Youth club undertaking activities for children after school time

A. Project environment: profile of the organisation and local community

The Youth Club Skallegaarden is located in the outskirt of Næstved, a few kilometer from city center.

The county of Naestved has approx. 80.000 inhabitants of which about 40.000 people live in the city of Naestved itself. Naestved is an old trade center in the southern part of Sealand, and is situated close to the sea. Naestved is one of the main cities in the area and is located about 80km (1 hour by train) away from Copenhagen - the capital of Denmark.

For further information please visit the website: www.visitnaestved.com

The volunteer will stay in a host family who will provide meals and boarding for the volunteer. The family volunteers to become a host family because they have an interest in meeting people of another cultural backgorund. Therefore they will expect the volunteer to be openminded and take an active part in the family life.

Contact point:

AFS Interkultur is a member of the world-wide youth organisation, American Field Service, which has offices in 55 countries. AFS Interkultur's programmes include 12-months high school stay for young people between 15 and 18 years, and 5-12 months voluntary project work abroad for people between 18 and 26 years of age.

AFS Interkultur is an independent youth organisation with a strong international network (AFS Intercultural Programs). AFS is a voluntary based, non-profit organisation independent of political and religious interest. In Denmark AFS Interkultur started in 1947 and today has 43 local chapters.

B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

The daily work starts with a short meeting about the activities of the day.

From 11.30 the children begin to arrive and the activities start. Activities include ball games, practical work around the animals (small pigs, rabbits, chicken and goats) and socializing around the outdoor fireplace. Indoor activities include card games, billiard, computers, kitchen activities, woodwork and other hobby activities.

The Youth Club also has activities outside the house such as excursions to other youth clubs, bowling, visits to the beach and many other things. There will be excursions where the children go away on camps for 3 to 4 days and occasionally evening activities such as discotheque evenings are arranged.

The volunteer will take part in the daily work around the children according to his/her own interests and background. Talking with the children about their daily life is very important and takes up much of the time. The day also includes daily chores such as cleaning up, sweeping etc. and the volunteer is welcome to arrange activities on him/her own initiative.

There will be an average of 30 hours work per week. The time table will be arranged between the volunteer and the host organisation on arrival, and an example of a typical working week would be: Monday 10 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11.30 a.m. - 4.30 p.m., Friday 11.30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The volunteer will have vacation in week 28 and otherwise as agreed with the host organisation.

The volunteer will live in a Danish host family. The life in the host family will facilitate the integration in the local community and will accelerate the process of both language and intercultural learning.

The volunteer will be invited to social events arranged by the local AFS chapters. At those events the volunteer will meet other volunteers, AFS exchange students and host families.

C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment process

We would prefer an outgoing person with good self-esteem who is motivated for working with children and youth.

After the initial period, the volunteer should be able to take part in and arrange small activities such as sport activities, games, trips etc.

We expect the volunteer to be active and take part in the daily practical activities and be openminded and flexible.

The volunteer must agree to sign a confidentiality agreement. He/she must also provide a police certificate showing a clean criminal record prior to final selection.

The volunteer must be able to speak English on a basic level and must not be allergic to animals.

E. Risk prevention, safety and protection

The Youth Club Skallegaarden complies with Danish safety regulations. The work does not involve any special risks.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=10000171301