Voluntary Service International (VSI) EVS presentation Largas - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

voluntary service international vsi evs
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Voluntary Service International (VSI) EVS presentation Largas - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Voluntary Service International (VSI) EVS presentation Largas Inspiration Day About VSI and SCI Examples of VSI EVS projects How we do it - Preparation - Exceptional Costs APV - Support Impact on young person, on VSI


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Voluntary Service International (VSI) – EVS presentation Léargas Inspiration Day

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  • About VSI and SCI
  • Examples of VSI EVS projects
  • How we do it
  • Preparation
  • Exceptional Costs – APV
  • Support
  • Impact – on young person, on VSI
  • Current VSI EVS projects
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  • Worldwide peace movement (1920)
  • (1965) Irish branch of Service Civil International (SCI)
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Vision and Mission

 Peace  Social justice  Sustainable development  Mutual respect  Intercultural understanding

  • through volunteering
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About SCI today

  • 80 branches and partner organisations in Africa, Asia,

Australia, Europe, Middle East and North and Latin America

  • 10,000 active members and volunteers
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About VSI (Voluntary Service International- Ireland)

  • Membership organisation with approximately

400 members

  • Registered charity
  • Signatory to the “Code of Good Practice for

Volunteer Sending Organisations”

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Member of: ⁻ Dóchas (Irish Association of non Governmental Organisations for Overseas Development) ⁻ National Youth Council of Ireland

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VSI values – match E+ values e.g.:

  • E+: Inclusion and equality
  • E+: Empowerment - empowering people to

understand and act to transform the social, cultural and economic structures that affect their lives at all levels i.e. active citizenship – VSI aims to achieve through volunteering

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VSI & EVS

VSI works with:

  • all young people
  • Vulnerable and hard to reach young people
  • socially and economically disadvantaged

young people

  • disabled young people
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Long-term EVS example:

  • Volunteer: 22; socially and economically

disadvantaged, disability

  • Country: Greece, Thessaloniki
  • Host org: Alter Ego youth organisation
  • Duration: 12 months
  • Work: youth organisation,

promoting Erasmus+ to young people and students, English, international disability project

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Preparation

  • Group and individual preparation
  • Meetings with volunteer + sometimes youth

worker

  • Includes volunteer’s motivations, hopes,

fears + support needs

  • Intercultural learning, culture shock
  • Meetings with former EVS volunteers
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Short-term EVS example:

  • Volunteer: 18-24 (x 2)
  • Country: Albania, Tirana
  • Host org: PVN (VSI’s branch)
  • Duration: 1 month
  • Work: human rights education, youth/cultural

centre – upcycling etc.

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  • Volunteer: 20s; wheelchair user, PA
  • Country: Finland, Helsinki
  • Host org: Threshold, disability advocacy
  • rganisation
  • Duration: 5 weeks
  • Work: Research/interviewing members, access

audit in Helsinki, writing articles for the org magazine Short-term EVS example 2:

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  • passport
  • health check
  • Advanced Planning Visit (APV)
  • extra language classes
  • extra preparation including travel to e.g. meetings
  • ‘reinforced mentorship’ - increased mentoring input
  • clothing for cold climate

EVS (E+) programme very good for extra support needs

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  • Meet staff and usually the supervisor
  • Opportunity for each to think about, discuss and plan the work
  • The volunteer (and the SO) see where they will be working and
  • ften see the accommodation - what it looks like
  • Learn how to get around, use public transport, see how accessible

things are

  • Get to know places, know hoe it feels to be there
  • Try the food, learn somethings about the culture and experience

some social life

  • Engage and mix with people from the country and the RO

APV

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Support during the EVS:

  • Skype/facebook calls, emails
  • Volunteers send photos, social media posts

etc.

  • RO contact maintained throughout
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Support for orgs

  • Lots of support from Léargas, website, +

training, meetings

  • EVS Info Kit
  • EU - E+ youth portal – stories from young

people, databases etc.

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Impact on vol

  • Travel – many excluded yps have limited travel experience – gained

experience and confidence in booking flights, dealing with airlines etc.

  • Experiencing ‘work situation’ and how organisations function
  • If linked to personal experience can be powerful e.g. seeing people with

disabilities working as professionals - positive role models

  • Experiencing life in another country and society – valuable in itself
  • ‘Soft skills’ – confidence in general, resilience, independence,

communication skills

  • ‘Hard skills’ linked to the work + increased employability
  • ‘Feeling part of things’, feeling ‘useful’ experience participation in society
  • Meeting other young people from different countries
  • Youthpass
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Impact on VSI:

  • Fulfils our aims and we practice our values
  • Learning – have lots of contact with yps and

APV so we learn about the RO country and culture,

  • Meet new organisations - new relationships

and opportunities

  • Increase our capacity and skills every time
  • (RO benefits from having the yp with them,

learning opportunities)

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Current opportunities

  • VSI currently looking for 2 volunteers to do

short-term EVS for one month in Albania in 2017.

  • Work with our branch there – human rights

education, youth/cultural centre – upcycling etc.

  • + currently seeking 10 volunteers for various

EVS positions starting in November – 8-12 months