters, which means young people will have to work longer, harder, and that

there is a chance they will not get a pension any more, or very little when they retire.”

SIW, Netherlands

“The challenges young people are facing

most likely are the same for many years but now in a world which is much complex than before it is more obvious. There is much more information, much more “noise’ to

deal with and the solutions that one can find are also less easy to implement.

Influences, directions, possibilities are multiple; and it is always more difficult to find assertiveness against multiplicity.

As challenges, we have listed:

• “To find his/her place”: which means to have a job, to be able to be him/herself, to be recognised as such.

• To be autonomous, self-confident and to be linked to a community.• To have the feeling of belonging to a system/a community and to feel able to have

influence on this system. • To know and to decide what they are, what they want to be; and to have an idea of

the world they want to live in.

Nowadays, the link between the individual and the community seems less obvious.

The “disconnection” creates several increasing problems:

• Early school drop-off; • Unemployment;

• Unhappiness;• Loss of common sense;

• Frustration or inability to enjoy life.

If we want to relate this issue with the topic of volunteering: we can also state that, today, young people express much more the need to make their own experience

before entering to the labour market. This creates a new motivation for volunteering projects.

Compagnons Bâtisseurs, Belgium

[ 31 ]Social solidarity actions [ 30 ]

Social solidarity actionsthat inspire, motivate and engage youth in

social solidarity actions and help overcome

critical situations

The Study Visit “Mapping social activism of a European Youth capital“ took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, on 02-07/09/2014

What are the most powerful elements bringing a real impact in a social crisis context?

What motivates young citizens to get actively involved in the life of their community?

What are the learning and empowering results on volunteers themselves?

What maximizes the learning dimension of volunteering involvement in terms of democratic, intercultural and civic competences?

Bios Coop http://www.bioscoop.gr

This is the first Social Consumer Cooperative Grocery in Thessaloniki. It was formed one year ago with great care, professionalism and the help of volunteers. It is a very cozy

place that stocks Greek and cooperative products, most of which come from the region and are produced in ways that do not harm humans or the environment. Bios Coop operates normal grocery hours and has specially trained staff. To achieve affordable prices for consumers yet fair to producers they bypass intermediaries and work directly with the “Greek Food Coop” (a cooperative company set up by agricultural cooperatives and grocers from all over Greece) which supplies the market with products produced by agricultural cooperatives and small production

units. Any surplus at the end of each fiscal year are returned to members and the local community, as defined in the Articles of Cooperative and shaped by decisions of the General Assembly. In the visit we had a presentation and a long dialogue mostly with the President of the General Assembly of the Cooperative. In the end the participants talked with the workers of the Grocery and also shopped local products.

Solidarity School Odysseas (NGO) http://sxoleioodysseas.weebly.com/

Since the beginning of 1997 the school offers voluntary and free teaching of Greek language in

adult non-native speakers, and language to immigrants, refugees, returnees and locals. Up to 2012

approximately 6500 adult students have attended and immigrants from over 200 volunteer tutors. Today the school’s “Ulysses” is addressed to a wide range of migrants, returnees, refugees and local people with different social, economic and educational level. The aim of the school is to provide space and development of social relations, cultural exchanges, smoothing national contrasts, a place of expression and creation. It

#(S)he who volunteers, counts!

t @alliance_europe

#Volunteer so everybody sees and understands you.

t @alliance_europe


also organizes excursions, cultural visits to museums and neighbouring cities, dances, film screenings, exhibitions of works by students, as well as performances by the theatre group, created in 2000 by students of “Ulysses.” The meeting took place in the big lesson room of the school and the hosts where the president of the board of the NGO and one volunteer teacher. Except from the presentation

from the hosts there was a big discussion about the difficulties the NGO is facing and especially how racism affects the school’s work and everyday life in the city.

Solidarity Social Clinic of Thessaloniki (KIA) http://www.kiathess.gr/

This is a social clinic run by volunteers/activists (doctor, pharmacists and anyone willing to help). On a permanent basis, without

absolutely no financial burden on the patients, the clinic offers primary healthcare across all uninsured and socially excluded Greeks and foreigners. They also act political pressure on the State to ensure the free and necessary, secondary and tertiary care,

hospitalization and rehabilitation. Two volunteers of the clinic, one pharmacist and one doctor, hosted the presentation and discussion. The discussion focused on the meaning of volunteering as an act of civic responsibility of citizens who care about their community and want to participate to build its future. At the end, the participants visited the pharmacy and the other medical facilities of the clinic.

Network of social structures to combat poverty in the Municipality of Thessalonikihttp://diktyodomwnthess.gr/

This program is coordinated by Arsis – Association for the Social Support of Youth and the Municipality of Thessaloniki in collaboration with PRAKSIS, which has been approved by the Ministry of Labor, Social Insurance and Welfare and funded by the European Union and from the European Social Fund and the Greek State and in particular by the Operational Program “Human Resources Development”. The program includes the creation of a network of eight social structures to support individuals and families that are affected economically and are unable to meet basic biotic needs. The Social Grocery, the Social Pharmacy, the Dormitory for Homeless, the Open Day Centre for Homeless, the Soup Kitchen Service, the Public Kitchen Garden, the Intermediation Office and the Time Bank, address individuals and families, residents

of the municipality who are denied the right to a decent living, facing unemployment, forced in

homelessness, excluded from public health system. It was not possible to visit each one of the structures so

we only visited the Soup Kitchen Service, the Intermediation Office and the Time Bank. In each visited structure the participants had also the chance to talk to volunteers and social workers of the structures. Most of the time was spend presenting and discussing about the Time Bank, as

it was the most interesting and new idea for most of the participants.

#By volunteering I’ve gained friends from all over the world. Friends for life!

t @alliance_europe

#I volunteer so the others may be happy as well.

t @alliance_europe

#By volunteering in a workcaqmp you will not only see new places but gain new views on life.

t @alliance_europe

#Why volunteer? If not me, than who? If not now, than when? Travel begins with one step, so I choose to volunteer.

t @alliance_europe

#I volunteer to help others. And isn’t it just great?

t @alliance_europe


Point Blankhttp://www.pointblank.gr/en

It is a cooperative company run by 6 young people. It specializes in interactive and print applications and

designing and implementing media applications, website and printed works. Though their headquarters

are based in Thessaloniki, their client base extends to the whole of Greece as well as selected European countries. They also participate in the “Drupal” open source community. The discussion, that was held in Point Blank offices and hosted from the company’s project manager and the lead programmer, was mostly focus in open source communities and how their cooperative business is run, what are the problems on that and which are the advantages.

PERKA initiative http://perka.org/node/226

The group PERKA was created in the beginning of 2011 by people living in the city whose goal was the communal and in season cultivation of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs in a field or an appropriate space near the city of Thessaloniki. With the support of the local Cultural Club, the group began cultivating a small part of the 68.9 hectares expanse of the former military camp Karatasou. The group PERKA created the first

self-organized Communal Garden in Central Macedonia, based only

on personal work and expenses of its members. In addition to this, in a very short time period

#Volunteers are not paid not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.

t @alliance_europe

#Workcamp is one of those experiences that give you a reason to feel fulfilled.

t @alliance_europe

they obtained human substance, a sense of collectivity and – the most important – they realized with optimism that they can, after all, cooperate, and enjoy their common existence, in stark contrast to the pessimism and apathy of our times. The creation of PERKA Karatasou was quickly spread within Greece, but also in other countries, and formed an example to be mimicked for the creation of similar projects/

ventures/efforts. There was a long walk and conversation with one of the first activists who started the PERKA initiative, mostly focused on the history of the initiative, how fast it was growing only with volunteer work from everybody participating and what are the challenges faced by every collective effort in the time of crisis.


Examples of social solidarity volunteer actions in post disaster scenariosCase study: Serbia

During May 2014, more than 200mm rain fell in Serbia in a week’s time. This is an amount that normally falls over 3 months. The heavy rainfall had three direct effects:

1. High intensity flash floods resulting in the total destruction of houses, bridges and sections of roads,

2. Rising water levels resulting in the widespread flooding of both urban areas and rural areas and,

3. Increased flow of underground waters leading to widespread landslides.

This flood disaster affected 1.6 million people in Serbia and resulted in 51 casualties. 32.000 people needed to be evacuated from their homes and the total economic effects of the disaster is calculated to be €1.7 billion (government of Serbia, et al., 2014).

In Serbia the extraordinary rainfall let to the flood and affected many people. But especially the most social disadvantaged groups in society who already had a minimum income before the floods are the ones who are hit the hardest. They often have not the financial resources to cope with their losses, in addition, many job opportunities have been lost because of the disaster.

Because of the changing climate we are facing, hazards such as the extreme rainfall in Serbia, will be more likely to happen everywhere. To make the community less vulnerable to disasters, and make a success out of the recovery in Serbia,

effective programmes should be created at the root cause of the vulnerabilities. An effective method is the participatory approach. This means that the community is brought together and everybody participates to create a better future.

This is where the flood relief workcamps this summer showed their strength. Young Researchers of Serbia - Voluntary Service of Serbia together with local partners announced

volunteer workcamps to support the reconstruction. Volunteers were closely working together with flood affected people. They helped people with some reconstruction and cleaning work, but most importantly, provided them with positive energy and tried to empower them. An important group they focused on were children and young people.

Workcamp volunteers had a unique and powerful role to play during these workcamps, and contributed to the positive recovery of Serbia.

The flood relief workcamps in Serbia followed the usual Alliance standards.

They had a strong educational value, but also an underlined value of solidarity, a strong statement

in favour of the active role that youth has and can take in a society. However, they were not the first line of flood relief activities, which is being delivered by the government since the beginning of the floods and in the following months, but a second line of action – when the media attention decrease but there is still a lot to be done especially towards the poorest communities who have been left with nothing. This means that the flood relief workcamps did not involve any risky work and

“I’ve been to Fukushima prefecture as a volunteer worker after that big earthquake. When the earthquake happened in Japan, I know Serbian has been giving us a lot of support. So, I’ d like to help Serbian with something. I’d like to do something to reply them.”

A Japanese volunteer


did not put the volunteers in any potential dangerous situations or asked for volunteers with specific skills, only for a well-executed emotional preparation.

Over 150 international volunteers were recruited within the Alliance for the flood relief workcamps in Serbia.

Case study: Japan

On the 11th of March 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 hit Japan, followed by a tsunami with over 10m high wave. It was the biggest ever in the history of the country. It took life of 18.502 people and forced other 258.219 people to flee their homes.

One of the most dangerous consequences, which will last for many generations, is the huge pollution of radioactivity by the accident of Fukushima nuclear power plant, where the local population was particularly affected.

The solidarity response from the world was considerable: 28 countries sent rescue teams and 53 countries provided Japan with needed materials. The Japanese Red Cross received 191 millions JPY of donations from Serbia. Over 1 million volunteers worked through the local Volunteering Centres to support citizens and communities.

In this context, an IVS organisation NICE decided to organise emergency relief workcamps and short actions, eventually involving 700 local and international young volunteers (average age: 28 years old) in a variety of activities to support the affected population. The action started in 2011 few months after the earthquake and continued all along 2012 and 2013.

NICE coordinated with local partners, the host that provided meals and accommodation for the volunteers, and international partners that disseminated information about the voluntary workcamps and supported the international volunteers before departure to Japan.

The direct impact of this joint effort is significant:

• Over 3,500 kids in 9 shelters / temporary houses were empowered by 89 local and international volunteers through short and long term voluntary projects.

• Outdoor activities for the kids in Fukushima area, thanks to kids camps run with the volunteers.

• Concrete (building the tools) and moral support through solidarity for families to restart small traditional businesses (apple farming, oyster fishing, etc.)

• Made 50 tons (5,000 bags) of fire woods from the broken houses for refugee families during the winter season.

• Houses and roads were cleaned up.• Revived & planted 1500 “Kesen tea”, a plant with

200 years history that had been devastated by the tsunami.

• Revived 1.8 ha of forests / cut 200 trees• Revived a river to bring salmon back into its fauna.• Help to plant and harvest sea weed in several

coastal areas (total 150 days of voluntary work).

photo: EPA, Town of Obrenovac flooded, Serbia

http://nice1.gr.jp/


Apart from this direct, concrete impact, the volunteers with their presence and work in the local communities also provided psychological support (they prevented isolation and re-motivated locals) and built networking (new bonds of friendship and national as well as international solidarity).

The impact on the volunteers themselves is also worth mentioning:

The lessons learnt by NICE along this experience are interesting elements that can help also other IVS organisations and the whole network to reflect on how we can maximize the positive impact of IVS actions, what brings an added value, what works well and what can be improved:

• Each group encouraged the other groups, in the feeling of a common wider effort.

• Global presence of volunteers encourages locals to work in rehabilitating their communities.

• The global support provided by IVS partners.• Actions are based on and start from local

initiatives.• Preparation and coordination tasks that require

specific knowledge are shared with locals and specialists, which creates more bonds and locals’ involvement.

Good practice: additional word of attention to volunteers in disaster relief projects infosheets

• Have in mind that disaster relief workcamps are not the first line of disaster relief activities, which is being delivered by the government, police, army, and other international institutions, but a second line of action – when the media attention decrease but there is still a lot to be done especially towards the poorest communities who have been left with nothing. This means that the disaster relief workcamps will not involve any risky work and will not put the volunteers in any potentially dangerous situations or ask for volunteers with specific skills, just high flexibility and motivation.

• You will work with people who have lost their homes or suffered great damage. Be considerate in how you act! Don’t insist to talk to people, but be open to interact if you see they are willing to talk. Talking helps as much as working, but try your best to understand them.

• Respect the instructions given by your camp leader. They will be open for good ideas, so don’t be afraid to say.

• Be careful when taking pictures. Check beforehand if people are OK with that. Again, be considerate to the bad fortune of the people you will get in touch with.

• Don’t keep any problems only inside and only for yourself, please share with us! Don’t act alone!

• Your first priority motivation to join should be to help people and improve their life conditions. On the second place comes to interact with your fellow volunteers, have fun and make friends.

photo: kuow.org, Japan 2011

[ 43 ]Innovative and best practices [ 42 ]

1. Sharing of resourses by organisations from the same country/region/town - Every year Yap Italy and Lunaria organize together the campleaders training, in order to share the resources and the experience. This practice is transferrable in other countries/organisations, provided that good relations are nurtured between organisations – a positive aspect of networking

Alessio Scarapazzi - Yap Italy

2. From youth centers to volunteers! YAP Italy has good relations with youth centers, where they reach out to young volunteers who get necessary information about international voluntary service projects and therefore decide to participate. So, a tip to voluntary organisations – establish good contacts with youth centers!

Alessio Scarapazzi - Yap Italy

3. Moving Caravan - In order to explain what the workcamps are to potential local hosts of workcamps, in 2013 Young Researchers of Serbia – Voluntary Service of Serbia organised a 2 days seminar on workcamps and international volunteering,

Innovative and best practices from participating organizationsaddressing the challenges and trends IVS

organisations face nowadays in political, social and

economic context

and then, after a month, the same representatives of 23 municipalities from all over Serbia had a 7-days caravan - visiting workcamps and spending 1-2 days with the international group in all their daily tasks: working, cooking, cleaning, free time activities, workshops. Like this, they get to see in practice what workcamps are, talk to international volunteers and, more importantly, to the local hosts and camp leaders, who they could ask about all the know-hows like how much it costed to make this workcamp, when did you start preparing, where did you ask for funding, how did you involve the locals, what is the impact of this workcamp in the community, etc. Beside this, they also go through all the phases of the group dynamics and build interpersonal relationships among them, and among the volunteers they meet along the way. They also get to know 23 other Serbian organisations. After the caravan, YRS-VSS supported them to organise their workcamps. Out of 23 participating organisations, in 2014, one year after, we have 3 new camp leaders, 3 new workcamps, 4 new organisations that will send volunteers abroad through us as an official contact point, and a very good promotion of workcamps abroad towards young people that frequent all those organisations. If there is no grant available, this can be a self financed project by the potential host representatives - they can pay their own travel to all the workcamps of that year and food and accommodation can be offered by the host, which usually is not big a deal. You should be ready to mentor the potential hosts through their visits and learning.

Bojan Beronja, Young Researchers of Serbia - Voluntary Service of Serbia

4. Personal social skills portfolio - Training, follow in activities for young people with a voluntary experience, to help them


to recognise and to clearly articulate the acquired social competences. The training should provide a picture of benefits and values of volunteering, as well as to identify the acquired social competences. It is not only meant as a support tool for self-awareness and self-evaluation of volunteers, nevertheless, it is also intended for the labour market, as the skills and competences are usable for and transferable to different life situations and constantly changing labour market. Level 1: The participants have to attend the YRS-VSS’ online course “Basics about volunteering: types and forms” and to pass the test before they approach the level 2. Level 2: Practical part consisting of four workshops (a two /three hour workshop per week) on related topic: social skills. Each workshop is followed by an online summary with theoretical part and a forum for all participants’ questions. After the participant has attended all workshops, s/he can approach the final test. After passing the test the participants get a certificate which describes and identify the acquired competences. * workshop 1- emotional intelligence, ability of self-control and control of the environment * workshop 2 - communication skills, assertive and effective communikation * workshop 3 - team building, conflict solutions * workshop 4 - making a better defined CV of social skills of the participants as a supplement to the official CV, recognising of personal experience complemented by the workshops and theory It is not only meant as a support tool for self-awareness and self-evaluation, nevertheless, it is also intended for the labour market, as the skills and competences gained in the international voluntary projects are usable for and transferable to different life situations, constantly changing labour market etc... The participants get a “product”, a defined personal

portfolio of social skills, as appendix to the official CV, expressed in a language intelligible for both sides, participants and potential employers. The fact that the participant involved in a voluntary projects gets a “social tool” which means better representativeness on labour market, recognition of voluntary experience as an important part of non-formal education, self-confidence. On the other side, the voluntary organizations get credibility, visibility and recognition of different facilities of NFE and volunteering, strengthening of education system, partnership with employers, universities... This practice offers a general competence framework, applicable in a global society. Though it can be modified,

photo: YAP Italy


depending on the point (not only social skills can be included, e.g. organisational skills, leadership, creativity...) and the interests of the trainers. Anyway it should be the trainers with experience in all fields of international voluntary projects, with a high degree of autonomy and awareness on the developing of competences.

Nina Ristic, Young Researchers of Serbia - Voluntary Service of Serbia

5. If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad - through informal, positive contact with the organizations and the correct dispersion of information, more volunteers can be recruited and more information about volunteering can be spread. For organizations/countries where IVS is not so popular, known or promoted, there is the need to promote IVS from basic level. Yet in this way you make a bit more probable that the participants /future volunteers involved will be more informed, conscious and motivated from the any other participant. It is not innovative. It’s simple. It’s just applying of experience in communication with people and making them understand things in a better, informal way, which makes them feel more free in communication and in this manner makes communication of higher quality. That leads to successful, better quality collaboration. This principle can be applied to any situation concerning hosting and coordinating organisations, society or volunteers.

Asta Kondrakevičiūtė - JSVC Deineta Fotis Anastasiadis – Citizens in Action

6. Involvement of local community in a workcamp - Either, before the workcamp, the regional representative (in charge of organizing the workcamps) communicates with the local host, to promote the idea and find host families who would like to participate. Or, during the workcamp, the camp leader communicates with the families they meet, and organize it

themselves. The volunteers will learn about the local culture in a more complete way, they will share time with a local family, probably cook and eat together. For the family, it is an occasion to get to know one particular person (or two), and learn about them and their culture. Also, the volunteers can enjoy a night off from the group, and use this time to take a step back on their experience within the group. The local community needs to be already involved in the workcamp, and enough families willing to receive one or two volunteers during an evening into their homes. The local host, or the camp leader needs to communicate enough about this event, and reserve a date for it to take place. Finally, the volunteers need to be willing to participate. It is innovative in the sense that it takes the volunteers off the group for one evening, their cultural experience becomes more personal, they are immerged in the life of a local family, and discover the actual daily life of the local community It is transferable to any workcamp, under the condition that enough members of the local community are involved in the workcamp and willing to participate.

Clémence Sonet – Concordia

7. Online preparation of volunteers - First step is to arrange a date and make sure that all volunteers are informed Second inform all participant to how to get involved. After everything is fixed it is important to remind about the meeting at times before the event, and during the online meeting being available through other social media to follow up related problems and questions. We can reach many people from different cities and regions at one time and they can follow up other volunteers’ questions which opens their mind, also they get to know other volunteers which can evolve into a peer to peer activity since we also


have previous volunteers so that they give examples of their workcamp experiences For this practice we use the Hangout which is a free application created by Google and it is new and I haven’t encountered an example of it used by a non profit organization to reach its volunteers and I think it is good to catch up technology since our target group is youngsters mostly, new ideas make them excited and they want to get involved, at least this is what we have practiced https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/

Esra Inan - GSM- Youth Services Centre

8. Solidarity fund - Fundraising to help youth with few opportunities Young people get to know about JAVVA through their social workers. They come to JAVVA in order to present themself and try to find a projet in which they’d like to participate in. JAVVA informs them about the differents projects possibilities and about a jury that can offer them a financial support to help them to attend the project they have selected. Once JAVVA agrees in helping a young person, this financial support will automatically be given to the young person. Nevertheless, the young person don’t know that they will receive this financial support. According to what JAVVA told them, they will receive a financial support only if they go and present themself and their project in front of the jury. Once they attended the jury session, they will be inform if the jury is willing to help them and in which way. Usually the financial support consists in paying the travel tickets. The benefits are that it help young people with less opportunities to participate in a voluntering project and get

the benefits of these experiences. Moreover, as they have to support / defend their project in front of a jury, it will help them to get more involved in their project, to make them aware of their responsabilities. A good collaboration between JAVVA and social workers. It is a

long term collaboration. It is innovative in the way that it is a collective participation that help certain young people to participate in volunteering. Indeed, each effective member pay a subscription to JAVVA every year. Among this amount, a certain percentage is dedicated to the solidarity fund. And this fund will be used to help young people with less opportunities.

Monia Salas – JAVVA


9. Dare and prepare - Preparation for the workcamps A preparation week is being prepared by the trainers pool and the group which organizes the workcamps in the Netherlands. The preparation week is organized for former and new camp leaders. The camp leaders stay in touch through a Facebook group, sharing knowledge and experiences. The international volunteers give their input which is taken into consideration in the preparation for the next projects. After the projects, a come back day is organized in which the input of the camp leaders is taken into consideration. The quality of the camp will increse. The different perspectives of all the people involved are being taken seriously. The projects are organized in way that is integrated, that it’s SIW. In this practice the quality of the workcamps improves and the trainers as well as the camp leaders get an opportunity to give a boost to their professional career.

Klaske van der Veen - SIW Internationale Vrijwilligersprojecten

10. Camps within CAMPaignS – Includes the local group in the achievement of a national objective; build a common development strategy; increase the dissemination potentials, the involvement of the local groups in the wider startegy of the association identification of the national campaign that the local group is working at or whose thematic is most inherent build the workcamp structure as part of the national campaign, using the same tools, having the same global objective. Each workcamp does not remain an isolated action but contributes to an overall strategy; the follow-up allows a better exchange of evaluation and improvement.

Laura Marino – Legambiente

11. Contributo solidale - ethical contribution - Allows projects to be implemented and volunteers to afford a workcamp. The associations should be directly involved in the planning of a workcamp and should have a knowledge and permanent relations with the community. It includes in a futher way the volunteers in the accomplishment of local projects, makes them feel even more useful for other volunteers.

1. identification of the activities that didn’t receive a dedicate funding (ex. working tools, accommodation items as beds and tents, food, etc)

2. institution of a fund that we call “camps grant”3. promotion among all volunteers: with only 20 euro

in addition to the ordinary fee, they contribute to the purchase of needed items and the implementation of projects otherwise not feasible. They could also allow disadvantaged people to become volunteers.

4. Promotion among local groups to recruit motivated and ecomically disadvanteged people who would like to be volunteers but have not financial possibility.

Laura Marino – Legambiente

12. Step by Step - This means the running of a separate scheme of recruitment and trainings alongside our normal international volunteer project scheme. The Step by Step programme has now been running for 4 years and has supported over 35 young people from Wales to join international volunteer projects. UNA Exchange works with youth and community organisations in Wales, who we form a partnership agreement with, and they can then nominate an individual for the Step by Step scheme


- the young people cannot nominate themselves. The young people we work with are usually 18-30 and are, or are at risk of becoming a NEET (Not in employment, education or training). UNA Exchange then works with the young person and their local organisation to provide support and training to allow them to take part in international training opportunities in Wales or abroad. The total time an individual is expected to be active in the scheme is typically 3-6 months. Step by Step is funded by the Welsh government, as well as Youth in Action/Erasmus+, so we can cover 70-90% of the young persons travel costs. The volunteer is expected to fundraise £100-£200 for their projects.

Laura Parry - UNA Exchange

13. Volunteering as a “glocal” phenomenon: moving global to change local! - In the process of recruitment of volunteers we try to offer everybody a “personal-build” preparation according to the individual needs and the previous experiences of the volunteer. We offer everybody a general training explaining what the workcamps are, what volunteers are expected to live, the emotional involvement they will face. After this general preparation we try to involve the volunteers with less experience or the ones having special needs or difficulties in other activities of our association to prepare them better according to their needs. I think this helps the volunteers having less experience at the international level or having more worries and fears, to face work camps more prepared and aware of what they are going to do. Basically we want to involve all volunteers in our local activities: we propose volunteers to get involved in our local projects, for example the ones focused on the inclusion of people with special needs. We also encourage volunteers to share their experiences with other young people wishing to volunteer. We also keep constantly the local community informed about the possibility to host volunteers: each non-lucrative association

can open itself to the volunteering movement and help us to foster the volunteering philosophy and values. With our local work camps we also tried to create inter-generational links: a good example of this is the work camp with the GRIMM association, a non-lucrative organization of retired people. To foster the results obtained with this collaboration with GRIMM we organize this workcamp since more than ten years.

This allows us to reinforce the results and changes in our local community. This practice which could seem banal or obvious allow us to teach young people that volunteering is not just a travel abroad or a summer bracket, but really a “political” lifestyles, a way to act and change our global and local reality. The basic requirement is to create a local network between


associations, volunteers and the local community, creating link, common goals. For example we collaborate with the local Youth center, with centers of “Youth help”, centers for not accompanied young people or young people in difficulties and risk of exclusion. We collaborate with two centers devoted to people with disabilities (the users of one of this centers help us in the office to keep clean and we helped them with the procedures which will let them host an EVS volunteer and open themselves to another country, culture, language). We created a local network and we work together with all these realities to create something new in Marche en Famenne. Our local involvement is our force and what brought us to be active in the international level. Nowadays we are used to think ourselves as world citizens. That’s good and even more true for volunteers: volunteers are part of a global movement which allow people mobility and the experience of the world. Nevertheless sometimes we risk forgetting that to be useful to someone and to give our contribution to create a better society we don’t have to move just in another country or continent: it’s important to start from our place to open ourselves to the world and change it. I think this practice is innovative for this reason. Workcamp GRIMM, Marche en Famenne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBYbHv_rR_I

Serena Verlato - CBB Belgium

14. Magnalonga - Magnalonga is an initiative born in Nothern Italy, where groups of people walk together through an area, discovering villages and citizens. Since some years ago, we introduced the theme of bike mobility through the city of Rome, organising a big movement of 500 people moving in the city by bike all together. The event requires a big preparation: we need first to decide the path, gain the permissions from the

municipalities, plan a strong communication strategy, collect as many collaborations as possible, invite any kind of volunteers to help, prepare the best way to disseminate the results of our volunteering activities. The benefits that this practice brings: - great visibility - promotion of sustainable practices - involvement of local communities - raising interest on volunteering world The most impressive aspect is the visiblility and concreteness of the action that shows how possible is to make stronger our voices when we become a big group of people willing to change something. The bike tour accross the city becomes a path of recognition of our belonging and progressive involvement. It is itinerant, visible to all citizens, it can put together children and adults and any age, it combines very practically the theme of a healthy lifestyle, it reaches city’s suburbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbFw9im-_QA

Laura Marino - Legambiente

Buddy System - The Buddy System was developed by the Staff Development Working Group (SDWG) of the Alliance following feedback from staff members working on the volunteers exchange. The aim of the system is to enable staff members to share best practice, knowledge and experience amongst Alliance member, partner and guest organisations. A scheme whereby more experienced members could share knowledge, experience and examples of best practice.

By creating a support system of “Buddies” we can help each other to support daily routines, develop our work in order to achieve a common standard and to increase the quality in our projects. The Buddy system has since evolved to include ‘Buddy matches’ involving two experienced staff members, where one member is seeking advice and support in a specific area(s) of our work.

[ 57 ]Building together a shared future strategy [ 56 ]

Building together a shared future strategy for IVStowards the Congress - from grassroots practices to

network policies

The Congress “Values and role of IVS in the current political, social, economic situation” took place in Rispescia, Italy, on 02-07/11/2014

During the months preceding the Congress, the lessons learnt and

recommendations of the Capacity Building and the Study Visit were merged with the results of a wider consultation that involved the whole network and took place along all 2014.

This process was coordinated by the Management Committee of the network, composed by the Executive Committee and the coordinators of Working Groups. With the beginning of the workplan on June 2014, the Course Director, in charge of the overall development and flow of the workplan activities, and the external facilitator of the Congress, joined the coordination team in view of structuring the final

content of the Congress.

The aim of such participatory process was to guarantee the maximum efficiency of results of the workplan so that they can be effectively applied by the network and its members when shaping

future IVS projects: projects that address real needs of young people, local communities and youth organisations, and can substantially contribute to the growth and development of individuals and communities, based on the principle of active and inclusive participation.

Consultation among member organisations (07/03/2014, Alliance Day, Antalya - Turkey)

Questions posed:

• Expected outcomes of the workplan and the congress• Vision: why we do IVS? Do

we want and how we can combine the local with the global? Can we say we are locally based and globally connected?

• Identity: what are the actions we develop within the international voluntary service? Have our activities changed over the years? Do we have any good practices we could also share?

• Strategy: Based on specific and commonly decided guiding principles, where do we see us

concretely in the coming years? What kind of activities will we focus on? What do we want to lobby for?• How: What are the tools we are having? What needs to be changed and updated so that we are consistent with the above suggestions?

“International volunteering is manifesting in different ways nowadays: voluntourism, humanitarian aid and IVS. What is Alliance vision on this? Where do we stand?”

“The Alliance aims at encouraging people to be socially active and to bring help where it’s needed”


Topics that emerged:

• Trends of volunteering• Visibility• Educational aspect of workcamps• Mentoring and evaluation of the

projects we are running• Technical platform // political platform• Measuring the impacts of the events

that we organise and reflect on why we organise them

• Intercultural dialogue – does it really take place and if it does, how to make sure there is at all levels

• How to improve equal opportunities• Impact of the work that we do• Mobility from countries from where visa

is difficult to get

“Do we want to focus as a network on developing further on the educational tools for workcamps? Or do we leave it to individual organisations to do it as they want? Are we a political or only technical network?”

Consultation among Alliance Working Groups and Committees (03-30/06/2014, online)

Questions posed:

• What have been the highlights and important moments in the history of the network linked to the work of your group/committee?

• Where have they brought the network?

The overall consultation process brought, in July 2014 and parallel to the development of the first activity of the workplan, to identify some key topics that most concern the network and the work of IVS organisations.

“The added value of being in a big international network is just the opportunity to exchange volunteers? Are seasonal IVS workcamps the only kind of action we can build together?”

“The Alliance should think about measures to support itself and its members, and especially those not so fortunate or with unstable political conditions in their countries, and try to find sufficient solutions to support each other especially in difficult times.”

“Can we find in the network a platform where to be informed and aware of the world dynamics in order to be prepared to face the upcoming situations through our actions?”


As a result of this consultation process merged with the recommendations and inspirational discussions of the Capacity Building (July) and Study Visit (September), the Congress final structure was produced on September and October by the coordination team.

More than 30 individuals, among which participants in the previous

workplan activities and members of the Alliance Working Groups and Committees, contributed significantly to the final content and shape of the Congress.

Five main topics were defined to address the current trends/challenges of IVS sector as identified by all the individuals and organisations involved in the process:

Cooperative networkTo explore the meaning that members associate with the concept of cooperative network. To define a common understanding of cooperation. To discuss the current guiding principles of the Alliance, and identify strengths and limitations of how the Alliance fulfils the technical, political and cooperative needs of the members. To see what we must definitely keep in terms of cooperation and how we can overcome the limitations identified. To agree together on how far and deep cooperation should go, and what is the ideal level of involvement of each member.

“The results reflect all what was discussed in the network for years but never achieved”

“It is clearer where we stand, what our limitations are and where we would like to go”

Membership policyTo analyse the added value of membership and how the membership policy reflects this. To look at how the Alliance sees the increasing number of members, the quality of cooperation between them, and the lack of qualitative evaluation of member involvement. To look into what the rights and obligations of members should be, what the membership base of the Alliance can be, and whether the membership policy can be used to guarantee the quality of work and cooperation within the Alliance.

Financial sustainability of the networkTo examine the current system of financial management and human resource management of the network, from dependency on public funds to the lack of balance in volunteer exchanges between organisations and the decreasing number of volunteers. To discuss the current model of charging fees from volunteers and the transparency of those fees. To work on a vision of sustainable development principles for the Alliance and for bilateral relations and exchanges of resources among members.

Monitoring and evaluationTo discuss about what we monitor and evaluate but also about why we evaluate and for whom we evaluate our work. To reflect on how the results of our monitoring and evaluation tools/processes are used to improve the impact of our

“My organisation gained motivation to improve what we do”

“We found out that other organisations, as well as the whole network, share some issues and we can improve them by working together”


events, projects, campaigns and action plans. To look into ways of measuring the quality and the impact of cooperation among all members and partners. To explore concrete indicators that need to be measured both by the network and by individual organisations. To explore

in what ways quality monitoring and evaluation can be integrated fully and

organically in the management of the Alliance over the next 10 years.

Visibility and advocacyTo single out current visibility and advocacy strategies within the network. To share good practices of member organisations in this field and bring up new ideas, which should help Alliance open more towards other organisations and networks. To propose ideas on how to improve representation of the Alliance abroad and share the values the network stands for. To reflect on ways to create greater visibility of all outcomes we have had over the past years through projects implemented or through campaigns we have been running inside the network.

These topics were worked out at the Congress through workshops and plenary activities in terms of:

• identity - the state of art in the world and in the Alliance

• building a shared vision• identity and vision in action - building shared

strategies• strategic recommendations - creating

commitment

“It made the current state of Alliance very concrete and gave us as member organisation the possibility to influence in the development of the network”

The congress “Values and role of IVS in the current political, social, economic situation” aimed to clarify the current threats and challenges on a wider international and network level, and to agree on shared directions, principles and policies that the Alliance network should pursue in order to support higher and more qualitative involvement of young people in volunteering and to provide through IVS real opportunities for change and improvement, specially to those young people and communities that are facing critical moments due to economic and social changes.

For this to happen, the network needs to keep alive the internal reflection process raised by the Workplan activities 2014, to grow strong and participatory and to project on external level its principles and vision for a youth future with hope and trust.

[ 65 ]Congress Resolution [ 64 ]

We, the participants of the first Congress of the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations “Values and role of IVS in the current political, social, economic situation”, held in Rispescia (Italy) from 2-7 November and hosted by the member organisations Legambiente and YAP Italy,

representing 42 International Voluntary Service organisations from 26 countries,

based on the Alliance Constitution and Standing Orders, and contribution in policy papers, outcomes of events, proposals made by General Assemblies, Working Groups and Committees in the years leading to the Congress,

reaffirming the values of common ownership, solidarity, peace, understanding, acceptance,

THE RESOLUTION OF THE CONGRESS “Values and role of IVS in the current political, social, economic situation”a new milestone is set for the development of IVS as

understood by the Alliance

respect, diversity, dignity, trust and responsibility,

giving recognition and our gratitude to the volunteers at the organisational and network level for their contribution to the development of the Alliance, its members and local communities who host workcamps worldwide, for their effort for social inclusion and cohesion of different vulnerable groups, for the protection of the environment and for promotion of solidarity and intercultural understanding,

we conclude that the current state of development of the network, its strengths and weaknesses, are as follows:


The Alliance as a cooperative networkThe Alliance is a democratic, accessible, efficient, supportive and open network, based on the active voluntary participation of its diverse members, a cooperative structure and a permanent secretariat.

The trust and common values form the main ground for the cooperation among member organisations and partners.

Thanks to the contribution and strong partnership existing among its members, the Alliance has developed a set of cooperative tools, documents and activities enabling an efficient functioning network, able to empower its member organisations and to advocate for its principles.

The means of communication and dissemination of the information need further development.

The dependance on the voluntary based contribution of the members as well as on funding and membership fees create challenges for the Alliance to be tackled in order to reach its vision on being a sustainable cooperative network.

The Alliance Membership PolicyThe sense of belonging to a cooperative network and having an equal role in an international community of organisations built on trust and solidarity, is a strong point of the Alliance membership. This brings also responsibilities and implies consideration of a common understanding of commitment, continuity, support and active participation.

The Alliance has come a long way from a technical platform to a cooperative network, and this is reflected in our practice. A

better assessment of the needs of its members by addressing them is needed. In this way the members will understand and commit to the common vision, assessment of the activities and results on both an organisational and network level.

It is our strength to have the capacity and mutual understanding to keep the network open for everyone sharing the Alliance common values and who is willing to contribute to the development of the network, so to ensure the achieved level of quality. It is on us to tailor our future identity.

The Alliance Sustainability FrameworkThe Alliance is a European based voluntary, cooperative network, with a global vision.

Its strengths are the diversity and freedom of its members, a strong and effective unique volunteers’ exchange system, its ability to draw on a body of professional staff and volunteers and a potential to influence policies on European and global levels as well as good relations with institutions.

Having diverse members, acting in various social and economic environments, important knowledge, practices and experiences are still not fully shared and the network should seek for ways and measures to address these issues. The lack of participation of some members and lack of opportunities for partner organisations to participate more actively reflects there is an absence of a model of financial solidarity.

The Alliance commits itself for the next ten years in addressing the causes and consequences of unbalanced exchanges between its members, in building an independent income derived from guaranteed and diverse funding sources to fully cover its administration and constitutional meetings costs, and


in developing a solidarity system to support its members.

The Alliance intends to replenish human resources by transferring knowledge and experience, to allow a proficient share of information among its members as well as to put in place an efficient consultation system with its governance, in order to enhance the equal participation of all its members in its management.

Alliance Monitoring and EvaluationAlliance has developed a series of methods, documents and tools, aiming to monitor its activities and partnerships, including workcamps, and evaluate their quality and impact in order to create guidelines, policies, procedures, standards and new indicators.

There is no common understanding yet among members on what is the Alliance level and what is the organisational level in terms of monitoring and evaluation. The issue about synergies of the Alliance and members needs to be further explored and elaborated. The necessity of measuring the impact of workcamps on organisational level should be underlined and the various monitoring and evaluation actions that member organizations do on a national level, should be shared on a network level. The Alliance needs to develop a common evaluative framework which is actively used by organisations in order to improve the quality of workcamps and to understand the impact on volunteers and local communities.

Evaluation is and should function for inspiration, motivation and improvement.

The Alliance Visibility and AdvocacyThe Alliance is a cooperative network, active in its advocacy on a European level, thanks to its elected representatives within the Advisory Council for Youth by Council of Europe and membership within the European Youth Forum, lobbying for IVS, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, peace, recognition of non formal education and mobility.

One of the biggest strengths of the Alliance in terms of visibility and advocacy on a local, European and global level are its campaigns on social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Main weaknesses of the Alliance come from the fact that there is an underdeveloped advocacy plan, as well as from lack of resources, both financial and human, which are limiting the network in using its full potentials within relevant international institutions. The mission, goals, values, good practices and the democratic governance system are not yet clearly visible nor promoted among the members, partners or other stakeholders.

The representation plan of the Alliance should be developed even further, by strengthening the capacities of the existing pool of ambassadors, reinforcing cooperation with our sister networks and development of clear structure on external representation issues, as part of a wider visibility, advocacy and lobbying strategy.

In Rispescia (Italy), on the 6th of November 2014

Together we the participants, as members of the Alliance, its Working Groups and Committees, are committed to developing our network based on the values and principles of volunteering and peace towards a more democratic, more responsible and humane society locally and globally. We commit to solidarity, cooperation and active participation by sharing experiences and knowledge and through building our common capacities, starting from our own management and activities.

[ 71 ]Alliance Quality Charter [ 70 ]

The Alliance Quality Charter has been produced as a target to which all organisations working in the field of international voluntary service should aim. This Quality Charter sets the standards of our work together, thus enriching the experiences for all those involved: the volunteers, the hosting communities and the hosting and sending organisations. This document should be a standard benchmark by which organisations can evaluate their work together and therefore strengthen their partnerships.

For Alliance members, partners and guests those standards are binding. Priority should be given to the cooperation among members, partners and guests of the Alliance.

1. Volunteers’ Rights & Responsibilities1.1 Rights:

1.1.1 All volunteers should be informed of: their rights and responsibilities as volunteers; requirements and conditions of their projects; details of the hosting organisations and background to the workcamp movement in general.

1.1.2 Volunteers should be informed of any language requirements, work responsibilities, the number of working hours, type of accommodation and general conditions of the project.

1.1.3 Volunteers should be informed about any significant changes to the project as soon as possible.

1.1.4 Volunteers must be provided with: accommodation (including washing facilities and toilets), and adequate food or budget for it, according to local standards. The group will not be expected to pay any additional fee which was not included in the project description, for their own food/accommodation whilst on a workcamp.

1.1.5 Volunteers must receive all necessary health and safety instructions regarding the work, accommodation, free time activities and transport (if necessary for the project) and be provided with the necessary safety equipment to carry out the work. A first aid kit should be available in the workcamp.

1.1.6 Volunteers have the right to adequate supervision during their project.

1.1.7 Emergency procedures concerning accidents, during or outside the working time, must be explained to volunteers.

1.1.8 Volunteers should have opportunities to express their opinions/concerns on the progress of a workcamp to a responsible person and where possible be included in the decision process.

1.1.9 Volunteers must not replace paid labour or volunteer on a for profit project.

1.1.10 Volunteers have the right to know how their fees that they give to either/both sending or hosting organisations are used.

Alliance Quality Charter


1.1.11 Volunteers have the right to extra support to facilitate their inclusion on a project, providing this is agreed beforehand with the host.

1.2 Responsibilities:

1.2.1 Volunteers must accept and abide by the rules and conditions of the hosting organisation.

1.2.2 Volunteers should inform themselves of the voluntary movement, the workcamp philosophy and be motivated to take part on the project.

1.2.3 Volunteers must prepare themselves for the project by reading any information given to them by the sending/hosting organisations.

1.2.4 Volunteers are responsible for arranging and funding their travel (unless they are going on a supported programme), for seeking professional advice on current medical precautions and arranging their visas with the help of their sending organisation.

1.2.5 If the volunteers cancel their place on a project they must inform the sending organisations as soon as possible.

1.2.6 Volunteers are responsible for obtaining adequate insurance, especially when it is not provided by the hosting/sending organisation.

1.2.7 Volunteers should arrive on time and participate for the entire duration of a project.

#I volunteer because then I am feeling very self-confident and I like myself better that way!

#Volunteering is a way of thinking. Workcamps lead to change.

#Workcamps changed me and taught me to keep changing.

#Workcamps made me more mature and influenced that my view on life and the world is more optimistic.

t @alliance_europe


1.2.8 Volunteers must send any information that has previously been requested to the hosting organisations (e.g. confirmation slips, travel details etc.) and if these change they must inform the host as soon as possible.

1.2.9 Volunteers should be flexible and understand that details of the projects can change at the last minute.

1.2.10 Volunteers must be active participants and support good group dynamics as this is a key to a successful project.

1.2.11 Volunteers are responsible, as a group, for organising their free time activities along with the support of the leader.

1.2.12 Volunteers must obey the laws of the hosting country. They are also responsible for their own behaviour on the project and they should respect the culture and traditions of the local host.

1.2.13 Volunteers must not engage in violent or discriminatory behaviour (e.g. racism, sexism and homophobic behaviour).

1.2.14 Volunteers must inform their sending organisation of any relevant health issues that they might have before they go on a project. This is only applicable if the health issue poses a risk to the volunteer or to other people. This information will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

1.2.15 Volunteers are responsible for providing feedback on their experience to their host and sending organisations.

2. Hosting Organisation’s Rights & Responsibilities

2.1 Rights:

2.1.1 Any volunteer not abiding by the agreed rules of the workcamp can be expelled from the workcamp.


2.2.1 Each host organisation must implement and respect the rights of the volunteers (see section1.1).

2.2.2 It is the responsibility of the hosting organisation to ensure that the host community understands the international and social aspects of a workcamp and is motivated to achieving these in addition to the project work.

2.2.3 Hosting organisations should only accept volunteers from a sending IVS organisation, unless there is no IVS organisation in a particular country and a volunteer applies directly.

2.2.4 If a volunteer is refused a place, the hosting organisation should give a reason (e.g. full workcamp, too many females, etc.)

2.2.5 If a workcamp is cancelled the hosting organisation must propose an alternative workcamp for the volunteers already placed on it. The replacement camp should be as close as possible to the original project in terms of dates, type of work and work location.


2.2.6 Hosting organisations should ensure that all communication regarding placements of volunteers is done efficiently. They must inform sending organisations about any changes regarding the project as soon as they occur.

2.2.7 Hosting organisations should do all they can to ensure a volunteer is issued with a visa when required and they should clearly communicate the visa procedures with the sending organisation.

2.2.8 Detailed information (the ‘info sheet’) should be available no less than four weeks before a workcamp is due to start. This information should include an emergency telephone number of the hosting organisation. Hosting organisations are recommended to follow the template provided in the Alliance Guidebook.

2.2.9 Hosting organisation will provide adequate food and suitable accommodation.

2.2.10 There should be a trained person (usually a project leader) responsible for each workcamp to supervise the volunteers and ensure its smooth running. They should also ensure that the volunteers are included in decision making.

2.2.11 Hosting organisation must inform sending organisation about any no shows within three days from the start of the workcamp.

2.2.12 Hosting organisation must inform sending organisation if a significant problem (health, safety or wellbeing of a volunteer) occurs on a workcamp or if a volunteer leaves early.

2.2.13 If, during the time of a workcamp, a volunteer is hospitalised then the hosting organisation is responsible for their wellbeing until the volunteer leaves the hosting country.

2.2.14 Hosting organisations are recommended to have insurance for their projects but in the event that this is not possible they must inform the sending organisations and volunteers before the projects begin.

2.2.15 If, during the time of a workcamp, a volunteer has to be repatriated for any reason then the hosting organisation is responsible until the volunteer leaves the project/workcamp.

2.2.16 Hosting organisations must inform all the volunteers about any health and safety instructions regarding the work, accommodation, free time activities and transport (if necessary for the project).

2.2.17 Hosting organisation should inform sending ones about any relevant remark concerning volunteers.

2.2.18 Hosts must provide volunteers with meaningful and not for profit volunteer work.

2.2.19 Hosting organisations are responsible to take into account Alliance policies which include environmental sustainability and social inclusion practices when organizing International Voluntary Service projects.

3. Sending Organisation’s Rights & Responsibilities3.1 Rights:

3.1.1 If any significant accident or incident affecting the health, safety and wellbeing of a volunteer (e.g. hospitalisation/arrest) occurs, the sending organisation has the right to be informed.


3.2.1 Each sending organisation should implement and respect the rights of the volunteers (see section 1.1)


3.2.2 The sending organisations must inform volunteers about the workcamp movement, voluntary service, what they can expect on a workcamp and what is expected of them. They must also be clear on how their projects are funded.

3.2.3 Sending organisations are responsible for providing volunteers with all the necessary information including: preparation/training sessions; handbook; infosheets; contact with past participants, etc.

3.2.4 Sending organisations should only recruit volunteers who are resident in their own country unless there is no sending organisation in a particular country.

3.2.5 The Volunteer Exchange Form (VEF) of each volunteer must be sent to the hosting organisation. It is the responsibility of the sending organisation to submit a completed VEF.

3.2.6 The emergency contact section of the VEF must be filled in and the hosting organisations have the right to refuse a volunteer if it is incomplete. It is the responsibility of the sending organisation to submit a completed VEF.

3.2.7 Sending organisations from countries where a visa is required should inform hosting organisations about visa regulation. Sending organisations should do all they can to ensure a volunteer is issued with a visa when required.

3.2.8 If the sending organisation receives significant or outstanding evaluations about a workcamp they should inform the hosting organisation.

3.2.9 If a volunteer cancels his/her participation the sending organisation must inform the host organisation as soon as possible.

3.2.10 Sending organisations must inform volunteers about the Alliance policies, which include environmental sustainability and social inclusion.

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Freiwilligenarbeit


looking into youth future with hope and trust

Documents

youth future

european youth foundation

european youth capital

youth volunteering

alliance course director

case study

post disaster scenarios

shared future strategy