1. Local Community
Cantabria is a region located at the North of Spain. It has very nice natural areas and landscapes. Population: 500,000 inhabitants (123,000 young people aged between 14 and 29). The regional economy is centred in the service sector. The capital of the Community is Santander, with 250,000 inhabitants. Coast city with beautiful beaches. It main source of economy is tourism, mainly cultural tourism due to the large number of art, archaeological,… sites in it and rural tourism, as there is a large diversity of small towns in beautiful natural areas.
Communications: ferry to Plymouth (U.K.) twice a week; airport, train and bus stations. Roads communicating the community well communicated with the nearby communities.
Cultural life of the city is also very important as it has an international University (Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo). The city also has a Festival Hall, Sport Hall, Exhibition Hall and several cultural centres offering small and big sport, cultural and leisure events.
Climate: oceanic, with mild summers and winters. Precipitations: around 1,200 mm./year at the coast, higher in mountain areas. Mean temperature: 14ºC, varying from 9 to 25ºC. Snow: frequent in high areas between October and March. In some areas of the Picos de Europa, with high mountain climate, over 2,500 m.o.s.l., there are snowfields which do not disappear in summer. July and August are the driest months, though they are not dry, as there is always a minimum amount of precipitation and the temperatures are not very high.

2. B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers
The EVS volunteers will form part of our volunteering project together with the local volunteers. The same as local volunteers, they will participate in the meetings and have the same rights and duties, as corresponds to the Programme YiA In return for their accompaniment to blind people, they will receive many learning opportunities.
Accompaniment to blind people to help them to do different things (go to the bank, to the doctor, to buy things…) and help them to participate in organised activities of ONCE (accompany them from their home to ONCE and return and support in workshops: ceramic, theatre, reading,… accompaniment in tourist trips, trekking, big events and celebrations,…
Learning opportunities:
Professional training course at arrival given by a specialist of rehabilitation of blind people of ONCE, including:
-history, aims, how ONCE works as an institution offering services
-the meaning of being a volunteer
-relationship with blind people and people with seeing deficiencies
- techniques of accompaniment to blind people
-kinds of visual deficiencies
Volunteers may know and participate in workshops for blind people (reading, ceramic, theatre, etc.), know the premises of ONCE Cantabria and participate in all cultural events organised by ONCE. Volunteers do not substitute employments, as they are integrated in the volunteering programme of the organisation. The tasks are non-profit and non-paid. Volunteers (from different countries) will share a flat, work together and prepare several activities together in order to develop solidarity and tolerance between them.
We always intend to receive volunteers from different countries so that the project is more enriching and promotes cultural diversity.

3. Profile of the volunteer(s) and selection process:
Profile of volunteers
Youth aged between 18 and 30, from any ethnic, religious, sexual or political background, who, unselfishly decide to dedicate part of their time to people with visual deficiencies, show solidarity with them and meet the needed physical and mental conditions to carry out accompaniment tasks.
Recruitment will be done by Ser Joven (coordinating organisation). Specific training will be provided, so there is no special requirement. Experience with social excluded people, as leisure leader or work with elderly are an asset.
Notions of Spanish language will be taken into consideration. This may be useful, but not a must, to enable contact with target group and supervisor of work. Anyway, the coordinating organisation will control that volunteers receive basic language training before departure and will receive web sites where they can get in touch with the language. Once in Spain, volunteers will receive Spanish language classes.
Project for men and women as there will be users who may prefer to be helped by the ones or the others. Complementary profiles will be taken into account.
In order to provide an enviroment with cultural diversity, if possible, volunteers from different countries will be hosted.
Volunteers participating in this project shall commit to fulfil and respect the aims and objectives of ONCE (a commitment document will be signed).
They shall also commit to actively participate in the different training and evaluation sessions which form part of the project, established by the NA or by the coordinating organisation.
Open and transparent recruitment
Recruitment is done by members of Ser Joven in a meeting in which they chose candidates and evaluate their profiles, taking into account their interest for the project and motivation.
Different countries of origin is also a decissive factor. We try to widen the number of organisations collaborating with this project, so some volunteers are usually from new countries and organisations who didn't know the project before.
Collaboration with any organisation is possible, though we specially welcome those working for social inclusion and leisure activities.

4. D. Special needs:
ONCE has been hosting European volunteers for 5 years. We have hosted volunteers from countries with a different culture as ours, with economic and geographic difficulties. We believe that the EVS responsible in the organisation has experience and skills to offer volunteers the needed support.

5. Prevention of risks, security and protection:
The organisation will have all contact details of volunteers. Before starting work, volunteers will sign a commitment document to fulfil the rules and respect the aims of the organsation. Volunteers will have a civil responsibility insurance.
The person responsible in the organisation will also explain organisation of work, training, contact with the responsible, profiles of users, their activities and addresses.
Volunteers will receive specific training about different techniques for accompaniment to blind people.
There will be coordination meetings at least once a month with all local and international volunteers. Volunteers are in contact with the responsible of volunteering through a mobile phone from which they can call, free, any time they want. At any time, for example, in crisis situations, they can count with his support.
We intend to host youth aged between 18 and 30, so there are no foreseen measures for
infant protection.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=30000993512