Description of the association

Cultural association "Strauss", is a non-profit organization that began in 1999 in Mussomeli, a town in the centre of Sicily, in the province of Caltanissetta. It is a self-financed organization and subsidiary to Arci, committed to promoting a multicultural and multiethnic society.
Our organization’s main objective is to meet the needs of young people, to hear their voice and provide them with useful services for their cultural and personal growth.
The target with which the association is working normally consists of young people aged between 15 and 30 years.
The association Strauss manages a INFO-GIOVANI center (INFO-YOUTH), providing information to the community (especially youngsters) on matters as work, education and school, cultural activities, sports, etc. .. and besides it offers Internet point, print and fax services.
Info-Youth desk is open from Monday to Friday. In addition of Info-Youth there is also Info-H, a support help desk for people with disabilities, opened 2 days a week (on Tuesday and on Thursday) that has often became spokesman of popular complaints (for example through the editing and publication of a Newspaper titled "L’Urlo", a (The Shout) a report newspaper against the architectural barriers in Mussomeli and surroundings).
Moreover, from some years, the association has taken a well defined European dimension, involving in many projects funded under the Youth Program (now Youth in Action) in various parts of Europe (hundreds of youngsters thanks to the association could live an experience of this kind), and organization and realization of 4 projects in Mussomeli (a cultural exchange and 3 seminars), and the last one of these ( "50 years of EU: a look bin the past to build the future ") has involved associations and participants from 23 EU countries, to celebrate the fiftieth of the Treaty of Rome. The experience gained in European field , has moved us to the opening of the "Europe-desk", a help-desk which aim is to provide information and advices on the European policies and in general on the opportunities that the EU offers to young people. This desk now count on the contribution of PLD ( Decentralized Local Point) Eurodesk of Mussomeli : in fact, in 2006 our association has been accredited as PLD Eurodesk and also has 9 territorial relays spread in the territory which it refers.
The "Europe-desk", is opened from Monday to Friday.
The association Strauss is also responsible for the editing and publication of the magazine “ L’ALTERnativo” : a local free bimestrial magazine which analyze subjects of local interest with a youth and ironic style .
Weekly meetings are planned between the members of the editorial staff to discuss the issues that must be treated in the various issues of the magazine and to deal with the many aspects that the management of a newspaper implies. L’ALTERnativo can count on the support of Gianfranco Belgrano, an international renowned journalist, member of our association and director of our newspaper.

Besides , from some years, our organization has worked with high schools institutes of Mussomeli in the project "A scuola d’ Europa", an initiative that aims to bring young people closer to a European dimension, giving them key information about the EU, its institutions and its policies. This project sees the association committed every year, in different periods agreed before with the schools.
Since this year, in addition, the association Strauss is part of the project “Una rete per la vita”, funded under the Act 328 of 2000 and managed by the Health- district D10.
Under this project , “Strauss” manages the service "Borsa Lavoro", which aims to promote the reintegration of children who have had problems with the penal code (these are followed by young tutor put at their disposal by our association), and ( in cooperation with the CIS) “the Recreational Center for Youth”, open 2 times per week in a place of the municipality, with the aim of giving young people aged between 15 and 25 years an alternative to the road, organizing them different kind of recreational activities .

Finally, the Strauss also aims to create moments of meeting and socializing in a constructive and stimulating way. Among the activities carried out in the past, there are: the Festival of Music, the Anti-Mafia Caravan, the “Writing and Hip hop” meeting.
The staff of cultural association Strauss is composed by 3 part-time workers and 3 volunteers, performing the following tasks:
1 operator for the Service Infogiovani and INFO H, 1 operator for Europe- desk, 1 contact person for the PLD Eurodesk, 4 members of the editing of the ALTERnativo, 2 tutors for the Borsa Lavoro.
In addition to the staff, the Strauss have the backing of several members who assiduously attend the center and participate in its activities.

Project Enviroment

The project will be hosted in the town of Mussomeli. The town of Mussomeli, situated in the so called Alta Valle del Platani or Vallone, has a surface of 164 Km2 , a housing density of 69,80 for Km2 and areas destined to public green equal to m2 44.760 including an urban park and small villas lay in the internal and surrounding areas of the town. Seated in the heart of the Sicilian hinterland of the province of Caltanissetta, on over 750 meters on the sea level, Mussomeli, counts a population of about 12.000 inhabitants with local economy based on agriculture and the breeding. Privileged by a mild climate for the whole year and from a particularly healthy air, in the summer period Mussomeli becomes animated and numerous emigrants return for spending you the vacations; its historical centre of evident medieval origin with beautiful churches, destination for numerous Sunday tourists coming from the surrounded provinces. Mussomeli has also an outdoor amphitheater, which host during spring and summer periods the main cultural events.

The flagship of the town is the Castle Chiaramontano, that represents for Mussomeli not only the monument of great interest and appeal, but unequivocally the beginning of its history.

Mussomeli is located approximately 50 km far from Agrigento and 100 km far from Palermo, the two largest cities in the area, destination for tourists from all over Europe. Anyhow, for the volunteer will not be difficult during weekends or days off to move from Mussomeli to visit Sicily, an islands famous worldwide for its natural beauty.

Many are the high schools Institutes that collect many young people coming from different small neighbouring towns. Hospital, pharmacies, consulting room and assistance offices for youngsters make Mussomeli the benchmark for the whole population of the Vallone. Besides there are , the CSI ( Italian Sportive Centre ) that promotes different sportive activities, football and basketball clubs, recreational circles, many various associations, gyms, aqua-park , swimming pools, young people groups which practice

In Mussomeli traditions are still alive and popular, and this is demonstrated by numerous traditional festivals that the town hosts. Famous, for example, is the "Feast of the castle” which take place on 2nd September, a medieval holiday that attracts many tourists.
There are also several possibilities that Mussomeli offers for leisure time : gyms, swimming pools, mini-soccer fields, tennis and numerous pubs, clubs and restaurants that make Mussomeli a destination for many young people in the area.

It is evident that the EVS voluntary could enjoy all these services as he/she wishes and without any kind of obstacle . We believe that for the insertion of the volunteer is necessary an integration in all fields, and therefore the various structures which are on the territory, could function as assistance and as a towing tool. The use of some of the services above listed could also require an economic contribution that the association will provide, partially or completely.

Volunteers will be housed in an apartment (of which the association is lessee) very comfortable and just 5 minutes walking from our association. Besides, internet will be available for them (at the association site ) 24 hours on 24.

We will ensure volunteers 3 meals a day for free (breakfast, lunch and dinner). In this case they will have 2 options: either avail themselves of meal tickets at restaurants with which the association has an agreement, or opt for money that we give them to provide for those needs which they can use to go to other restaurants or fast food or, if they prefer, to cook at home. The association also has at its office a refrigerator (always provided with food and drinks) and a coffee machine.

We will also organize for the volunteers an Italian language course.

Volunteers also will receive on the first day of each month the amount assigned by Youth in Action as reimbursement costs.

Mussomeli is a small “human dimensioned” town, so the volunteers will not have any kind of transit problems, and they can also count on members for any logistics need.

Main tasks of the volunteers

Volunteers will work in various fields, thus avoiding the negative effects of routine.

Their ideas and suggestions will be welcomed, indeed they will be encouraged in that direction.

They will be involved mainly in these following activities:

Info-Youth desk : within this sector volunteers will have the following main tasks:

- welcome visitors who come to our center, listen to their requests, search on Internet and look up informations they would like to have about work, universities, mobility, etc. ..

- Monitor regularly publication of several calls or competitions that could interest young people and generally the local community and therefore print the material to be affixed on the dashboard of the association and at other centers spread in the community, where information could be taken by interested people ;

- Take care of the internet point, print and fax services, made available to the community by the association.

Info H: within this sector volunteers will provide legal informations to persons with disabilities (tax breaks, job placement, provision of informative leaflets on work, vacations special services, driving licenses etc.).In this activity they will be followed (apart from the supervisor as for all activities) by a freelancer member of the association, who deals with these issues from some years.

Europe desk: in this area volunteers will be monitored constantly (in addition to the supervisor as for all other activities) from the referent of PLD Eurodesk and they will have these following tasks:

- give visitors all kind if information about European programs, policies and, in general , on all the opportunities offered by the EU to youth;

- manage the numerous cultural exchanges in which Strauss takes part as sending organization as sending organization, including: take care of the contacts (telephone or email) with the host organizations, select and train participants on the objectives of the Youth in Action Program and the theme of the exchange they are going to participate; help the participants in the travel organization (purchase tickets, insurance etc. ..);

- monitor regularly the intranet Eurodesk and the email of the association in order to adhere to those projects that fit the requirements and objectives of the association;

- help the staff on writing projects, in order to learn how to prepare a good project and receive information on the topics which generally Strauss competes;

- participate to exchanges or seminars organized by Strauss in Mussomeli : in fact, Strauss Association annually hosts an average of 1 or 2 projects (especially in summer), and volunteers will be called to give a concrete help in the organization and implementation of these projects.

In addition, volunteers could also have the possibility to participate as a leader in cultural exchange that Strauss often takes part in various parts of Europe, leading participants in these experiences. In this way, the volunteer will also have the opportunity to travel and meet other cultures (of course the volunteer in this case will not support any cost, but everything will be covered by the association);

”A scuola d’Europa “: it is a project that Strauss carry out since some years and that sees involved in all secondary schools with training courses on the EU, its institutions and its policies, with particular reference to European youth policies. The volunteers will join the staff association in these courses and for this purpose they would receive a preliminary training by our staff on these topics in order to be able then in turn to form young students with whom they will be faced.

These training courses are based on the method of non-formal education, so that the staff and volunteers will not introduce themselves to students in a formal and formalistic way, but they will try to give an interactive perspective to these courses and to set up with students a confidential relationship , which could help their learning process.

L’ALTERnativo : volunteers will collaborate for the realization of the magazine edited by Strauss, helping the staff in particular in the choice of topics to be treated, in the writing of the articles, in the layout, in the distribution of the issues that will be printed. Obviously, they will be addressed to a journalistic workshop under the direction of Gianfranco Belgrano, director of this magazine, and in this point of view it is expected to realize a training course specifically for volunteers.

Youth Recreational Center : Strauss since this year manages (in cooperation with CSI), a Youth recreational center, open 2 times per week, with the aim of giving young people between 15 and 25 years an alternative to the road , organizing them various kinds of leisure activities. The volunteers will work with the staff of the center, carrying out these tasks in particular:
- welcome young people who attend the center;
- Organizing workshops;
- Organizing playstation, ping pong, and pin ball tournaments, etc. ...
- Organizing thematical evenings ( for example “no alcohol evening”, “no drugs evening”, etc. ..)
- Promoting the activities of the center.

The large range of activities carried out by Strauss will permit volunteers to not fall into boredom: we will try to organize their work (it is expected to have 3 volunteers) so that their activities could be complementary, and they will work (in a sort of rotation and coordinated with other volunteers) in all areas of our organization. Obviously, planning their work, we will consider above all their interests and preferences, and on this purpose, their work schedule will always be changeable. In addition, we will be always ready to integrate our activities with those one proposed by the volunteers, and we will be available to support them.

Standard week of the volunteer

Monday: 9:00-12:00 (Info-Youth) 12:00-15:00 (lunch) 15:00 -18:00 (Europe- Desk);

Tuesday: 9:00 -12:00 (Info- Youth) 12:00-15:00 (lunch) 15:00 - 18:00 (Info-H);

Wednesday: 9:00 -12:00 (Europe Desk) 12:00-15:00 (lunch) 15:00 - 18:00 (Youth Recreational Center);

Thursday: 9:00 -12:00 ( “A scuola d’Europa “ project) 12:00-15:00 (lunch) 15:00 - 18:00 (Info-H);

Friday: 9:00 -12:00 (Europe Desk) 12:00-15:00 (lunch) 15:00 - 18:00 (Youth Recreational Center);

Moreover, twice a week meetings are planned with the staff of the “ALTERnativo” , to organize its implementation (those meetings, obviously, will be fit into the normal working hours of volunteer).
The volunteer, so will work 30 hours per week, and they will have all weekends free (volunteer can use them to travel or to dedicate himself to his hobby .. etc) and more, he/she will take 2 days off per month.

This is a model week of the volunteer, however changeable, in order to meet their needs and to meet the needs of planifications.

Volunteer, at the end of the EVS, will receive the Youth Pass, a certificate which attest non-formal learning process acquired.

Requirements of the volunteer to take part in the project:

18-30 years old, English, basic knowledge of the main pc programs (word, outlook, ITC technologies - email, skype, messenger etc..-) and good mood