EVS volunteers come to our organisation from throughout Europe and from a range of social backgrounds. It is our policy to provide necessary training and support to those who volunteer with Belfast and Lisburn Women's Aid.

Due to the nature of the work the organisation is exclusivley female, exemption is covered by Article 10 of the Sex Discrimination (NI) Order 1976. Working in such a way meets the needs of the women using our services while also promoting a model of women in management and service delivery.
The volunteering ethos within the organisation ensures that volunteers are always an additional support to our existing staff base. Specific role descriptions for EVS volunteers are provided to volunteers and staff and ensure that roles are clearly defined and a difference is made between paid staff and volunteers. The volunteer opportunities available to EVS applicants include:
" Refuge: assisting refuge staff to provide a range of supports and help to women and children who experience domestic violence. The volunteer will be a member of the refuge team and will get day-to-day support and direction from a designated support worker, team colleagues and the Volunteer Co-ordinator. All support staff are highly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced in working with volunteers from the local and overseas communities.
" Young Person's Development Project: supporting the activities of the project and assisting staff in delivering training and information sessions at schools and youth groups.
" Creche: Supporting the activites of the creche two mornings a week. The creche provides care for children of women attending Women's Aid Personal Development programmes at the Rosource Centre.

Placement of the EVS volunteer will be dependent on their individual skills and tailored to meet their personal and professional needs.

As an organisation we are open to hosting volunteers with diverse backgrounds and fewer opportunities and within the organisation the ethos of equal opportunities ensures that every individual, whether staff or volunteer, are presented with the same opportunities for training and self-development. The staff and volunteer base is a mixture of experienced and new people and there is an open system of information sharing within the organisation which ensures that all new EVS volunteers are supported and informed effectively.

The organisation's Volunteer co-ordinator will be available to meet with the volunteer on a regular basis to ensure that problems are raised and addressed in an appropriate and timely manner. Additional support and mentoring will be provided to EVS volunteers by the co-ordinating organisation, Bryson Charitable Group.

Belfast and Lisburn Women's Aid provide a range of services and supports to women and children who suffer domestic violence. These are 24 hour crisis support accommodation, emotional support, aftercare/outreach, 1-1 support/counselling, group and personal development programmes, training and awareness sessions about the nature and impact of domestic violence on women/children/young people, family life and the wider community. The organisation also provides volunteering opportunities to enable the development of skills and learning which are used in the future employment, training and education.

The EVS project is particularly beneficial for Belfast & Lisburn Womens Aid as it adds a cultural dimension to our work. The organisation strives to promote equality of opportunities, cultural awareness and tolerance in the communities in which we operate. The project encourages a sense of social responsibility that can be applied at an European level. The refuges in which the EVS volunteers are placed are inclusive and representative of the communities in which they are located. This means that as well as supporting the women through experience of domestic violence, volunteers may also be required to signpost and encourage women to seek support for other social issues. The refuge is seen as a safe-haven for women and in order for it to remain so, racism, xenophobia etc has to be identified and addressed.

The EVS volunteers work in an environment where staff, volunteering and training policies encourage equal opportunities and where women, as individuals, are respected in their actions and decisions, regardless of their cultural or political backgrounds. On a practical level, our EVS project contributes to the cultural awareness of the organisation. Hosting volunteers from different cultural backgrounds enhances cultural awareness through discussion and activities. Sharing information about each others own culture and learning about others' has been key in developing respect, tolerance and understanding.

Belfast and Lisburn Womens Aid has hosted a number of EVS volunteers since approximately 2001 and on a regular basis, with usually at least two volunteers each year. The Co-ordinating Organisation, Bryson Charitable Group, has been involved in hosting, sending and supporting EVS volunteers since 1997.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=12000649701