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

Voluntary Service International (VSI) – EVS presentation Léargas 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
• Current VSI EVS projects

• Worldwide peace movement (1920)
• (1965) Irish branch of Service Civil International (SCI)

Vision and Mission

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

• through volunteering

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

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”

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

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

VSI & EVS

VSI works with:

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

young people

• disabled young people

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

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

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.

• 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:

• 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

• 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

Support during the EVS:

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

etc.

• RO contact maintained throughout

Support for orgs

• Lots of support from Léargas, website, +

training, meetings

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

people, databases etc.

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

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)

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