Project development: in Tortosa (46,000 inhabitants), region of "Baix Ebre", in "Terres de l'Ebre", province of Tarragona (South of Catalonia). Region: 183,000 inhabitants (highest of Terres de l'Ebre), though it is considered a rural area. It has an important historical and natural heritage (Natural Park of the Delta del Ebro and Pppuertos de Beceite).
Tortosa: administrative and commercial centre of Terres de l'Ebre. Main economy sectors (in order of importance): services, agriculture and industry. Due to the importance of its agriculture (citrus, mainly) it hosts many immigrants (25% from the city) Demography: 110 nationalities, 112 religions; 27% of young people.

The Youth Information Centre is located in the city area of Ferrerias, at the periphery of the old town of Tortosa, where most of the secondary education schools of Tortosa are. It has become a meeting and hosting place for the local community and plays an important role in the multicultural integration of local youth, as it offers free Internet. During 6 months/year many youth participate in the intercultural entertainment project organised by the youth department (for youth aged between 14 and 25 years).
Opening hours of the Youth Information Centre:
Summer (15th June-10th September): Mo-Fr: 9 to 15 h.
Rest of the year: Mo-Fr: from 9 to 14 and 16:30 to 18:30 h.
There are also punctual activities taking place out of these times, Friday evenings or on weekends.

The library is located in the city area of Rastre, in the old town of Tortosa, with the highest concentration of immigrants. It has become a meeting and hosting place for the local community and plays an important role in the multicultural integration work of public libraries. During 6 months/year many children and youth are involved in the Itinerary Project of Interculturality organised by the City Council for children aged between 4 and 12 years. During the rest of the year, the library hosts daily many children after school or during their holidays to read or play. Several adaptations have been done in the library to isolate noise as much as possible and the problems for other users, but what is needed are quiet daily activities for children.
Opening hours:
Summer (July-September): Mo, from 13 to 21 h.; Tu-Fr: from 9 to 15h.
Winter (October-June): Tu, Th, Sat: 10:30-13:30; Mo-Fr: 16:30-20:30 h.
Study room: Mo-Fr: 20:30-01:00h; Sat-Sun:16:30-20:30; Sun: 10:30-13:30
Biblioplaza (Library Square) (July and August): Mo-Fr: 18:00-20:30

Acommodation of volunteers: in Tortosa or Roquetes, in a flat shared with local youth or other EVS volunteers. Food: volunteers will buy and cook their food. If needed, cleaning rules will be established in the flat.
Distances in the city are short, so they may go on foot or by bicycle. In any case, if volunteers need to use public transport, the costs will be covered.
Pocket and food money will be paid in a bank account (opened by volunteers at arrival). The coordinating organisation is in charge of the payment of the flat rental and household expenses.
In Tortosa, the most used language is Catalonian. It is difficult to find Spanish language classes of intermediate-high level, so we will suggest volunteers to take basic Spanish classes and Catalonian (different levels) and we will provide them contact with young people interested in doing language exchanges.
Proposed activities for EVS volunteers

" What we can offer to volunteers in terms of service and learning opportunities.
L'IMACT offers training in the following issues: doccumentation, search of documents, digital resources, design and elaboration of interactive, educational material, local and international cultures and the contact with youth...
With the contact with the staff and users of L'IMACT volunteers can learn about the reality of immigrants, their cultures, the reality of people with disabilities, immigration laws in Spain and the Spanish society.
They may participate in the awareness activities, workshops and talks carried out, where they may learn about education and may develop their personal and social skills.
Classes: intensive course the 1st month and then between 1-3 hours/week, according to needs: Catalonian: from the 3rd month (if they want to); Spanish classes will be given by the organisation Atzavara-Arrels, the Official Language School, or the Occupational Centre; Catalonian will be given by the"Centre de Normalització Lingüistica.

Competences volunteers may develop during their EVS at l'IMACT: -Communication in mother and foreign tongues, mathematical competence and basic science and technology competences, digital competences, learning to learn, social and civic competences, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, cultural awareness expression.

" Role of EVS volunteers in the host organisation:
Volunteers will attend youth through their support in actions, projects and programmes for youth about co-existence values, tolerance and solidarity.
Volunteers will support and help with the activities and projects carried out at the PIJ and the library, but they may also develop their sense of initiative and entrepreneurship in another project, for example in a series of activities aiming the promotion of the integration of young immigrants.
They will support and help the team of volunteers, students and staff in charge of the daily running of the projects and the different workshops and projects of both entities who will guide them and counsel them with their tasks.
The supervisor will be the person of reference of volunteers.
" Activities in which the volunteers may participate and activities they can create in the organisation: Examples of typical activities for the volunteers

1. At the Youth Information Centre (PIJ)
Volunteers will help with the following regular activities, but it will not occupy the whole time, as they may carry out a personal project:
A. Organisation and classification (5-10%): Support with organisation of shelves, classification of documents and organisation of material
B. Attention, information and training (20-30%): support with the direct, phone and e-mail attention to users of the PIJ and training of users (visits, explanations, training about documenation,...)
C. Tele-centre (35-45%): Register users and help and support them using the new technologies.
D. Diffusion campaign about the PIJ in secondary education centres and university (5-10%):
" D1 Support preparing the talk
" D2 Support with the calendar of talks
" D3 Support visiting centres to do talks
E. Administrative tasks (5-10%): Support writing letters, sending correspondence, giving out posters, control and monitoring of registrations for courses and activities, organisation of calendar of training courses,...
F. Organisation of events (5-10%): Help with organisation activities carried out by the Youth Area (conferences, talks, workshops, exhibitions, contests, festivals, trips, Christmas Park, Fairs,...)
G. Electronic bulletin TORTOSA JOVE (5-10%): Support writing, with the layout and sending of the bulletin.

2. Library Marcelli Domingo
Volunteers will help with the following regular activities, but it will not occupy the whole time, as they will mostly be in the space for small readers and may carry out a personal project:
A. Space for small readers (50-60%):
" A1. Support with the activities and entertainment of children in the children room (educate to read or other important issues for children, like healthy habits, hygiene), guide to motivate to read, intercultural music workshops,...
" A2. Support tidying up the place after the activity
" A3. Suggest, prepare and organise leisure activities for the following days.
B. Management of the document funds of the library (10-20%):
" B1. Support with organisation of shelves and material of library
" B2. Lending material (registration of books), renewal and reservations (phone, e-mail or web)
" B3. Home lending (take documents to people with mobility or sight problems).
" B4. Digitalisation of local magazine and newspapers library of the Terres de l'Ebre
C. Attention, information and training to users (10-20%):
" C1 Support attending users
" C2 Support with the calendar of trainers
" C3 Support with guided visits and explanations about documentation, lending conditions,...
D. Cultural and reading promotion activities (5-10%): Help to organise conferences, talks, workshops, reading club, exhibitions, stories and puppets, contests, presentation of books, book square, night study room, literature fairs,...
E. Help writing and editing monthly editions and quarterly magazine "Fato" (5-10%)

Profile of the volunteer(s) and selection process:
Active, dynamic person, with communication skills, empathy and positive, open to know people from other cultures, to attend diversity and motivated to learn. With initiative.
Motivation, interest and knowledge about leisure, education, culture and social work with children and youth.
Basic level of Spanish is an asset, so volunteers can integrate quickly and understand what to do.

Prevention of risks, security and protection:
During the whole project (from the EI, through evaluation, monitoring,...) there will be continuous communication and contact between all project partners.
Volunteers will receive language training in Spanish and/or Catalonian throughout the project according to their needs and possibilities:
There will be training at arrival (Government of Catalonia), intermediate evaluation, with the mentor, to evaluate the evolution of the project.
4 volunteers from Obre't'Ebre have done training courses for EVS mentors which include a chapter about solving conflicts.
Meetings with mentor will be regular in order to analyse and evaluate the quality of life of volunteers, their activities and the work done. The mentor will support volunteers with the development of the project and with eventual problems.
Volunteers will receive the needed information and training to carry out their activities. During the first 2 weeks, they will receive information and training about the host organisation and the reality of the area. They will receive information about the health system, get them a family doctor and all useful phone numbers (urgencies, police, fire brigade, information,...).
Volunteers will be hosted in a flat, with other people, adults, so they will know other people of their age, have their own room and share the rest of the flat. They will receive money for food monthly, as well as pocket money.
Volunteers will never be obliged to do any activity they don't want to do. They will never be set in risky situations during their activities.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/evs/aod/hei_form_en.cfm?EID=30001196213