A. Project environment: profile of the organisation and local community

The Council Youth Department develops the youth policies in the local community of Jaca (its actions are focused on information, participation and alternative leisure time activities). It is composed of a Youth Information Council office, forming part of the SAIJ (Aragonese Youth Information System) network, and which in addition to being an information centre, provides a physical space where youths in Jaca can get together.
The Youth Department carries out the following programmes:
Information Area:
The close relationship that exists between participation, information and equal opportunities has inspired the development of various projects aimed at:
- Making the information more accessible.
- Increasing the number of access channels to the information.
- Generating informative habits.
a)"En tu línea": programme is composed of different actions with the following aims:
- Sending information via SMS text messages and e-mail.
- Creating information points in educational centres and rural towns.
- Publishing the news bulletin "En tu línea joven informado X2)" "On Your Line (an informed youth is worth double)".
From this line of intervention the most outstanding results have been the publishing of seven
issues of the news bulletin and the sending of over 30,000 SMS messages.
Healthy alternative leisure time activity programme: "Free Time Network":
This programme aims to prevent risks associated with youth leisure time by self-organising youth leisure time activities from a socio-communitarian perspective. Its initial phase was developed as INJUVE's model project, for further information: (www.mtas.es/iniuve/planiuventud/redes.htm and www.mtas.esliniuve/planiuventud/quiaredes.htm).
During the year 2003, 67 events took place (activities successfully carried out), in which 1695 users participated, 1068 men and 675 women. The average age was just over 21 years of age.
Eurodesk Network: our organisation has formed part of the Eurodesk Network since April 2004 with code number ES027.
Informative Antennae in the Rural Environment (AIMER): Youths inform Youths:
This programme hopes to widen access to the information through the communication between
equals. Youth volunteers carry out informative tasks in Secondary Education Centres and in the rural communities (Jaca has 36 all with less than 200 inhabitants). At the same time they report the initiatives that arise among the groups of youths to the Council Youth Department, which in turn, will contribute to a better understanding and support.
To develop this programme a network is being created with other rural communities in the area within the region of Aragon. This proposal to work as a network has been backed up by the Aragonese Youth Institute.


B. Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

Local Community:
Jaca is situated at an altitude of 818m above sea level and was the first capital of the kingdom of Aragon. Today, because of its privileged geographical situation, it is the most important city in the Aragonese Pyrenees and the capital of its region La Jacetania.
The public service sector is the predominant economic sector given the important tourist industry in the area, followed by construction, an activity which has seen a large increase in recent years due to tourism demands. Likewise the traditional military function should not be forgotten, as the city, which borders with France currently has three barracks: La Ciudadela (The Citadel), La Victoria and The Mountain Division Military School, thus contributing to the city's population and economic resources.
The city of Jaca has a wide network of infrastructures and social services including public health, police control, education, recreation, sports, and culture and hospital facilities and is also well communicated by road and rail with other cities like Huesca, Zaragoza and Pamplona.
Jaca has a registered population of 11,600 inhabitants, but during summer and winter holiday periods and at weekends, this figure can be tripled or even quadrupled. The number of young people within the14 to 29 age group is 2474, which corresponds to a 21.3% of the total population. There are 660 teenagers between 14 and 18 years of age who mainly study secondary and higher education in the city but if they want to continue at university level they have to go to Zaragoza, the capital of the autonomous region, or further a field to other cities because of the lack of alternatives in colleges of further education and professional training programmes. Although some of these students return at weekends, this phenomenon means the young people are, in a way, uprooted from taking part in important local activities.
Jaca has a definite Europeanist vocation: it is the headquarters of the Pyrenees Community of Work, (European Council), and each year instigates the Jaca European Academy in conjunction with the professorship of "Jean Monnet" of Zaragoza University

C. Volunteer profiles and recruitment process

We expect from the candidate:
That he/she would be person open to getting to know a new culture and live in another country, and able to adapt to a different way of life.
A person aware of the responsibilities of being an EVS volunteer, and that his/her tasks will not be replacing paid work and will be purely of collaboration.
A person prepared and eager to share tasks with other EVS volunteers from other countries.
A person who is prepared to live new experiences and share his/her own.
A person with a flexible attitude to life.
In principle we do not establish any additional limitations fro the candidates than the ones from the programme "Youth in Action". Due to the large number of applications we receive we attempt to value motivation, contact with the sending organisation and direct contact with the candidate.
Nevertheless in view of the extension on the maximum age limit, we predict that many of the candidates will have solid training in other areas. These circumstances will require adapting the project to the background of the candidates which will be beneficial form both sides.

D. Special needs (if applicable)
Not Applicable

E. Risk prevention, safety and protection
At work: The tasks developed by the volunteers do not involve any particular risks and in any case they will enjoy the same level of protection as any of the professionals working in our organisation, regarding security conditions in the workplace. Our offices are inspected annually by an external agent, to check security conditions. All the activities carried out in our organisation are covered by an insurance.
Every day life:
We will make sure that the volunteers have the necessary documents to access Health Services (European Health Card, E-111, AXA card). We will also make sure their condition as foreigners is documented, with a certificate that will make any procedure with the public administration easier.
The mentor will be in charge of explaining all the aspects relative to accommodation, shopping, use of appliances in the house, basic recommendation on diet and food security.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=30000887166