SVE - Contribute to rural development

CONTRIBUTE TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Reference: 2003-PT-26 Title: Contribute to rural development Selection comittee: 1/29/04Last update: 2/6/04 4:42:33 PM Project duration: 360 Days Organisation: Colectividade Sócio Cultural Barrense Address: Rua Luis de Camões, 6Postal code: 7570-003Town: Azinheira de BarrosCountry: Portugal E-mail: a_casinha@sapo.ptPhone: 00351 269 594180Fax: 00 351 269 594180Contact: Pedro Ruas Places: 3
Activities: The association was created in 1997, after two years of a lot of work on the part of the youths of the village. From its creation that we tried to develop related actions with youths, with children, and still with the seniors or general population. Of our activities they stand out the recovery of traditions, researches and studies on the past of the village, occupation of free times, workshops, poetry competitions or of literature, sport activities, as the soccer, among others. Our main purpose it´s to increase the dynamic in the village, developing several actions with the youth, trying to fulfil the lack of activities. This Association have about 70 young boys and girls, and work on fields like: recuperation of local traditions and costumes; animation of the local community; workshops with children; internet point for all the community; coordination of the local parties. However, we are in a rural area, so we face many problems with our youth. We were trying to develop the reading habits, the foreign language development, learning about internet. It´s our aim to prepare the local youth to different realities that they live.
Community: Azinheira de Barros is in Alentejo,in the south of Portugal.It´s near the beach(about 30km),but it´s a rural village. The main means of transportation is the automobile, although exist public transportations, as they are the train or the bus, except on the school vacations, in that there is only the train. The population is in its aged majority, although they exist many young that develop a lot of activities. It is a rural way, that lives of the agriculture, of the services and of some rural tourism. For the youths there are some infrastructures: soccer field, polisportive pavilion , the headquarters of Colectividade, where people can play games, to read books, etc, and a mini gym.The Community is a little village, with 500 people, and about 1100 in the local administrative area. It´s a old community, far from the big cities, however we are in the middle of some major villages ( Grandola-20km; Beja-50km; Setubal-90km; Santiago do Cacém-30km; Ferreira do Alentejo-30km). It´s in Alentejo, and do not exist a huge number of shops or other things, only 1 restaurant,1 café, 1 mini market, and some institutions witch the ESV are going to work: ATL- with children; Casa do Povo- with elder people; CSCB- with youth and elementary School.
Objectives: The aim of this project is to bring internationaly for our youth and our youth work. It will exists a chance for Azinheira dos Barros youth to meet young person from other countries. One of the aims is to encourage and motivate young people to use their skills to take part in international activities and study languages. It´s also objective to encouraging the development of contacts and exchange among youth, providing opportunity for open discussion on the possibility of working with people of our region, and also to identify similarities. The EVS project will be in 3 main villages: Azinheira dos Barros, Lousal and Grândola. Our organization work in this 3 villages, and we have different delegation in each one of this villages. In a way to make our task equal in all the places, we apply for 3 volunteers. In each village the volunteer will have a tutor, who it will be the person in charge for that delegation. For each one of that villages, the volunteer will have the same opportunities of work.The tasks are equal for the 3 volunteers, the difference it will be that each volunteer will participate in the work of the organization in different villages. Instead of having different target groups, we focus their work in youth with social, cultural or economic problems. Local Context of the placement The organization is divided into 3 main delegations: in Azinheira dos Barros, in Lousal and in Grândola. In Azinheira dos Barros works the headquarters of the association, where we have all the facilities needed for a project like this: computers, internet, television, video, stereo, printers and cameras among other. In Azinheira works 4 persons in full time, and several volunteers of the community who develop some activities of the organisation, like workshops, like parties, etc. Azinheira is a little village, with plenty of young people typical from rural areas. The most part of the people are from disadvantaged backgrounds (cultural, economic and culturally). In Lousal works 2 persons from 9am to 4pm. In this delegation we have almost the same facilities like the headquarters; the only big difference is that the space is bigger than the headquarters. Lousal is a very special village, because it was a mine village, which closed in 1988, and the social problems, among the young people, are very significant. There are many volunteers from this village who works in the organisation of activities in this community. In Grândola we will have another delegation, beginning in January. In this space will work 2 persons in full time. Here we already have computers, internet access, printers, cameras, video, DVD, karaoke, musical instruments, and the space is very nice with several rooms, a stage room, a yard, and 2 offices. Grândola is almost a city, but the young people have almost the same problems of a little village, because it's also a rural area. There are many more youth, but they share the same feelings and the same problems of people from the other places. We have volunteers for all the activities we will develop in Grândola, because it's already youth who works with us in other villages, or in other activities in this place. What's the reason for the creation of different fields? The organisation work in the region in many villages and many small communities, and we always try to drive our work to satisfy the needs of young people. But we are from a disadvantaged area, so we face, every day, different kind of problems, like poor families with children who don't have any kind of support, or we have young people unemployed, or even youth without anything to do. Because of all this reasons we works in different fields, however the youth are, in the majority of times, the same. One young boy, who lives here, can have all the problems at the same time, and it's very common to happen, so once they are in touch with the volunteer it will be easier to him/her to deal with youth (plus the training and also the support) Connection between the different fields of the Project All the areas connect by two ways: the tasks are for youth of this region and this is our work in the region. All the different works are related each other, because it's like a complement for the youth live, it's like a support that we give to them. We are a youth organisation that develops not only activities, but also training sessions, seminars, traditions recovering, investigation studies, publications, magazines, among others. And all this activities are connected because we think that we must do the thinks that nobody does in our region. Of course that the volunteers will receive the best training and the best support to develop their tasks, and it's also true that they are going to participate actively in the spirit of the association. What is the role of the volunteer by being involved in these activities? We already explain the role of the volunteer, but we want to put it clearer, because some doubts can appear because we have different fields of activities. The volunteer will work always with young people, and always in the region. After some time the volunteer will know the biggest part of them, so he/she will be more able to solve daily questions. But to understand and to work with us, the volunteer will be prepare to all the areas that we work in, in the kind of services we give to youth. We help young people, we organise activities, and we make leisure activities, camps, journeys, exhibitions, among others. The volunteer will be a support for the organisation making this kind of activities (see the tasks of the volunteers in the other documents). What support they will receive for different activities? The organization works in different fields, and we have some workers with professional skills working in the areas present it on the project. For example for the non -formal campaigns they will work with two persons that already work in that field; for the work with young people from poor families, and for the work with young people unemployed they will receive training session before and during the project. They will also have professional support from a social assistant who gives support for people with needs in this region. For the handworks they will work in schools, so they will have the support of teachers. For the preparation of camps or journeys they will have the support of the staff of the association. It will be very important to receive a EVS instead of receive a national volunteer, because we want to give to our activities an European dimension, and in this way is easier to give to the people of the region the idea of Europe. But we also want that people live and fell another culture, another language, because it help people to deal with their own prejudices about foreign people. It's also important that we can spread the Portuguese culture and the Portuguese language in Europe. In the activities that we suggest for EVS we have already some tasks that are made by national people as the non- formal campaigns, the work with the elderly, the info points about Europe or the activities with children. But we also want to give to the organization another type of view from young people of Europe, so we will try some new tasks, like the activities with unemployed, the enlargement of the info points, the journeys and the camps for children and for youth or the support to the families. The target groups will be: young people, unemployed, families, elderly and children. From each target group the volunteer will have a specific day or specific activities.
Selection: There are no special requirement to host the volunteers. Tasks: Our idea is to give to the volunteers the special contact with people, and to give to the people involved the special contact with volunteers. Every time that it will exist any kind of contact it will be a intercultural learning process, because the volunteer will be in contact with the elderly or with the youngsters, and he/she will learn more and more about Portuguese culture, and the people involved are going to receive an idea of the European dimension; the tasks were thinking in give to the volunteers the possibility to do a lots of different thinks during the time in Portugal, but also thinking in give them the possibility to learn exactly who to do in specific areas of work. We are going to give them the possibilty to arrange a personal project, and if it´s necessary we are able to find space in the project to include any idea of the volunteers TASKS OF THE EVS THE TASKS ARE EQUAL FOR THE 3 VOLUNTEERS, THE DIFFERENCE IT WILL BE THAT EACH VOLUNTEER WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION IN DIFFERENT VILLAGES. THEY WILL HAVE DIFFERENT TUTOR FOR EACH OF THE VILLAGES INVOLVED. WE SHOULD ALSO SAY THAT ALL THE WORK IT WILL BE DEVELOP IN THE COLECTIVIDADE BARRENSE, BUT WE HAVE DIFFERENT DELEGATIONS IN DIFFERENT VILLAGES. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WILL BE FREE DAYS. THE VOLUNTEER WILL HAVE 6 HOURS BY DAY WITH ACTIVITIES, AND WILL HAVE THE REST FREE. FOR VOLUNTEER 1 - in AZINHEIRA DOS BARROS MONDAY Preparing non-formal campaigns (for example against drugs, smoking) Tasks: -collect information -prepare materials -presentation Portuguese lessons LUNCH Helping families with different kinds of problems (poor families) Tasks: -search families with special needs -make visits to the families -play with children, go shopping, read stories among others TUESDAY Working with elderly Tasks: -read stories LUNCH (journeys/Step2) Tasks: -organize the journey -take care of the members -give information about the place WEDNESDAY Activities for unemployers (for example computer information sessions) Tasks: -inform population about the possibility of work -create a database of employment -search in the medias about work possibilities -create a panel with computers about work -search for connections with employment institutes LUNCH Info points about EU etc. Tasks: -collect information -prepare materials -present the results -school visits about some of the themes THURSDAY Preparing camps and journeys (for children/ youth/ elderly) Tasks: -search interesting places to visit -planning journeys/ camps with a team -inform population LUNCH Helping families with different kinds of problems (families with many children) Tasks: -inform people about the possibility -make visits; play with children, go shopping, read stories etc.) FRIDAY Working with elderly Tasks: -help with daily life (f.ex.: shopping, cleaning the house, wash the dishes among others LUNCH Portuguese lessons TASKS OF THE EVS FOR VOLUNTEER 2 - IN LOUSAL MONDAY Preparing non-formal campaigns (for example against drugs, smoking) Tasks: -collect information -prepare materials -presentation Portuguese lessons LUNCH Helping families with different kinds of problems (poor families) Tasks: -search families with special needs -make visits to the families -play with children, go shopping, read stories among others TUESDAY Working with elderly Tasks: -read stories LUNCH (journeys/Step2) Tasks: -organize the journey -take care of the members -give information about the place WEDNESDAY Activities for unemployers (for example computer information sessions) Tasks: -inform population about the possibility of work -create a database of employment -search in the medias about work possibilities -create a panel with computers about work -search for connections with employment institutes LUNCH Info points about EU etc. Tasks: -collect information -prepare materials -present the results -school visits about some of the themes THURSDAY Preparing camps and journeys (for children/ youth/ elderly) Tasks: -search interesting places to visit -planning journeys/ camps with a team -inform population LUNCH Helping families with different kinds of problems (families with many children) Tasks: -inform people about the possibility -make visits; play with children, go shopping, read stories etc.) FRIDAY Working with elderly Tasks: -help with daily life (f.ex.: shopping, cleaning the house, wash the dishes among others LUNCH Portuguese lessons TASKS OF THE EVS FOR VOLUNTEER 3 - IN GRÂNDOLA MONDAY Preparing non-formal campaigns (for example against drugs, smoking) Tasks: -collect information -prepare materials -presentation Portuguese lessons LUNCH Helping families with different kinds of problems (poor families) Tasks: -search families with special needs -make visits to the families -play with children, go shopping, read stories among others TUESDAY Working with elderly Tasks: -read stories LUNCH (journeys/Step2) Tasks: -organize the journey -take care of the members -give information about the place WEDNESDAY Activities for unemployers (for example computer information sessions) Tasks: -inform population about the possibility of work -create a database of employment -search in the medias about work possibilities -create a panel with computers about work -search for connections with employment institutes LUNCH Info points about EU etc. Tasks: -collect information -prepare materials -present the results -school visits about some of the themes THURSDAY Preparing camps and journeys (for children/ youth/ elderly) Tasks: -search interesting places to visit -planning journeys/ camps with a team -inform population LUNCH Helping families with different kinds of problems (families with many children) Tasks: -inform people about the possibility -make visits; play with children, go shopping, read stories etc.) FRIDAY Working with elderly Tasks: -help with daily life (f.ex.: shopping, cleaning the house, wash the dishes among others LUNCH Portuguese lessons The task's calendar that we present is just an example of a weekly programme. In that example we put a lot of different activities, because in the first weeks, we are going to give the 3 volunteers the possibility to participate in several activities, and to develop several tasks, according to the presented calendar. But, once the volunteer start to feel familiar with the region and the organisation, he/she will have the possibility to choose their mainly tasks. The idea it's to give them flexibility in tasks, giving them time and space for their own personal projects, as well for their responsibilities in the organisation. The calendar also present a very diversify number of activities because it's just an example, because they are going to develop that activities, but in a bigger space of time. The organisation will provide a special support for each of the volunteers, because they are going to live together in Azinheira dos Barros, but they are going to develop their work in different places, in different delegations of the organisation. To help them we will have one tutor for each of the volunteer. This tutor will be responsible for give them every possible information about the village and about the details of their work. Besides it they also have a co-ordinator of the delegations, and he's the person in charge of solve all the needs of the volunteers. They will receive at the begging a training course about the region ( people, nature, way of being, organisation task and purpose, youth programme, youth policies, and every think that are related to their tasks).