As EVS volunteer at Kwintes you will be part of a small group of volunteers that work on the day activity centre of Kwintes. The volunteer will be in close contact with the other volunteers, and will probably work on the same location. Kwintes is located on different locations in the Netherlands, but this project only takes place in four activity centres located in Almere. A website with information can be found here: http://www.kwintes.nl/. Unfortantly the information is only available in Dutch because it is pointed out for people with less opportunities in the Netherlands. You will live in a house together with others in one of the residential areas of the city. There is a chance you have to share a room together with other volunteers for sleeping, but you will have the whole house for living. This gives you a good opportunity to participate in social activities and learn more about the Dutch culture. Kwintes also organizes different meetings for all the volunteers and friends of the organization once a while.

As coordinating organization Tripin will arrange the necessary things like the obligated training courses for EVS volunteers, language courses, pocket money etc. (if you want to know more about your rights as an EVS volunteer, please download the youth in action program guide) Tripin wil also be a social platform to get in touch with EVS volunteers from other projects and activities held by partner NGO’s in Almere and the rest of the country.

The volunteer is working in a very active and flexible foundation. Despite there is a project description, the volunteer will have a lot of personal freedom. This means that there is enough space to grow in the organisation besides the fixed activities. Of course the foundation will give a structure in which the volunteer can find his challenge. The volunteer can learn how it is to work in a field with a small power-distance. If there are things that you think can be changed to benefit the organisation in the volunteering work you are doing, you are more then welcome to share your opinion with the
teamleaders.
Because Kwintes and Tripin prefer to have volunteers for 1 year. The volunteers will have the oppurtunity to grow in the organization. Also there are possibilities to see all the aspects of working in Kwintes. There will be fixed patterns and tasks you have to perform on the application form but after some time there will be oppurtunities to change tasks. This kind of changes will be in cooperation with the sending organisation, coordinating organisation, volunteer and Kwintes (hosting organisation)

Day actitvity center assistant (2 volunteers):
   -  Getting groceries with the clients.
   -  Assist the clients when they are taking a walk.
   -  Assist the clients with cooking.
   -  Assist the clients in leisure time activities like: Bowling, riding a bike, sailing.
   -  Assist the clients in daytime spending activities like: handcraft, artcraft, socializing (board)games.
   -  Offer the clients the oppurtunity to learn a foreign language in a course,
   -  playing different kind of games
   -  to assist /geven of computer courses
   -  to assist/give of several creative groups
   -  to assist/give of making clothes
   -  to assist /give language courses
   -  to assist a film course
   -  help with in the kitchen with the preparation of meals/lunch
   -  help with the catering
   -  to help with/give of cooking lessons
   -  participate with sport activities
   -  assist of reception activities
   -  help with at administrative activities
   -  assist and/or lead workshops
   -  to participate/organise of trips cooperate with the mobile greenness team
   -  cooperate on printing (press)
   -  to cooperate/assist bicycle repairing

As this project is the maximum amount of time possible in a EVS project the volunteer must realize that Kwintes as hosting organization and Tripin as coordinating organization have some desires due to skills the volunteer must have.
   •   Being able to speak good English.
Almost everybody in the Netherlands speaks very good English. You will develop your English skills further on in communicating with your fellow volunteers at Kwintes. Without the volunteer speaking English we will have a lot of problems to communicate. This is the most important criteria and this will be checked if you are pre-selected to do your EVS at stichting Kwintes. The main problem is that the clients that visit the dayactivity center do not speak a word English, not like the other Dutch inhabitants. There is no use for a volunteer who cannot communicate with the clients.
     •  Being motivated.
A project that last for 12 months is in need of motivated volunteers.
Please show us in your motivation letter why you want to join the project mentioned
above.
     •  Having experience with working in a NGO.
It would be good if (s)he would have a small experience in being active in an NGO in his/her own country to show that the person really wants to take part in exactly this project.
Besides these profile desires mentioned above we have some other points which needs to fit your profile:
    •  Affinity for people with less opportunities.
    •  Under control carry out of the activities; take of routine implementation decisions of protocols of the foundation and the memorandum.
    •  Movement attitude, order and hygiene at the implementation of cleaning activities.
    •  Attention concerning the security of the clients, its own person and other employees and the swift identification of changes in client behaviour and/or the physical situation of the clients.
    •  Inconveniënses, such as physical exertion (frequently run squat, regular, physical effort at cleaning and regular lifting objects up to approximately 10 kilogrammes); psychological strain (confrontation with sick/victim clients, (disturbed) derogatory behaviour); burdening circumstances.
    •  Creativeness, initiative and movement attitude are necessary at the implementation of the social activities.
    •  Mastering ambulatory forms with colleague and service attitude to the several internal constituents.
    •  Being able to work in a group and get in touch with other cultures (open mind).
    •  It would be nice to have someone who is socially skilled.
    •  We look for someone with a high state of self activity.