Trbovlje Youth centre is a regional youth centre offering support to young people and organisations. We are accredited as sending, host and coordinating organisation for EVS action in Youth in Action programme (2007-SI-22). We have been hosting eight volunteers and have sent ten volunteers to do their EVS in Europe. We are cooperating with two local accredited sending organisations (Elementary School in Litija / 2008-SI-61 and Kindergarten in Trbovlje / 2008-SI-62) and we have an open place for EVS volunteer to work in Elementary school Gradec in Litija. The deadline is 1. November 2009 for the project, that starts in February 2010 for at least 6 months. The topic of the project is working with children in Elementary school (helping at classes, organising after school activities, creating your personal projects etc) as well as working in our youth centre to continue with promotional activities for the EVS projects.

OLUNTEER PROFILES

We want our EVS volunteer to be a kind of a person that is interested in projects we offer, to find challenge in them and to be ready to develop personal activities. It is not necessary for volunteer to already have knowledge in media, but it is advantage. People of MCT are looking for person who can speak Basic English, has motivation to work with youth, and is ready to share their own culture and skills with others. Gender is not an issue for us, but we do wish volunteers to be older than 19, because that fits to the profile of other volunteers and target group.
MCT has a coordinator for EVS projects answering to all questions. Narrow selection is presented to the whole team of workers. They decide according to unanimous questionnaire all candidates received beforehand. We wish to cooperate with organizations that are working on the same fields of work and will be able to have fast communication as well as possibility to develop some other projects in the future.


RISK PREVENTION

A common practice in MCT recommends organizing the preparatory meeting for the whole team (workers, part time workers, other volunteers, families if necessary, mentors, etc.) to present the project and person behind the project in detail, to talk about specialities of EVS project and volunteers, cultural differences between our and their culture. We get ready to be extra available to volunteers for the first few days, thinking about arrival, welcome party and accommodation. We also distribute our tasks for next few weeks to support volunteers until they create their personal and social network of friends. Prior to volunteer's arrival we distribute friendly note to neighbours letting them know, that another person is arriving in their centre.
Volunteers are given a handbook with all important phone numbers and addresses to keep them (Police, Emergency, MCT staff, Embassy, National agency, etc.). Mentor is taking volunteers to Hospital to introduce volunteers to ER staff and to the nearest neighbour.
During the project MCT staff especially carefully observes possible mood swings in volunteer to prevent any larger problems. MCT prepared plan in case of crisis connected to EVS.


PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

Volunteers are located in an apartment block. The apartment has a bathroom, kitchen with dining room and additional room. All rooms have window, kitchen even has a balcony. Apartment is equipped with all necessary facilities even washing machine, TV and offers internet access. Nobody enters this apartment without volunteer's permission. In case we host different gendered volunteers, one of them will be placed with hosting family with its own room that can be locked and unlimited access to kitchen and bathroom.

Volunteers will have their own personal account opened in nearest store, restaurants or in school cantina. We will reimburse food expenses if they eat in other town or place.

We will assign one mentor and one leader to each volunteer. Mentor doesn't work in MCT but is connected to it. Mentor is taking care of social integration and general satisfaction of volunteers, while leader is in charge of integration into work and for activities attached to the program. At the beginning mentor and volunteers will meet regularly once per week. Later they can meet when necessary and in informal places enabling friendly atmosphere. Main evaluations will be made with mentor at the beginning (expectations, fears and opportunities), in the middle and at the end of project. Mentor makes notes at every meeting so he/she can follow the process.

Throughout the project volunteers are meeting their leader weekly to evaluate and plan activities for the week. They make notes and check if things are done or not and where are problems. This is how we follow the process of learning and participating.

Mentor and leader consult if necessary. Mentor is chosen according to hers/his involvement into MCT, but we train him/her for this job before volunteers arrive. In case mentor is not present, mentorship is taken by one of workers in MCT that is not fully working with volunteers.

Working along with volunteers in all areas is done by workers of MCT. Giving pocket money is accountant's job. Other administrative tasks are done by administrator, director is responsible person for the whole project, leader of the project is taking care of project documentation and contract followings and also communicates with the sending organization and national agency and taking care of work activities done by volunteers. Personal support and easier integration and none the less for solving all possible problems is mentors job.

Before EVS volunteers arrive MCT calls up a meeting of whole MCT staff, part time workers, other volunteers and all people that are going to be in contact with EVS volunteers. The reason behind is to prepare everyone to arrival (arrange accomodation, party, etc.) and to distribute tasks for voluneer`s care for first couple of weeks until they create their own social network of friends. Neighbours are also informed about arrival of volunteers.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=66000083501