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.

CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT

Betlem is a residential Rest-House where old people live and participate to all the activities we organize. It's near the center of Ferrara and it is composed of a building with 3 floors and a basement. In addition to the bedrooms of the guests, there are some common rooms: a laundry, an hairdresser and a canteen. Around the House the is a big garden of 3000 metres, where it is possible to take a rest, to walk and to do all the recreational activities in Spring and in the summer. In the garden we breed some little animals that the hosted people take care of.

The volunteers will live in an apartment outside the Rest-House but in Ferrara. They can use a bicycle to move, since it is quite close. The opportunity to live in a different place will be an advantage for the volunteers because, in that way, they can take distance from the service and become more independent and responsible.

LOCAL COMMUNITY

The Betlem Rest-House is near the center of Ferrara, one of the most important cities in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Ferrara is situated in the north-east of Italy and it counts about 140.000 inhabitants. The economy is supported by the agriculture, that is rich thanks to the good geographical position, by the chemical industrym by tourism and by the ancient university. Each year many students from every part of Italy and also from foreign countries come to Ferrara. All of them give to the city a dynamic and juvenile aspect, a good impression that is improved by the habit of local people to move by bicycle. Ferrara is not a big city, it's still possible to move easily by bicycle and to leave cars at home. Moreover, Ferrara boasts of magnificent cultural and artistic resources: its historic center and the walls all around the city for 9 kilometres, perfectly maintained, are considered Universal Heritage of the Human Being by UNESCO. In addition, during the whole year the Diamanti Palace hosts several expositions of important painters. For these reasons many tourists come to visit the city especially in Spring and in Summer. In May it is possible to see the oldest "palio" of the world, a festival that was born in 1279. It's a special moment for Ferrara, because it changes to celebrate its ancient richness of the Renaissance Age, when Ferrara was a "capital city". Moreover, in August there is another important festival called "Buskers Festival", an event that involves all the city: for a week the streets and the squares are full of artists who exhibit themselves in acting, dancing, singing or playing. Ferrara has also got a rich theatrical and musical tradition: it is the site of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and there are several concerts of famous European orchestra. Ferrara is a green city, there are many parks inside the city and in the region. Along the Po river, the longest river in Italy, it is possible to find great natural parks. The town is well connected with important towns like Bologna, Venice and Florence.

RULES

Our rules are very few and related to mutual respect and co-habitation of different people.

Both in Betlem and in the apartment where the volunteers will live, it is important to have respect and sensibility for other people. The apartment have to be always in order and clean; the volunteers don't have to disturb the neighbours. It is absolutely forbidden to use any kind of drugs, alchool and to smoke in Betlem and in the apartment. In case of visits to the volunteers (parents or friends), they have to inform the responsible in advance asking for permission.

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.

The selection of the volunteers is made through our coordinating organization IBO Italia. The staff of IBO Italia has the job of assessing all the nominations that guys from every part of Europe send to them and of doing the first selection. IBO Italia gives all the informations about the project, the context and the activities; it keeps in touch with the volunteers before their living to Italy by e-mail or telephone. This contact between the Italian organization and the volunteers is very important, because is the first way to know the guys and to understand their real motivation, how strong is their desire to have a deep social experience, their desire to take the challenge and grow up.

We are open to welcome volunteers coming from every countries and backgrounds. It is not necessary to have particular qualifications or experiences, but it is important to demonstrate a good ability in communication, enthusiasm, openness and a lot of energy: this characteristic will help the volunteers in the relationship with the old people in the House. We will be happy to answer any kind of questions that volunteers want to ask us, we will make selections with honesty and transparency.

Special needs (if applicable):

If your placements are open to hosting volunteers with fewer opportunities, please provide information about the competence, experience and infrastructure and (human or other) resources available in your organisation to accommodate and support them.

Unfortunately the structure of Betlem doesn't permit to host volunteers with physical disabilities. Anyway we would like to give the possibility to take part to our project to other youth with less opportunities. We want Betlem to be open also for guys or girls who come from difficult realities, from areas economically and socially disadvantaged, who have little health problems or who have to face cultural or geographical difficulties. Often in this areas the education, the possibility to receive a professional training or to make a voluntary experience are extremely rare. Our staff is ready to host every one who really wants to share with us a deep human experience in social field. We can offer the opportunity to put oneself on the test and to reinforce his/her autonomy, his/her self-confidence and to improve his/her skills through the daily work on his/her uneasiness. Our staff is qualified and efficient both on the professional and on the human point of wiew. If it is necessary, we can offer the help of our doctors or nurses to support the volunteers. All of them will have a mentor who will follow them in the experience, she will organize specific meetings with the volunteers in order to listen them and solve any kind of problems. Apart from the ordinary staff, a psychologist collaborates with us; she participates to our meeting in which we discuss about our guests and the activities of Betlem. The psychologist can help volunteers through personal or group meetings, she will help them in the inclusion in the community, in the dialogue and in the overtaking of difficulties.

Risk prevention, protection and safety:

Please describe:

" how you will guarantee a safe living and working environment for the EVS volunteers,

" how you will prevent risks and crises,

" how - in the case of EVS volunteers aged 16 or 17 - you ensure appropriate supervision, protection and safety.

Betlem doesn't present particular risks for the volunteers. The contact with old people might cause, sometimes, boring moments or lack of motivation; it is important that the volunteers will find, in the project and in the staff, a new entusiasm with the guests and during the simple activities they do. A positive attitude to the project will help a lot the volunteers in collaborating with us and with the old people who live in the House.

We believe in the open communication between people, in the transparency of the relationships: this attitude is really good to prevent or solve crisis. We want to underline that the volunteers can always rely upon our staff, they will support them on the human and professional point of you. Moreover, the volunteers will be constantly followed by a mentor, who will help them in any phase of the service.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=42000526101