A. Project environment: profile of the organisation and local community

The idea of hosting EVS volunteers is part of the intercultural plan of the association. The Plan wants to create encounter spaces to drive in most natural way possible the approach and familiarisation of the different cultures that increasingly cohabitate together Europe .
The volunteers will live in the city of Bilbao and will take part both in projects within the Basque Country as in European projects, in collaboration with European organisations who work with Biluts.
The socio-economic environment is very diverse. Even within Biluts people come from all sorts of different cultural, social and economic backgrounds. The projects Biluts carries out are destined at uniting cultures and people, whatever their socio-economic status, and therefore cover many fields. The volunteer will have the chance of enjoying this diversity throughout the association.


B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

Biluts offers the volunteer the chance of taking part in projects aimed at people with different cultures and social situations, which will result in an increase his/her knowledge of cultures, (languages), interpersonal skills, managing people and resources skills and even artistic abilities in particular cases.
We contribute to the personal and professional development of the volunteer.
The volunteers will collaborate with the people in charge of the projects for 2008, in the association. The person in charge of the specific project in which the volunteer wants to take part, will act as a mentor, and will advice and help the volunteer specially during the first months of adaptation to the new city, and the hosting association. The mentor will explain the project and its objectives to the volunteer, the aim is not to boss the volunteer but to provide advise. Our intention is that the volunteer will contribute his/her own ideas and experiences, to the creation and execution of the final project.
The following Biluts projects could host an EVS volunteer:
- A 5 day Seminar on Intercultural stage and cinema art in Autumn 2008, planned for 80 people, including performances. The volunteers will support the organisation of the event. This Seminar will take place in collaboration with Euroemd countries. There are two placements for it, with a provisional start date for February 2008, and a duration of between 9 and 12 months.

- One volunteer to help with the organisation and consolidation of "Youth in action", youth exchanges planed for 2008: theatre in Italy (March 2008) and Reunion Island (September 2008). The volunteer in this placement will also collaborate to establish and create new exchanges through the Network of organisations with which Biluts has contacts. The duration of the service will be of 6 months.

- A volunteer to collaborate the campaign to promote EVS in the Basque society that Biluts wants to start. The volunteer will assist with the design of the campaign, with circulating information abut the events, in the consolidation of partnerships, etc. 12 months duration.

- Two placements for volunteers to assist establishing the audiovisual Network of Biluts, called "Kaos" Taking part in developing audiovisual products and helping with the organisation of an Audiovisual Intercultural Festival in Bilbao. The Kaos Audiovisual Network Intend. Create an intercultural work group, to encourage young people to develop their creativity .Ttheir first action is a short film produced jointly by young people from Biluts Association in Bilbao and young people from the INVERSIS association in Paris. Duration of the service: 12 months.

C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment process

The only requisite from the candidates is to have a good disposition towards cultural diversity; open minded people with social concerns, that move them to get to know not only people from a different cultural background but also with different socio-economic and education level.
In other words they must be people without prejudices , on the process of fighting against acquired prejudices.
For some projects certain artistic skills (theatre, audiovisual) might be an advantage, although this will never be excluding conditions.
The selection process wil be completely open and will involve different people from Biluts and it will include personal interviews with the candidates.

D. Special needs (if applicable)
Biluts has experience in hosting people with less resources, that could be useful when hosting a volunteer with economic difficulties. Biluts has qualified staff for hosting and integrating immigrants. Who have even been involved in the creation of foundations like the Senegalese Senevasca


E. Risk prevention, safety and protection
To insure an appropriate follow up of the volunteers, and to help them solve any problems or misunderstandings, the mentor will have meet regularly with the volunteer to discuss his/her work and any private problems at the time. Usually the problems are associated with organisational difficulties of the events due to the different ways of acting and thinking of people from different cultures, different rhythms, styles, etc.. that sometimes lead to misunderstandings. The mentors have experience with these problems, since sometimes them themselves have been involved in similar situations in their daily work. With the advantage that they can give advice to the volunteers from their personal experience and not just from a theoretical point of view.
The coordinator of Biluts will also be available for the EVS volunteers, and who will be the person in charge of facilitating encounters and interaction between all the hosted volunteers. In Biluts we believe it is beneficial for the volunteers to relate with each other for support and company, since they are having a
Biluts will put the means (e-mail, telephone, etc.) so that the volunteers can be in touch with their sending organisation, friends and family during their service.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=30000870214