A. Project environment: profile of the organisation and local community
" Outline the project environment for the suggested voluntary activities, including the local community where the project will take place (e.g. geographical, social and economical environment).
" If the host placement is located in a live-in community, please include the rules and conditions that apply also for the volunteer.
The community has been active for 20 years and it is managed by "Ai Rucc e dintorni" Cooperative.
In our community the main working activities consist of farming and cattle-breeding, and are aimed to the rehabilitation and reintegration of people in need.
Our Community also deals with horse breeding, especially during summer riding school.
Evenings and holidays are based on community life, through leisure time and participation in several experiences.
During the Summer, some activities are held in mountains, over "Malghe", 1.500 metres a.s.l. (for horse-breeding) and 2000 metres a.s.l. (for cattle-breeding).
The structure of our Community consists of a big building made 22 years ago with the significant contribution of charity work. At the ground floor there are the kitchen, the dining room, the meeting and TV rooms; at the first floor there are rooms and bathrooms and a private bath for the volunteer.
The "Ai Rucc" community is located in a structure in a panoramic position in Vobarno, 7.579 inhabitants, at the beginning of the Valle Sabbia, near the Garda lake, province of Brescia (30 kilometres from Brescia, 9 from Salò and 242 metres of altitude).
The hosts come from this area and from all the region.
The economical situation is good. There isn't unemployment. There are several factories, and the craft settlements have a solid flow, in the last years, characterized by the family groups and the foreign singles arrivals.
The cultural and sport activities are numerous.

The most evident problems are: drugs abuse, micro-criminality, immigration and segregation, difficulty to go out from the personal belonging group in order to start wider relationships.

B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers
" Describe what you can offer to volunteers in terms of service and learning opportunities.
" Please, explain what will be the role of EVS volunteers in the host organisation.
" Describe the activities in which the volunteers could be involved and the activities the volunteers could create in your organisation. Give examples of typical activities for the volunteers.

Being constantly in contact with the educator who coordinates the activities, the volunteers experience and internalize the philosophy of the community, where they have the opportunity to offer their own contribution.
They will take part in all the activities of the community, while in the moments of check they will be able to express their ideas. They will also participate in the solving of problems which may take place during the project.
Our Community was glad to host previous volunteers and, on their own, the volunteers showed satisfaction for the project.
Volunteer's role won't be of job substitution, but of support for educator's action; volunteers will promote the open-mindness and the welcome.
Specific activities of knowledge and exchange could be realized according to the provenance of the volunteers.
We think that the European Voluntary Service in our community is a possibility for the volunteers to carry out an excellent formative experience. This is proved by the following aspects:
- being in contact with suffering people, the volunteers will have the opportunity to achieve human, emotional and spiritual maturity;
- they will take part in the community life with the aim to draw ideas on, useful for their own personal growth;
- they will improve their cultural and pedagogical level.

The volunteers will be required to be carefully so that the guests of the community do not fell lonely. In addition to this, they will represent a presence of entertainment, in order to prevent situations of affliction. They will help educators in organizing and increasing the value of trips, free time, sport, religion time and any other specific moment of the day.
They will help to discover and experience the love for home: rooms and equipments for job and free time contribute to increase the quality of life, creating an interior harmony which is necessary to go together.
The volunteers will note down each aspect which may concern the growth of the young guests: the weekly meetings with the operators will be based on such elements.
The volunteers will be required not to accept any kind of compromise or silence in relation to the actions of the guests. They will not be party to hypocrisy: their coherence will stimulate other people to welcome every aspect of the community proposals with simplicity and criticality.

Example of a typical day in the commuity
- 7:00: waking up and tidying up the room;
- 7.30: breakfast: it is followed by a moment of prayer and reflection on the setting down of the day with the distribution of duties. European volunteers won't be required to take part in the moments of prayer if they do not think it is convenient. Then, group works are carried out.
Community works for recovery and integration of young people in a situation of unease through the farm work, which varies according to the seasons. During the year cattle is reared; maintenance of the stable and the production of cheese are supplied.
In autumn the main activities are the tidying the wood, the picking of the chestnuts and olives, while in summer the most important ones are activities concerning the hay and the riding school.
- 12.00: lunch and free time
- 14.00: resumption of works and duties
- 18:00: end of the activities
- 19.30: dinner and organized activities

In our community indoor or outdoor activities are organized two or three times a week,: theatre, training meetings, movies, sport activities (swimming pool, bocce and gym). Volunteers will be involved in the organization and in management of those activities related to the free time in the evening and the high days (trips).
According to the capacities of the volunteers it will be also possible to organize workshops and specific activities (guitar, sport activities, etc.). Young volunteers will be invited to spread their culture in the community in order to encourage the exchange through the organization of themed evenings.

- 23.00: rest. It is a rule of our Community that everybody (including the volunteers) go to their rooms. A day a week the volunteers will be free to return whenever they want. The volunteers will be busy for about 6/7 hours a day (for a maximum of 35 hours a week) and thy will have 2 days off a week.
The volunteer will agree the days off and other necessities together with the person in charge of the community.
The 30 per cent of the day will be dedicated to the planning and the check of the activities and proposals, in accordance with the person in charge of the community/the mentor; another 40 per cent will be used for the activities concerning the team works, to the development of ideas and specific projects that the volunteer could suggest in collaboration with the young people of the community.
The remaining 30 per cent will be dedicated to the planning, organization and performance of free time activities (trips, sport activities, meetings).
The volunteers won't be required to carry out administrative activities.

A typical day of a volunteer is organised as follows:
1) 8/8.15: moment of common reflection;
8.15/8.30: support in the assignment of the activities of the day;
8.30/12: participation in the ergotherapies:
- minister to the cattle, milking;
- activities in the cheese factory and in the greenhouse;
12.00/14.00: break for lunch
14.00/17.00: support to the coordinator educator in elaborating the daily projects and in visiting the other young people with problems outside the community.

2) 14.00/18.00: participation in the activities of ergotheraphy (as above) as horse ride;
18.00/19.30: personal care and dinner
19.30/20.30: participation in meetings where an analysis of the day is carried out by the educator and the young guests;
20.30/22.30: discussion about a movie, football tournament, cultural meetings in the public library or participation to Italian language course, etc.
If the volunteers agree, they can take part in the activities of the Sunday; they can rest another day of the week.

C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment process
Please describe the profiles of volunteers you would like to receive in your organisation. Include information on how you ensure an open and transparent recruitment process as well as the overall accessibility of EVS to all young people. Consider further information about the type of sending organisation you want to cooperate with. This information can help the match-making between volunteer candidates, sending organisations and your organisation.
Volunteers are required to believe in values such as respect for the others and willingness towards the encounter and the dialogue.
It is essential that the volunteer acquire the awareness that he is working in a organization based upon Christian values. The volunteer is invited to hail the ideas who underpin the experience of the community which was described above: Catholic, Christian or other religions professing young people are hosted, as long as they show respect towards the ideas on which the community is founded. The community hosts only male guests, so only male volunteers are admitted in order to have an increase in value of their presence without creating elements of disturb.
During the evaluation of applications, we'll take into consideration the profiles which better cling to the above mentioned requirements.
Transparency is guaranteed and no discriminations for sex, origin, walk of life, or linguistic knowledge will be pursued.

D. Special needs (if applicable)
Our organization can not host volunteers with fewer opportunities.

E. Risk prevention, safety and protection
Please describe how you will guarantee a safe living and working environment for the EVS volunteers, how you will prevent risks and crises and how - in the case of EVS volunteers aged 16 or 17 - you ensure appropriate supervision, child safety and protection

The young guests are always supported by an operator or an educator, and they take part in periodical meetings with the specialists, in order to elaborate what provided in the DPR 626, concerning injuries and hygiene in the work place.
In crisis situation we avail ourselves of the support of the coordinating organization (Tempo Libero Soc. Coop. Sociale Onlus in Brescia) that acts promptly through mediation and support for the volunteers and the mentors.
During the on-arrival training, Tempo Libero offers to volunteers a formative session to the methodologies of management of crisis, giving useful indications and instruments to face serious problems.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=42000422935