Chain of Action: Summer tandem programme 2003
Short-term EVS
This project concept is initiated by the National Agency of Belgium/Flanders.
For more information please contact Inez Adriaensen: .
Background:
As many countries, our NA faces difficulties in implementing short-term EVS projects on a regular and growing base. When presenting EVS short term to organisations working with young people with less opportunities, they mostly mention the same obstacles:
Difficult to motivate the youngsters to do voluntary work abroad
Difficult to find suitable and trustful partners
Lack of international experience
Lack of support structures
No time to set up an EVS project in the organisation
…
Different actions have been undertaken by our NA to work on an increase of short-term projects and to support organisations in integrating this as a tool in their regular work with young people:
development with a few other NA’s of Puzzled training on short-term EVS (organised in 2000 and November 2002)
development in 2001 with NA’s NL, SLO, NOR and DK of a contact making seminar
try-out in 2002 of a tandem project with the Dutch NA
…
We must conclude that till now all these efforts haven’t been in balance with the outcome. Only few short-term projects have been realised till now.
Still this convinces us that we as NA need to continue to play a pro-active role in the development of this action and help organisations to take away as much as possible the obstacles they face in implementing short term EVS. That’s why we want to ask your NA to get involved in a new edition of our short-term/long-term tandem project.
Idea behind the tandem project:
The idea behind the tandem project is to link a short-term volunteer to a running long-term EVS hosting project. Why?
We don’t need to convince new organisations to step into EVS short term, but can rely on existing host organisations with experience in EVS, their responsibilities, setting up a support structure, the impact of EVS, ...
The presence of a long term volunteer can mean an important extra support for the short term EVS volunteer in integrating him/her in the local community, as a guide in the free-time, as a support person in the work, … as he experienced himself what it means to live in a new cultural setting, leave friends and family behind, …
Linking a short term volunteer to a long term volunteer can be an important tool in breaking down the potential stigmatisation of the short-term volunteer, as both volunteers form a kind of ‘equal’ tandem or pair.
Practical set-up of this project:
5 National Agencies have agreed upon participating in the summer tandem project: NA: The Netherlands, NA Denmark, NA Ireland, NA France and NA Belgium Flanders. The following document wants to explicit the different steps to be taken in the process.
STEP 1) Identification of hosting and sending organisations (March)
Identifying 3 host organisations:
Each NA tries to identify 3 running long-term host projects which might be willing and capable of hosting a short-term EVS volunteer, linked to their long-term EVS volunteer. With capable we mean that the host organisation:
can offer the necessary support structure in hosting youngsters with less opportunities.
is able to identify the importance of hosting volunteers with less opportunities.
offers easily accessible activities for the short-term volunteer (e.g. play ground activities with children, outdoor nature projects, youth house activities, …).
Offers activities that require no language competencies. The mentor in the project should speak English well.
To reach young people we would prefer that the hosting projects take place in the summer period (between mid-June and mid-September 03). Important is that the long term volunteer is present when the short term project takes place (3 weeks in summer).
Identifying 3 sending organisations:
Each NA develops close contact with max. 3 sending organisations, working directly with the target group of disadvantaged youngsters (to be decided by each NA). This close link is fundamental, as they will play a crucial role in motivating the right volunteer for the right project, and being a support structure before, during and after the EVS project. The sending organisations are essential partners in the whole set-up of the project and are involved from the beginning till the end in the development of the projects.
The experience with the tandem project of last summer with the NA Netherlands learnt that for the success of the tandem we need to involve the sending organisations from the beginning. A broad call to a large number of potential sending organisations, as we did last year, didn’t work out, as they didn’t feel enough committed.
STEP 2) Guiding the 3 Host Organisations to a green ST- HEI (March and April)
If the selected hosting organisation doesn’t have a Host Expression of Interest to be a Short Term project they should be assisted towards a green HEI. If there is not enough time to do this via the normal HEI assessment procedure, the application could be accepted through the urgency procedure at TAO.
STEP 3) Match Making(April and May)
Hosting Organisations need to fill out the form ‘Identification of HO Summer Tandem’ (April)
This form (in attachment) will be used to present all different projects in a brochure for the sending organisations and volunteers to choose from. The HOs should clearly indicate which 3 weeks in summer they could host a ST volunteer. These filled out Identification Forms will be gathered at NA Flanders. You can send them to JINT () by the 15th of April at the latest. All the presentation-forms will be published in a brochure that will be sent to participating NAs by the end of April. You can distribute them to your selected sending partners.
Matching the triangle of 3 partners: (May)
The linking of the interested youngsters to the available hosting places will be the most complex part of the project. We should avoid that every volunteer wants to go to the same project and that some projects stay without volunteer. At the other side we should take the volunteers choice into account.
We would like to propose the following system:
-Every interested volunteer, together with his/her sending organisation chooses from the Summer Tandem-brochure and selects min. 3 projects and makes a list of those in order of preference.
-Sending Organisations could in this phase take contact with organisations abroad to create partnerships. NAs could help organisations in make this ‘contact-making phase’ run smoothly.
-All these lists should be sent to preferably one NA who does the matching according to the principle of offer and demand. (Belgium-Flanders is willing to play this ‘matching role’ but if there are any other Agencies interested, please let us know.)
-The results of the match making will be communicated to the participating NAs and they will communicate the results to the organisations and youngsters concerned.
Application Forms and Selection (May and June)
STEP 4) Selection and Preparation of Volunteer (May and June)
-Once the volunteers are matched to the projects, the application forms can be filled out by SOs and HOs. NAs accept applications in June deadline or if necessary beyond deadlines.
-If volunteers and/or SOs would like to do a preparatory visit to the HO this possibility should be provided.
-Preparation phase of the volunteers on topics such as voluntary work safety network, ICL, … where needed with involvement of NA and trainers.
STEP 5) Start of projects (July and August)
-Start of the projects: if needed, the mentor or trust person of sending organisation can accompany the volunteer.
-NA offers full support to the project and visits the hosting project if possible.
STEP 6) Evaluation Phase (October-November)
-NA evaluates Summer Tandem on national Level with Hosting and Sending Organisations involved.
-Evaluation on international Level: Evaluate the concept and the future of this project between the involved NAs
Red line throughout the whole co-operation should be flexibility and willingness to work without the fixed deadlines and starting dates!
The same information put in a schedule:
Step / Timing- Identify 3 running long term host organisations with an attractive and accessible summer offer (summer camps with children, nature projects, …)
- Submit ST HEIs to EC (if needed in urgent procedure)
- Contact potential sending organisations and explain them the idea behind this project.
- The Presentation-Form of each participating Hosting Organisations are sent to JINT
- JINT will publish a brochure with the complete offer of hosting places and send it to participating NAs
- Matching phase: The volunteers and the SOs make a selection of projects and send a list of min. 3 project-choices to their NA.
- Support by NA to the organisations with the matching phase
- The matching is done at JINT and results are communicated to NAs
- Present applications on June deadline (if not possible, during the month of June).
- Approval by the NAs in emergency procedure.
- Preparation phase of the volunteers on topics such as voluntary work safety network, ICL, … where needed with involvement of NA and trainers.
- Start of the projects: if needed, the mentor or trust person of sending organisation can accompany the volunteer.
- End of the project with evaluation on national level
- Evaluate the concept and the future of this project between the involved NAs
The Summer Tandem is still in its experimental phase. This approach is a proposal and ready to be improved. If you have any suggestions, comments or questions please don’t hesitate to contact Inez Adriaensen () or Saartje Verheyen () at the Flemish National Agency.