A.

The "aha" - Tipps und Infos für Junge Leute is a service centre providing a wide variety of informa-tion (e.g. education, employment, travelling, health, questions of law and leisure time activities) for young people, parents and multiplicators in the region. Young people also have free access to internet for scholastic research or just for fun. One of our principle aims is to provide information and advice about activities that enable young people to gather intercultural experience. The presence of the EVS-attendant in the "aha" will be a real-life example of the international experience for EVS attendants for interested young people, and will give them very personal information by talking about the EVS and his/her experience. A volunteer from a foreign country could also be an excellent opportunity to broaden the horizon of the team and our visitors and to give an "intercultural dimension" to the daily work.For the volunteer, working in another country can also be an interesting experience as well as a chance to acquire competence in youth work, organising and communication. He/she will have the opportunity to explore a new country, learn a foreign language, get to know new friends and learn about cultural differences.Hosting a volunteer would offer the "aha" also the chance to benefit from the volunteer´s input and new ideas and from the international contacts and partnerships that he/she might enhance.

The hosting organisation is located in very centre of Ravensburg, an old, historical town with approx. 50 000 inhabitants. It is located in the south of Germany, in Baden-Württemberg, near the border to Austria and Switzerland and close to the beautiful Lake of Constance and the Alps. This region offers many leisure possibilities for winter and summer time (e.g. swimming, sailing on the lake of Constance, hiking, skating or mountain-biking as well as winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating and many more). For relaxation you will find plenty of green spaces and a pittoresque landscape of rolling hills.The cultural life in Ravensburg is very rich and provides an interesting and constantly changing repertoire: cinemas, discos, concerts, ice-skating, theatres, pubs and clubs. There are many different annual events in the region, like for example the International Bodensee Festival , the Bregenz Festival, the Fasnet, the Rutenfest, Ravensburg spielt, Jazz in Town etc. There are a lot of international guests, like students from universities or universities of cooperative education that visit the city- not only during the summer season but also throughout the whole year. The students give Ravensburg a young and multicultural appearance and offer the possibility to mingle with people of different nationalities and different cultures

The volunteer will most probably live in a small student residence in Ravensburg where s/he will have a single room with bathroom and toilet and share a kitchen with students.

B.

The volunteer will take an active part in the different ongoing projects at the "aha" and will be involved in most of the activities and services the youth information centre offers:

- He/She will help the young people visiting our centre to find the information they need, answering their questions and helping them to find information in the Internet. The volunteer will start with this activity after an introduction period which will allow him/her to get acquainted with the information material, the way it is presented and with the research techniques.

- He/She will have to collect and distribute any kind of information concerning young people (like working abroad, travelling, education and scholarship, employment, jobfinding). The volunteer should be prepared to look for information about all kinds of subjects related to the young people and to present it in an adequate and attractive way (on paper, on our Website, at exhibitions in the centre).

- Research and spreading of information material, updating the web page and database (infosheets and leaflets on various topics).

- Dealing with demands of young people and consulting them via mail or phone.

- Contributing to the organisation of small information events in the youth information centre, in schools and in youth clubs (about the European Volunteer Service, work and travel…). There will be the possibility to talk with young people, especially when information on the EVS is requested.

- Assistance (to the members of the staff) in preparing and organising local participation projects with young people. In this frame the volunteer will be in contact with all the components of youth representatives and structures of the region and will assist in elaborating the programme, finding partners, sending of invitations, leading a thematical workshop etc.).

- The volunteer will be given also a specific, clear project to follow and to monitor. This independent work will give her/him a sense of responsibility and self-confidence, will be a chance for self-expression and creativity. One of the objectives of the project will be to get information about the home-country of the volunteer or information based on her/his own experience as a volunteer. Furthermore, s/he will get into contact with other volunteers staying in the Ravensburg region (but also in Austria und Liechtenstein) to exchange experiences in European Voluntary Service with the aim of being able to promote the EVS to young people in Ravensburg and to inform interested young people.

- S/he will take part in the team-meetings where the centre`s activities are planned and evaluated.

- The volunteer will work five days a week, 6 hours a day. The volunteer will have also regular language training. S/he will usually have the weekends off and will have two days holiday per month. Our centre is open to the public from Tuesday to Friday between 1.00 - 6.00 p.m. and Saturday between 10.00-13.00 a.m. The volunteer will most often collect information and prepare activities in the mornings and help at the information desk in answering the questions of the visitors in the afternoon.

The first stadium of the volunteer`s work will be characterized by active watching and participation. During the first month the volunteer should get a general idea of how the youth service centre works in order to know her/his future working field. Of course and especially during the training period the volunteer will have a mentor on her/his side to get the needed consultation and personal support.

C.

Our future volunteer should be interested in working with young people and outright in interaction with young people. He/She should be flexible and capable of teamwork as well as of working with his/her own ideas in a creative and independent way. Elementary German and basic knowledge of computers and the internet are expected (to ensure that the communication between the volunteer and the young people is possible) Professional or specialised knowledge is not required. We are open to work with any sending organisation.

D.

For the kind of volunteers with fewer opportunities that we could host there are no special human resources necessary, i.e. our staff can provide the support necessary. Should a volunteer we host face problems, we can provide the support needed via our organisational network.

E.

The volunteers will live about 20 minutes walking distance from the youth information "aha" - Tipps und Infos für Junge Leute. In case of illness/health problems there are doctors of any kind very close and a hospital is situated in the town, too. The volunteer will receive a list of "Emergency Numbers + Addresses" (doctor, hospital, mentor, pharmacy) and will be told how to find out the doctor and pharmacy on duty on weekends. S/he will also be informed about risk prevention in the organisation (first aid kit, emergency exit etc.). Within the project, the volunteer will have a mentor whom s/he can contact any time.In the case of volunteers aged 16 or 17 or volunteers with fewer opportunities they will be supported and supervised by competent staff.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=6001209558