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 hosting organisation is deeply rooted in the territory of Vallesabbia, a mountain valley located in the province of Brescia, not far from Garda Lake.
In Valle Sabbia there's also another lake (smaller than Garda Lake) which during summer time attracts lots of tourists: the Idro Lake. The mountains all around are ideal for trips and excursions on foot or by mountain-bike.
At one hour and a half north of Idro Lake there are lots of tourist mountain resorts among which the most famous is Madonna di Campiglio.
The villages of the Valle Sabbia are all medium or small-sized and are not very well connected with one another by public means of transport (there's only a bus every hour more or less).
The inhabitants show a strong feeling towards their villages through the organisation of feasts, festivals, and so on.
The area is mostly industrial: there's almost no unemployment, although early school-leaving is a big problem in our valley as youngsters prefer to go to work rather than continue their studies.
The high rate of employment attracts lots of immigrant people coming from African Sub-Saharan countries.
The village in which the hosting organisation is located (Barghe) is a small village at more or less 20 minutes away from Garda Lake (20 km away from Salò), 1 hour from Verona and from Brescia (which can be reached by bus), one hour and a half from Milan e two hours from Venice.
Unfortunately, in the last years, the local youth of Barghe have not showed openness towards the European volunteers hosted by our organisation. That's why spread of tolerance is one of our main aims and a challenge that we want to win.
In Barghe there are a library, a Catholic youth centre, a sport centre, a public gym and several pubs.
The local sports area organizes lots of sport initiatives during summer but during winter time we don't have lot of opportunities of entertainment for young people.

The volunteers' flat is located in a house close to the organisation (50 meters).
House keepers live in the neighbouring flat; for this reason it's necessary to respect the following rules:

RULES AND CONDITIONS
FLAT

" It's necessary to follow the basic living rules of politeness and civility: it's requested to keep the volume of music low and to avoid playing instruments;
" As the flat is of public property, it's necessary to be careful when using water, light and heating equipments; please don't damage them;
" It's possible to host 1 or 2 people for sleeping, but it's compulsory to inform the responsible and the tutor in order to receive their authorization;
" There aren't phones in the flat, and it's not possible to use the ones in the Cooperative;
" It's possible to use Internet during the service, asking for the connection in the centre; otherwise it's possible to go to the Internet points in the nearby villages.

CDD
" It's forbidden to enter the centre when closed.

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.

1.LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Learning how to relate properly with disabled people
The relationship with a disabled gives the opportunity to confront with a person different from us. Sometimes he/she doesn't speak but communicates only through facial expressions and gestures.
Often he/she is not able to read, sometimes he/she doesn't know numbers and colours and very often he/she is very slow in daily actions.
Every time that we are in front of a disabled, we must understand which is the best way to reach him, to relate with him/her, to communicate with him/her, how to react and what to expect from him/her.
Learning how to communicate and to relate with a disabled enhances all our communicative and relational skills in general with all the people we meet (our boss, our partner, our colleagues, our friends, etc.). These skills are of fundamental importance in any life and working context.

Learning to work in team
The Day Centre is a complex service in which 16 operators work together with 8 volunteers, each one with specific roles. All of them work for a common objective with all the 25 guests. Direct and clear communication and a comfortable atmosphere are very important.
Sometimes, young volunteers who start the project at the end of the school, have a sort of embarrassment due to the complexity of our reality, but at the end of the experience, they learn how to work and interact with the other members of the staff/work-group. This is a good opportunity to understand how to work in team.

Learning how a service is structured and acquiring the methodologies of work with mental disabilities
Working in this area gives the opportunity to learn the service and the methodology we follow in our work with disabled people. These skills can be useful for the volunteers in activities of project-planning or for volunteering in their place of origin.
The Day Centre is a complex organization which provides more than 120 different activities every week to its guests. In order to ensure effectiveness to the presence of volunteers in terms of interculturality and opportunities of exchange we would like to benefit of the presence of 4 volunteers at the same time. Each of them works no more than 32 hours per week.

In the centre we organise different workshops and activities. The role of the volunteer is to work together with the educators, who are responsible for the activities.
We are describing 4 different project profiles, as follows. Each one covers 40% of the whole volunteering time. 60% of it consists of specific activities of the Day Centre common to all the volunteers: assistance on the minibus and support to a particular patient.

2. ACTIVITIES


2 activities are open to all the volunteers, the others are based on 4 different profiles.

ALL THE VOLUNTEERS

ASSISTANCE ON THE MINIBUS
There are 4 minibuses which are used to transport guests from their private home to the centre every morning and from the centre to their private home in the afternoon. The volunteer works together with the minibus driver and s/he has to entertain the guests during the way.
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this activity: more or less 15 hours per week, 45% of the whole volunteering time.



FOLLOWING ONE OF THE GUESTS IN HIS/HER DAILY INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIVE PROJECT
Two of the guests need to be individually followed when they take part to specific activities organised by the educators.
Throughout the years, we have understood that this activity constitutes a very important step in the learning process of the volunteers. A direct and privileged contact with a guest gives the volunteer the opportunity to have a much more solid relationship.
Volunteers who participated to this activity found innovative and creative solutions thanks to their emotional involvement, solutions which have been later used by all the operators.
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: more or less 8 hours per week, 25% of the whole volunteering time.

VOLUNTEER 1

COOKERY GROUP

The cookery workshop takes place once a week; the people belonging to this group have to choose a recipe (an hors d'oeuvre, a sauce for pasta or a cake) and cook it. At the end it's eaten all together (disabled and operators).
Up to now we have been cooking seasonal and traditional recipes but with the arrival of European volunteers their role will be to propose meals typical of their countries and which can be prepared with the disabled and then enjoyed all together.
The aims of this project for the disabled are:
1. achieve autonomy and self-esteem,
2. alimentary education, increasing the variety of dishes that they taste and that they appreciate,
3. experimenting the differences in alimentary habits (situational learning).
Offering concrete situations is the best way to let the disabled learn new concepts and improve their cognitive skills.
Tasting a new recipe typical of another country and experimenting different habits in the field of alimentary education is a good way for the disabled to learn that in the world exist different life-styles.
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: one morning a week (more or less 3 hours): 10% of the whole volunteering time.

BRICOLAGE

The CDD is equipped with a lab for bricolage activities: building simple wooden objects, clay moulding, decoupage, glass painting, etc.
These objects are made by the disabled under the supervision of an educator and offered outside during markets, feasts, parties, etc.
The task of the volunteers in this context will be of help in the realisation of objects, utensils, decorations and to propose things typical of the tradition of their countries.
Through a concrete experience of manual work the disabled will learn new things related to cultural differences peculiar of other countries.
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: one morning and one afternoon per week (more or less 6 hours): 20% of the whole volunteering time.

VOLUNTEER 2

SPORT ACTIVITIES: FOOTBALL TRAINING AIMED AT THE PARTICIPATION TO TOURNAMENTS AND FRIENDLY MATCHES

Some years ago we have started up a project for the realisation of a football team with weekly training sessions during the whole year and the participation to a regional football tournament for disabled and to some friendly matches (every year we organise a football match with the local politicians).
The purposes of this project are: to improve socialisation, motion abilities, but also self-esteem, to teach the respect for rules, the perception of oneself as a capable individual, to increase motivation. The operators involved in the project are: a professional in motor activity who acts as the trainer of the team and an educator whose work is focused on the relational, motivational and psychological aspects.
The volunteer has a role of entertainment. As a young man/woman is not perceived by the disabled as an operator hence there are more possibilities that a relation of complicity and a spirit of friendship can grow between them.
The team gathers one afternoon per week for a two-hour training which takes place at the municipal football pitch during summer time and at the municipal gym during winter. During spring and summer the training sessions become more frequent.
Furthermore during the year it sometimes happens that a group gathers to realise banners, pon pon, to invent songs, etc. in order to give support to the team during the matches.
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: one afternoon per week (more or less 3 hours): 10% of the whole volunteering time.

MOTOR ACTIVITIES

Besides the football team we organise also other typologies of projects for the development of the motion abilities of our guests: swimming start-up courses, sessions of "sense-stimulation" in swimming-pool for more fragile disabled, and courses of gymnastics. Volunteers support the educator showing the guests how to do the exercises.
Sport is a very effective and incisive tool to knock down barriers and mitigate differences. The volunteer and the disabled can be simply two young persons that go together for 2 hours in the same swimming-pool. This experience allows the volunteer to develop an inclusive attitude which combats social exclusion.
The operator of course will be present side by side with the volunteer.
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: 6 hours per week 20% of the whole volunteering time.

VOLUNTEER 3
HORTICULTURE - GARDENING

This activity consists of gardening activities in the greenhouse and in the green area around the structure. The volunteer's role is to support guests with his/her contribute about the knowledge of plants coming from his/her place of origin. Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: 10 hours per week, 30% of the whole volunteering time.


VOLUNTEER 4
ACTIVITIES PROPOSED BY LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS WHICH INVOLVE ALSO THE PRESENCE OF THE CDD (FEASTS, MARKETS, WALKS, CARNIVAL, ETC.)

During the year the CDD takes part to some events organised by local associations. In case an association organises a feast the CDD is present with a stand where we display the artistic objects produced at our centre by the disabled during the workshops or where we show films taken by the disabled.
We do the same when a "solidarity market" is organised.
Whenever it's possible the disabled take part to these events too; they are involved in the phase of the choice of the products to be exposed and in the phase of organisation and preparation during the days before the event.
When the European volunteers will be here a corner of the stand will be dedicated to the objects realised during the "intercultural workshops", as well as samples of cakes typical of foreign countries will be offered to the public.
Also in this case the volunteer will be supported by the educator following the disabled in the accomplishment of the activities.
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: 3 hours, 10% of the whole volunteering time.


FOLLOWING ONE OF THE GUESTS IN A SPECIFIC ACTION FINALIZED TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A PARTICULAR EDUCATIONAL INDIVIDUAL OBJECTIVE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE EDUCATOR

The volunteer will relate with people in a situation of handicap working to increase their level of autonomy in the realisation of a specific action.
As soon as this specific activity can be carried on by the young disabled autonomously it means that he has got an improvement in his quality of life.
Examples of these small projects can be: helping the disabled to learn how to lace one's shoes, how to tell the time, how to use public means of transport, etc.
The presence of an international volunteer working alongside the educator adds value to these projects as through his experience, which is different from the one of the educator, he can propose new ideas and new projects where the disabled can try themselves out and experiment their social skills.
An example can be the comparison between the functioning of public means of transport in the different volunteers' countries of origin and the functioning of the public means of transport in Italy. This can be a good idea in a project which is aimed at learning how to use public means of transport (how to get informed on the timetable, where and how to buy the ticket, how to behave during the voyage, etc.).
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: half day per week (3 hours): 10% of the whole volunteering time.


COOPERATION IN THE ORGANISATION OF SPECIAL EVENTS
Special events can be: displays, film shows, seminars, conferences, etc.
These events are organised by the CDD with the purpose to spread the knowledge on the themes related to handicap and diversities. In order to be effective these events have to be known by as many as possible local realities and this can be reached only through a meticulous work of advertising and of gathering of the needs of the local community.
The volunteer will work alongside the coordinator of the service during the planning phase contributing with his/her experience and with new ideas typical of his/her country bringing an intercultural dimension to the events.
Time dedicated by the volunteer to this project: one afternoon per week (more or less 3 hours): 10% of the whole volunteering time during the planning phase.


3. HOW THE PROJECT CAN BE MODELLED AROUND THE VOLUNTEER

Following volunteer's preferences, after the first 2 weeks, he/she will choose among profiles 1, 2, 3, 4. Eventually, the possibility to make changes or improvements to the project, is given to the volunteer. Volunteers are not requested to do personal care nor administration work. The volunteers will work no more than 32 hours per week in accordance with the needs of the service and the volunteer's availability; timetable will be agreed directly with the volunteers.
The centres are open from Monday to Friday. Saturdays and Sundays are rest-days.
It may happen that the volunteers will be required to work also during week-ends or holidays on occasion of special events (normally, 4 times in a year).

A typical day at the CDD is organised as follows:
7.30-9.00: service of transport of the disabled from home to the CDD
9.00-10.00: welcoming of the guests
10.00-12.00: support to the educators for the activities described above
12.00-13.00: lunch with the educators and with the guests
13.00-14.00: break
14.30-16.00: support to the educators in the organisation of the activities
16.00-17.30: service of transport of the disabled from the CDD to their homes.


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.
We are looking for a person with the following attitudes:
" Interest in working and motivation to have a relationship with people who have handicap and problems of disabilities
" Availability to put himself/herself in the game in the relationship with the disabled
" Interest in social integration and equal rights
" We would prefer a balance in terms of gender, that is to say it would be preferable to have 2 boys and 2 girls.

D. 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.
For all the volunteers with fewer opportunities, we can activate additional tutoring activities and reinforced mentorship (thanks to the presence of staff specialised in educational and psychological areas).
Furthermore on our territory we cooperate with organisations specialised in youth work which can be of support for volunteers with specific needs.
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.
We are certified ISO 9001 and we are obliged to follow all the procedures foreseen by the Law in terms of safety and risk prevention.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=42000408401