A. Project environment

Stowarzyszenie Wspierania Inicjatyw Pozarzadowych (SWIP) is non - governmental organization. Office of SWIP is situated in the centre of Szczecin - capital of Western - Pomerania Region. In general, office is opened from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 am to 16.00 pm. There is no problem with local transport (buses, trams). Office space involve three rooms with work places (computer, printer, etc.), also a conference room (for approx. 15 people) and social space where meals / coffee can be prepared. Office is adapted to handicaped people's needs (wheelchair ramp).

Szczecin - a port city situated in north - west part of Poland (30 km from Polish - German border, 150 km from Berlin, 100 km from the seaside) for centuries - has provided a centre from which Europe's transit routes have crossed from west to east and from north through the Balitc to the south of Europe. It is a city of merchants and travellers, enjoiyng an unique geograpfical location from sailors' point of view. Of its entire area, 24,4% is water: arms of the Odra River, Lake D¹bie, a network of port cannals and channels, the southern part of Zalew Szczeciñski, Lake G³êbokie, Lake Szmaragdowe and some smaller water courses meander and connect with ponds situated in enormous green areas of the city in Arkoñski Forest. There are several cultural centres such as cinemas, theatres, museums, The Pomeranian Dukes' Castle. A various attractions - pubs, student clubs and galleries are a quarantee that everyone can find something interesting here. It is also quite a big students' city - many colleges such as the University of Szczecin, Technical University, Agricultural Academy or Medical Academy and several private colleges are located here.

B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

LEARNING PROCESS

In therms of service and learning opportunities we can offer to foreign volunteers a chance:

- to get to know aims, methods and structures of NGOs (not only host organizations) from the region, culture and life in hosting country, incuding language and cultural support, other additional training or workshop - if needed (such as computer support, etc.),

- to get involved in coordinating activities of EVS (in cooperation with other young people from other countries), and also in everyday work (not only in the office but in cooperation with local community - by providing meetings and consultations with youth interested in EVS, youth exchanges or other international youth activities),

- to develop their personal, social and proffesional skills by using their potencial and abilities and match - making between volunteer's and project's profile.

Hosted volunteers will participate in different actions based on mission of our organization. They will support the organization with their ideas and experiences, they will always be provided in their work. Volunteers will have the opportunity to take part in local community projects - provided in cooperation with local partner organizations to get to know the local life - style and specific ngo society better. We will ensure principles of Youth in Action Program: non - formal educational and intercultural learning dimension, active participation of young people and inclusion of youth with fewer opportunities.

PROPOSED TASKS FOR EVS VOLUNTEER

- promotion of Youth in Action program and EVS in particular - through meetings with youth from the region and potential host organisations and writing evs - blog on our website. We would like to promote YiA program among people who have problems with finding information about it and less opportunities (bacause of their social status or living in rural areas) to participate in those initiatives. We would like volunteer to help in preparing promotional materials - leaflets, posters, presentations and to present it to young people. There is a possibility of creating "small - EVS - information - centre" together with database of free placements based on information send by our partner organizations for people who would like to participate in a program, volunteer would also be helpful by preparing and implementing consultations for young people who would like to participate in EVS projects (match - making, preparing applications, help in getting in touch with organizations, etc.). Since we have implemented meetings with youth from the region as a part of coordinated EVS projects, we observe growing interest of young people about EVS. We try to provide information and help to find young people hosting projects abroad, but we realise that it would be more effective if a "real evs
- volunteer" would do it. As a coordinators and youth workers we see it all in different perspective, volunteer is able to present some issues based on a real experiences in a foreign country, by that we are sure that we and those young people who plan to go abroad and realise their own project can avoid many dissapointments;

- implementing projects in international and national (Polish) partnerships - participation in international youth exchanges and other organized projects, providing some organizational support during those projects (for example preparation of documentation, spreading information, answering phone calls and SWIP's emails, preparing and sending mails, putting some information on our website, arranging meetings, etc.), also participation in international trainings about possibilities of getting financial support for future youth activities; since 2008 SWIP is involved in women - support activities (trainings, workshops, etc. ) which are organised cyclically and knowing the specific of those actions will be also part of volunteer's activities in the association;

- preparing application forms for possible future youth projects (volunteer's ideas are welcomed, but we will also expect some help in some activities we already work on), finding partner organisations (also preparing database of those organizations, it will be very helpful and additional support in this field will be given by volunteer because of His / Her knowledge of background in His / Her own country, some international experiences, etc.) and gathering information about possible financial and organizational support (grants, trainings, etc. This information will be also helpful for youth from the region, people who cooperate with SWIP and not always have possibility to find it themselves - it will be great help in promotion of organised activities;

Of course all the needed support will be provided for the volunteer to ensure the level of confidence in all those actions- specially in polish language more intense at the beginning of the project.

As we implement many different activities concerning local community, cooperate with many partners, also local volunteers - and by that we create team of people involved in development of our local active community, we want the volunteer to feel like part of this team. We will ensure that by volunteer's participation in our meetings, He / She will also make real contribution into His / Her work by planning it every week, also by giving volunteer tasks we all have - like taking care of the office facilities, also cleaning it. It will surely increase volunteer's feeling of being part of the team.

We want to make sure that the project will satisfy hosted volunteer, that is why we are opened to volunteer's ideas. And we will do our best to adapt those activities to volunteer's needs and abilities. As volunteer will work aprox. 30 hours a week (50% - activities in local community and promotion of youth activities, 25% - office work) there will be some space to fulfil it with initiatives, which can be for example those actions which we would like to develop in SWIP in coming future (also 25%):

- organising trainings and other activities concerning needs of foreigners coming to Szczecin - cultural trainings for Erasmus students, EVS volunteers, artists, etc.;

- gathering and preparing information which will be helpful for future hosted volunteers, about "foreign - friendly" policy and places in Szczecin, ways to deal with "only polish speaking" people in institutuions (preparing survival polish dictionary, guide about polish culture, cuisine, traditions, etc.).
So, based on the proposals above and knowledge that in all phases of the project it will look a little bit different, we are not able to put all this in certain "hour - schedule", but volunteer's draft work schedule could look like this:


1st MONTH of the project

- team meeting (every week)
- starting volunteer's blog
- getting to know the city, getting to know organizations active in the region, learning about the activities, structure and rules of the organization
- creating volunteer's own work - space and "information helpdesk" for youth interested in EVS
- office work - mails, emails, website
- intense polish language course


2ND MONTH of the project

- team meeting (every week)
- volunteer's blog and starting the foreign - friendly quide / tandem language course
- preparing information for potential host organizations and sending EVS volunteers, meetings with those
- office work - mails, emails, website, preparing and implementing going on projects and application forms
- intense polish language course
- gathering information about organizations, trainings, available EVS placements, creating database,
- planning volunteer's own project, implementing ideas


3RD MONTH of the project

- team meeting (every week)
- volunteer's blog and foreign - friendly quide / tandem language course
- meetings with potential host organizations and EVS volunteers, also group meetings at schools
- office work - mails, emails, website, phone calls, preparing and implementing going on projects and application forms
- intense polish language course
- gathering information about organizations, trainings, available EVS placements, creating database,
- planning volunteer's own project, implementing ideas


4TH MONTH of the project

- team meeting (every week)
- volunteer's blog and foreign - friendly quide / tandem language course
- meetings with potential host organizations and EVS volunteers, also group meetings at schools
- office work - mails, emails, website, phone calls, preparing and implementing going on projects and application forms
- gathering information about organizations, trainings, available EVS placements, creating database,
- planning volunteer's own project, implementing ideas


5TH MONTH of the project

- team meeting (every week)
- volunteer's blog and foreign - friendly quide / tandem language course
- meetings with potential host organizations and EVS volunteers, also group meetings at schools
- office work - mails, emails, website, phone calls, preparing and implementing going on projects and application forms
- gathering information about organizations, trainings, available EVS placements, creating database,
- planning volunteer's own project, implementing ideas


6TH MONTH of the project

- team meeting (every week)
- volunteer's blog and foreign - friendly quide / tandem language course
- meetings with potential host organizations and EVS volunteers, also group meetings at schools
- office work - mails, emails, website, phone calls, preparing and implementing going on projects and application forms
- gathering information about organizations, trainings, available EVS placements, creating database,
- planning volunteer's own project, implementing ideas
ETC.

C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment

SWIP is opened to cooperate with any partner - host organizations, sending organizations and volunteers. The most important in this project is to us motivation. We would like to cooperate with person who represents positive attitude, is really motivated to learn polish language (as it will be needed to implement some tasks). Volunteer will always do His / Her tasks as a support, not a paid worker, He / She will also have less responsibilities than workers and co - workers in SWIP. Volunteer will be always supported. We prefer to host volunteers for a longer time (at least few months, but we are open for people wh cannot stay with us longer because of reasons independent of them).

We don't expect any special skills - of course it would be helpful if volunteer would have some knowledge about computer and other office machines, would be open - minded person who doesn't have difficulties in personal contact with other people.

We would like to participate in creation of opened - minded european society and to work with people who have similar goals in their actions. We will provide training or workshop needed for the volunteer. Some of the activities will be done in a team (like planning new projects, conceptional work), but volunteer will also work alone on his / her tasks.

Recruitment process in most of our projects is based on information provided between network of partner NGO's, applying goes via the online database of acredited organisations.

We are able to host 2 volunteers at the same time.

D. Special needs

Our office is adapted to handicaped people needs (wheelchair). Since we have coordinated EVS projects with volunteers coming from different backgrouds and cultures, we are aware of the possible problems and disadvantages volunteers may deal with. Dealing with different issues during hosting volunteers we have established network of partners who can be very useful sharing their experiences and giving advice.

Volunteers with special needs who would like to apply for our project should provide us detailed and true information to avoid future misunderstandings and to help us to provide needed help from the very beginning. By that we will be able to match the activities with volunteers profile, needs and interests.