Düren has approximately 90.000 inhabitants and lies between Cologne and Aachen on the border of the Eifel and close to Belgium and the Nederlands. Düren was almost completely destroyed in the 2. World War. Since the 16th century Düren produces paper.
The host organization is the "Jugendheim Düren Ost" (youth home Düren Ost), Növenicher Str. 7-9.
The project lies right in the centre of the district Düren-Ost (Düren-East) in a district with special requirement for renewal.
The visitors of our house mainly come from a district in which the living development is very narrow and usable open space is rare. At present in contrast to the city above average families with many children and single parents live here. The share of children and youth lies over 37% (city average is 28,5%). Present this are about 600 children between 4-21 years. The proportion of foreigners lies at about 70%. Unemployment and income support mark everyday life of many families. Associations on the spot hardly exist.

Learning possibilities in the Jugendheim Düren-Ost:
o Negotiating of intercultural competences
o Practicing teamwork
o Support of independent acting
o Insight to everyday life realities of children and youth growing up in social focal points
o Dealing with children partly displaying social behavioural problems and youth supports general acting competences, such as conflict ability and the ability to communicate
o Getting to know a great variety of different tasks in the social field
On a regular basis planning conversations for the team will take place. The volunteers are integrated into this. The volunteer always works together with an educational worker. This guarantees that the volunteer does not get into situations that ask too much of him, without receiving immediate help. In addition a constant exchange is established, he/she gets an insight into the social work and further our goals and views are explained to the volunteer.
A female volunteer is asked to regularly accompany a girl's group.
Another field of work is the collaboration in the open children- and youth work. This means making contact with the children and youth that come into the youth home, as well as taking part in discussions, games (e.g. kicker and billiard).
Included in the pedagogic area is also participation in various a day (and more) trips. Further the volunteer can get an extensive insight through practical tasks like for instance administrational and office work. The offers of free time activities that should take place, give the volunteer the opportunity to bring in his/her own ideas. The volunteer will be supported by a responsible social worker.

We expect a young person that enjoys contact with others and has fun and interest in the work with youth. We hope that the volunteer is interested to work independently and that he or she is open to integrate him or herself in the team.

The volunteer will be living in a separate apartment. Under these circumstances supervision cannot be guaranteed, that's why volunteers under 18 years will not be taken on. The volunteer will regularly be in touch with the person to turn to of the project. He/she is both the person, who guides and instructs the volunteer and the person to turn to for everyday problems. In case the relationship between the volunteer and his/her supervisor develops in the direction that no trusting contact is possible, there is still the responsible person of the hosting organisation as another possible person to turn to. This person stands outside the work of the project. He/she will already be in contact before the departure of the volunteer and will lead through a meeting with a group of volunteers at the beginning of the voluntary service. The meeting takes a few days. Approximately every two months there will be a personal talk with the person of the hosting organisation. With this personal meeting, he/she is able to guarantee that the volunteer is fine and that the volunteer could develop a trusting relationship to the people in his/her project. Just shortly after the middle of the voluntary service, the hosting organisation visits the project to ensure that the general conditions of the EVS and the "Activity Agreement" are being realized in the project. In case that there is a serious problem, the hosting organisation will try to intervene and visit the project again. There is regular exchange both between the volunteer and the hosting organisation and between the project and the hosting organisation.