A. Location:

The KIEZ Hölzerner See is located in 165.000 square metre grounds, in a wooded area, at the Hölzerner See , between the villages Gräbendorf and Prieros - about 4km to both of these places in the Dahme-Heideseen national park. There is a sidewalk from the KIEZ Hölzerner See to the next bus station, it takes 15min to walk to the bus station. The distance to the next city - Königs Wusterhausen - is about 15km. From there it takes about 2 hours to go to Berlin.

VOLUNTEERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE KIEZ HÖLZERNER SEE IS QUITE ISOLATED IN THE MIDDLE OF A FORESTRY AREA. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW BUSSES GOING FROM THIS PLACE TO THE NEXT VILLAGES OR A TOWN. IT TAKES REALLY A LONG TIME TO GO FROM THIS PLACE TO BERLIN!!!!!

Nearby places:

Gräbendorf - about 500 inhabitants without any large business concerns. Points of interest: Haus des Waldes (a forestry education centre).

Prieros - about 1000 inhabitants. A place marked by tourism and local recreation. Points of interest: organic garden, botanical teaching garden, museum of local culture and history, horse breeding.

Klein Köris - about 500 inhabitants, without any large business concerns. This place is marked by water sport and local recreation.

Region:

federal state = Brandenburg.

Very strongly connected to Berlin due to the close vicinity.

administrative district = Dahme-Spreewald (Dahmeland is a local recreation area with woods and many water features between Berlin and the Spree forest. It is an area for travelling.)

main town = Königs Wusterhausen - There is a train connection to Berlin and also a castle and a telecommunications museum.

B. Responsibilities of the volunteer:

- support and cooperation in the planning and arrangement of new free time and project offers for children (the development of recreation ideas, educational and info boards, handicraft ideas etc.).

- cooperation with other local partners like the organic garden, "house of the forest" etc.

- preparation and organisation of natural and environmental measures with children and youth groups in the framework of the project offers for school classes.

- help and support in the environment and planning measures in the children´s recreational village (willow huts, planting, small log road for the backpack trail etc).

- collaboration in the educational centre in the content of the educational care of the children´s group (play and cultural work with children, handicrafts, sport etc).

- co-leading of an international workcamp during the summer

- support and cooperation in the "hobbybude" (suggest creative offers like casting of gypsum, silk painting, to confect candles, doing handycrafts with organic products, common cooking and baking, etc.)

working times / description of a normal week day:

- 30 hours a week, depending on the guests possibly Saturdays and Sundays, and then free time in the week; breakfast and lunch break, flexible daily division of the working hours depending on need and prior arrangement, division of working hours between morning - afternoon, afternoon - evening, or morning and evening

- approx. 7.00 getting up

- approx 8.00 breakfast with colleagues and volunteers from the national voluntary service

- 9.00 - 12.00 working outside (e.g. making the educational trail), taking care of groups or free time

- 12.00 lunch

- 13.00 - approx. 18.00 partly involved in taking care of the groups (hiking, handicrafts etc) or free time

- 18.00 dinner

- 19.00 - approx 22.00 the evening care of groups (helping with camp fire, night hikes etc) or free time

In the framework of the EVS we plan visits to and exchanges of experience with other children´s recreation centres, and with our partners in the recreation area.

On days off it is possible to visit places in the area such as Berlin, Potsdam, the Spree forest, go on bike trips and borrow boats.

In the children´s recreation centre full board is available all year round for the guests, employees and volunteers. When the village is closed for holidays (such as christmas) it is possible to take holiday or to be cared for at a partner institution.

Language training will be guaranteed in several ways:

- guidance and training by the pedagogical colleague or tutor

- constant contact through work with colleagues and therefore 'learning by doing'

- contact in free time with colleagues and volunteers from the national voluntary service who live there

- if possible, necessary or relevant in local evening classes

other training and support for the volunteer:

- guidance and training by the pedagogical colleague/tutor and the director

- constant contact through work with colleagues, national voluntary service volunteers and therefore 'learning by doing'

- involvement of the volunteer in experience exchanges and further training with our partners (Märkischer Wald e.V., national park administration, other children´s recreational centres).

- involvement in the activities of the board of governors, the life of the organisation and recreation offers

C. The volunteers who would like to do the EVS at the KIEZ Hölzerner See should have the following attributes/skills:

- interest in working with children and young people

- basic german language skills

- flexible working hours

- independent, out- going, friendly,

- able to work in a team

- bond to nature

- The volunteer should be able to live in an isolated place in aforest outside villages or towns.

Because of the different working fields in which the volunteer can be involved, we are able to consider different volunteers skills and abilities.

Regarding the sending organisation, we have no special wishes. We keep in touch with those organisations that sent us volunteers in the past years. But even when the collaboration with these organisations has worked very well, we continue to remain open for "new" organisations, countries and cultures.

The expression of interest of the KIEZ Hölzerner See can easily be obtained by those interested at the internet page of "go4europe". People who are interested can contact our co-ordinating organisation. Moreover, before the selection interviews with new volunteers, all (accredited) sending organisations are informed by the co-ordinating organisation and are asked to send them the applications of interested juveniles. As volunteers do not need special knowledge for their EVS in the KIEZ Hölzerner See, our project can be interesting for a notably high number of adolescents.

D. As the KIEZ Hölzerner See has already extensive experience with a wide number of national and international volunteers, as well as the co-ordinating organisation, they decided to accept volunteers with special needs as well.

The KIEZ Hölzerner See also continuesly works with children and juvenils with fewer opportunities due to their social and educational disadvantages as well as mentally disabled people (e.g. with learning disabilities). During the years, the staff of the institution have gained a lot of experiences in the work with people with fewer opportunities and therefore feel prepared to work together with young people with fewer opportunities in the range of the EVS as well.

Since 2002 the VJF has worked together with other voluntary organizations (within the "Alliance" - Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations) to develop programs for disadvantaged young people to give them the chance to take part in international voluntary exchange programs. On account of this program, VJF already sent volunteers to international projects and VJF already hosted disadvantaged volunters in international projects in Germany. Three employees of VJF are educated as social pedagogues, one of them is especially responsible for the EVS and she is the constant contact person for the volunteers.

E. As soon as the volunteers arrive, they will be introduced to the project, the colleagues and their field of work as well as their personal tutors. The latter will help them not only with their personal problems but also with difficulties concerning their work. Volunteers can choose by themselves whom to address as their contact person (does not have to be their assigned tutor). This is possible, because each staff member is informed and involved in the EVS. Furthermore, the adolescents will be supported in establishing contact with ex-evs, who can become a second backup besides the people in their actual working position. VJF will also encourage them to approach other volunteers (e.g. from other coordinated projects).

In addition, frequent feedback discussions should provide them the opportunity to bring up possible occuring problems immediately and in a safe setting. As a group, they can find a solution together.

The contact between the hosting and sending organisation will be held up during the whole duration of the project to ensure the possibility to intervene in the case of tensions or crisis.

In the facility, the volunteers are instructed to all areas concerning work and fire prevention. They are also introduced to the particularities of the building and the usable open spaces. Moreover, there will be an extensive instruction to the conditions (fire prevention, escape routes, arrangement of the keys and so on) of their quarters where the volunteers will be accommodated during their stay.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=6001574031