Philosophy of INEX - Sdruzeni dobrovolnych aktivit

(INEX - Association for Voluntary Activities, hereandafter INEX-SDA)

INEX-SDA iniciates and realises projects based on voluntary service and international exchange since 1991. Our projects are run in close co-operation with local NGOs or municipalities all over the Czech Republic, focused on environmental, social, cultural and global development issues. INEX-SDA has several local branches and contact places (Praha, Brno, Kostelecke Horky, Tvarozna Lhota).

Our philosphy is based on:
- seeing voluntarism as a way to mutal understanding, tolerance and sustainable development,
- increasing the prestige of voluntary work and developing the structure of volunteering in the Czech Republic,
- inter-cultural learning and non-formal education by getting to know different cultures, societies, and countries,
- encouraging people to take an active role in responsibility for both the environment and society.

Regular activities in the organisation

Main activities of INEX-SDA are:

- organizing short-term voluntary projects in the Czech Republic (at 47 projects hosting more than 400 foreign volunteers per year);
- sending Czech volunteers to projects all over the world - workcamps (WC), Long Term Volunteering (LTV), Middle Term Volunteering (MTV), European Voluntary Service (EVS), European Voluntary Service - Short Term (EVS-ST) (about 600 Czech volunteers sent abroad per year);
- promotion of voluntary work (publishing promotion materials, organizing seminars and trainings);

- project Blue House, INCLUB and SALAS - presenting sustainable way of living and support of traditions in rural areas - regional branches: Kostelecke Horky, Tvarozna Lhota
- project "Painted Year" - support of traditions in rural areas - regional branches: Kostelecke Horky, Tvarozna Lhota, Brno
- project Big Brother, Big Sister - social support and prevention for socially disadvantage children - regional branch Brno

- project Football for Development - development education, public awareness raising
- project GLEN - enabling Czech volunteers to experience reality of Southern countries
- project "Sending volunteers to the countries of Global South"

INEX-SDA is memeber of Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations (Alliance) and Co-ordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS). Partner organisation of Service Civil International (SCI) and Youth Action for Peace (YAP). Since 2000 works as a hosting and sending organisation in frame of the program of European Voluntary Service. Since 2001 is member of Czech Commission of Children and Youth. Since 2002 is memeber of Czech Forum of Development Co-operation (FoRS). Since 2005 takes active role in NGO platform Czech against Poverty.

Prague's office of INEX - SDA, seat of the central organisation is responsible for:
1) Sending Czech volunteers abroad for short term "workcamps" and long term projects (about 600 per year);
2) Sending Czech EVS and EVS_ST volunteers abroad (about 12 per year);
3) Preparing and running projects on Global development issues (GLEN, Football for Development);
4) Promotion of Voluntarism (publishing promotion materials, website);
5) Organizing seminars and trainings (training for camp leaders, training for trainers, weekend meetings for volunteers, seminars on Development Educatio Issues, Preparatory Seminar for Vounteers going to "Global South" countries).

Staff
In the Prague's office, there are two full time, two half time employees and 3 regular volunteers. There are many other volunteers around the office, working occasionaly according to needs of the office. There are three more employees of central INEX-SDA working in branches, two in Kostelecke Horky (training center), one in Brno (5P programme). INEX-SDA has 33 members, who are taking part on decision making about the long-term aims of the organisation.

Tartget group
Being involved in our activities does not need any type of membership in INEX-SDA. The biggest target group (age 18-30) we are addressing with short term projects, it is about 600 Czechs and 400 foreigners per year. Social project ran by branch Brno involves children (age 6-15) and volunteers (age 18-26), at about 60 people. The older people are mostly interested in long term volunteering.

Project environment
The project will take place in Prague's office of INEX-SDA situated in very centre of the Capital. The enviroment gives both the best and worse sides of life in the city. The office is situted in big building where more than 30 other NGO's have their offices which is quite inspiring and gives big opportunities to mutual cooperation. As the office is the main contact place for Czech volunteers willing to go abroad, most of the year it is full of young people, searching for information, tips for good projects, wiling to help, interested in respective countries and issues. The staff in the office is young, very nice, mostly women :, giving good and friendly atmosphere.

Experience with EVS
Our organisation has big experiences with hosting EVS and sending EVS and EVS-ST abroad. Since 2000 we are hosting and sending organisation, hostingf EVS in Kostelecke Horky and Tvarozna Lhota. Since then more than 15 EVS have gone through our projects. It will be a big and new challenge for us to give him/her good opportunity to learn about the work in NGO also from activities ran in Prague and inrich our own working methods and approaches.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=26000147501