Project environment - Local community
Kalmar is one of the oldest cities in the country and is situated on the Swedish south east coast with approximately 65 000 inhabitants. In Kalmar, history is waiting around each corner; you will find traces of every different historical period. You can take a walk down the cobbled streets in the Old Town and finish with a visit to Kalmar Castle, which has a history dating back 800 years.
The citizens of Kalmar see culture as an important contributor to the city. Active associations contribute to the diversity of cultural life. The many art galleries, museums, theatres and churches are just some examples of what Kalmar can offer. In Kalmar, where ever you go, nature is close at hand. The old city park was originally planned at the end of 19th century and is right by the castle. If you want to enjoy the countryside, take a trip to Stensö or Värsnäs, two of Kalmar's most popular recreational areas. Not far from town there is also the 4H-farm with the animals and well preserved main buildings creating the atmosphere of a country farm.
The University of Kalmar has with its 8 000 student,s fields such as marine officer training courses, naural sciences, automation, environment, media and tourism. All of the University faculties are in the city centre.
Kalmar is located between the island of Öland and the "Kingdom of Glass". Öland, which is Sweden's second largest island, is one of the most popular vacation resorts in the country. The island is famous for its long beaches and wild and beautiful nature. The region attracts more than 2,5 million tourists each year.
From Kalmar Airport you can reach Stockhom daily and with the high speed train X2000, you will have direct services to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Gothenburg (approx 4 hours).

Motivation and offer
We have decided to host one or two volunteers because it will give our residents and our staff and the volunteers the possibility to share their experience. Hosting a volunteer will also increase the intercultural value for the residents at Bryggaren. In hosting two volunteers, we see a chance of learning and a bigger possibility for our organisation to develop its international relationships.
As mentioned above, the main motivation to host international volunteers comes up from the desire to promote the meeting and knowledge between different cultures and generations, get the youth closer to the themes of the diversity, disability and social exclusion and make them sensitive to the importance of the relationship between the ages.
Through this project, we hope that the volunteer will grow as a person and get to know more about her/him self. We also hope to give the volunteer more knowledge about how to work in a team and how to meet elderly with problems in general and understanding the social structures.
In addition, of course we want to give the volunteers the possibility to meet the Swedish culture and the Swedish history through the eyes of the elderly.

Activities
The volunteer will have a central role of taking new initiatives of cultural and social character, which will happen in co-operation with the staff. The volunteer will also have the time for talking and reading to the elderly, singing with them, running errands or just help them if they want to go out.
The volunteers will dedicate most of their time to entertainment, activities which they can develop with new proposals, ideas and suggestions depending on their skills, motivation and backgrounds.
The volunteer will also help the qualified staff in supporting the elderly during the meals, which is a fundamental moment of socialisation. This task also includes helping the elderly that needs help to reach the dining room, and preparation and rearrangement of the dining room.
As a volunteer at Bryggaren it is important that you are a mentally strong person and that you are able to take own initiative. The volunteer will have responsibility according to her/his wishes but will always be supported by the staff. The volunteer will be challenged/encourage to take intercultural initiatives, to plan and carry out intercultural events alone. The staff at Bryggaren will support the volunteer in the planning and carrying out the events. The staff will also support the volunteer with showing the different possibilities that Bryggaren can offer.
However, the volunteer will not have to do work that he or she is not qualified to do or feel uncomfortable with

Target group
This EVS project is addressed to young people strongly interested in the issues related to the elderly. The volunteer should be mature, reliable and trustworthy youngster and have an capacity to work with elderly people
The volunteer must have genuinely taken the decision to be a volunteer, having decided to try life in another culture, and to try a life, where you think of others.
It is important that the volunteer are interested in taking an active part in the resident?s life and in the general day-to-day activities. Helping the residents through talking, sharing with them in activities such as reading, walking, visiting the town or shopping.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=64000289101