::AVSO::Association of Voluntary Service Organisations::

	activities europe
	AVSO represents the voluntary service sector as a whole. As such we aim to increase the number of volunteer opportunities and improve the quality of voluntary service placements. AVSO organises partnership building seminars (PBS) and training workshops in order to facilitate the sharing of experience and the inclusion of new partner organisations in voluntary service. Recently happened: "Hand in Hand” - reinforced Mentorship in voluntary service projects, 25 -28 September 2007, Rome, Italy The capacity building seminar “Hand in Hand” was attended by 30 organisations interested in developing and improving the mentorship schemes, some of them even starting from scratch. The involvement of Andy Bevan from ICP Partneriaeth and James Cathcart from the Prince‘s Trust brought the opportunity to the participants to reflect about the different roles of the Mentors, how to develop a mentoring scheme and how to put it into concrete measures regarding EVS. The Training is a milestone in the frame of the Inclusion strategy of the European Commission and it's in line with the AVSO’s work, our ongoing priority of including young disadvantaged people in voluntary service projects. At the moment a final document in the form of a Toolkit is being developed by the AVSO secretariat. Expert seminar on exchange of information and best practice in working with the EU Youth Programme, 3 - 6 July 2007, Brussels, Belgium The new Youth in Action Programme 2007-2013 is a turning point for hundreds of organisations involved in the youth field. AVSO planned a Seminar in Brussels to provide the organisations with the proper tools to face this new challenge. This Seminar gave to the participants the opportunity not only to exchange doubts and good practices in the implementation of projects in the frame of the new Youth in Action Programme (especially Action 1 and 2) but also to benefit of the presence of members of the EACEA (Henar Conde), of the Youth National Agencies (Marie Helene Cotte – French NA and Andrew Hurley – UK NA), of the SALTO RC Inclusion (Ann Hendriks) and of the European Commission DG EAC (Peggy Geneve – Youth Unit and Jacob Kornbeck – Sport Unit) directly involved in the new Youth in Action Programme. The main objectives were to give the participants the chance to clarify their doubts on the implementation of the projects and to provide the DG EAC and the EACEA with a snapshot of the first half-year implementation of the new Youth Programme. This project corresponded to the aim of AVSO to improve youth policies and to organize more specialized expert seminars, trying to improve the quality of the voluntary service sector. As a first outcome of the Seminar we collected the participants needs, doubts and suggestions about the new Programme in a what we called the “Participants’ wish list” that you can download here together with the list of the organisations that took part to the Seminar. A lot of hot topics have been discussed, but the participants focused on a few ones. Firstly the application forms that in spite of the Commission’s declared effort of simplification are still considered too complicated and time-consuming (especially for the small organisations). Regarding the EVS forms it has been said that they are too detailed and this limits the flexibility of the project, above all the fact that the sending organisation has to be a partner organisation limits in the choice of the volunteer. Secondly, the Activity agreement, a “new entry” in the EVS application form, that potentially could be a good tool to formalise the partnerships (among the send and host organisations and the volunteers) and safeguard the organisations, but apparently at the moment it’s only creating a lot of problems, mostly to the organisations in those countries where the National Agencies didn’t provide templates. Another major topic was the role of the National Agencies: merely administrative or also supporting? The participants were disappointed in realizing that there is a lack of coordination between the NAs and that each NA interprets the users Guide in a different way generating confusion among the organisations. These are just a few of the many points tackled during the seminar, as you will notice reading the “Participants’ wish list”. This list didn’t mean to be a collection of complaints, but rather an attempt to find common solutions to common problems together with the institutions directly involved in the implementation of the new programme. The “Participants’ wish list” and the Seminar has been thought as a first step in the process of making heard at EU level the voice of the organisations working at grass-root level. We have already presented the list to Mr. Mastrominas, Deputy Head of unit of the Youth programme and to some National Agencies and we intend to spread it further among other relevant stakeholders, so if you want to contribute to the debate with your opinions, suggestions and experience on the new Youth in Action programme, we will more than happy to listen to your voice! -------------------------------- Previous Activities: Expert Seminar in Lisbon (Portugal): The experience of a lifetime – The impact of EVS and voluntary service on young people, from 6 to 8 December (3 days) The objective of the seminar was to exchange experience and best practice and to come up with a European nomenclature of indicators and a methodology to measure the effect of the EVS and/or long term voluntary service for the volunteer in terms of access to jobs, to education, quality of life, and also the impact of the VS on the hosting local community and the sending local community. Study visit in Warsaw (Poland): Study visit to Poland – Voluntary Service across Europe, from 19 to 22 September 2006 (4 days) The objective of this Study Visit was to visit Polish NGOs and other organizations working with volunteering, voluntary service and youth programmes with a group of voluntary service professionals and youth workers from all over Europe. Download the final report here. PBS in Sofia (Bulgaria): Inclusion – Breaking the Barriers of Social and Physical Disadvantages through Voluntary Service from 9 to 12 March 2006 (4 days) The objective of this partnership building seminar was to establish partnerships between the organisations from the EU and Pre-Accession Countries, that will trigger new volunteer exchange projects, enhancing the young peoples’ mobility and promoting their participation and inclusion in the development of civil society. Download the final report here. PBS in Nijni Novgorod (Russia): MAKING EUROPE HAPPEN THROUGH EVS PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE EU, EASTERN EUROPE AND THE CAUCASUS from 10 – 13 October 2005 (4 days) The seminar aimed at raising participants’ awareness of the expectations and the needs of prospective partners and volunteers and offering optional training on specific issues related to the implementation of EVS projects. Download the final report here. PBS in Gençtur (Turkey): FORGING NEW EVS PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE EUROMED REGION from 8 – 11 December 2004 (4 days) Its global aim was to establish contacts between the organisations from the EU and the Mediterranean that will trigger new volunteer exchange projects, as a result enhancing the young peoples’ mobility and promoting the participation and inclusion of young people in the development of civil society. Download the final report here.

activities europe

AVSO represents the voluntary service sector as a whole. As such we aim to increase the number of volunteer opportunities and improve the quality of voluntary service placements. AVSO organises partnership building seminars (PBS) and training workshops in order to facilitate the sharing of experience and the inclusion of new partner organisations in voluntary service.

Recently happened:

"Hand in Hand” - reinforced Mentorship in voluntary service projects, 25 -28 September 2007, Rome, Italy

The capacity building seminar “Hand in Hand” was attended by 30 organisations interested in developing and improving the mentorship schemes, some of them even starting from scratch. The involvement of Andy Bevan from ICP Partneriaeth and James Cathcart from the Prince‘s Trust brought the opportunity to the participants to reflect about the different roles of the Mentors, how to develop a mentoring scheme and how to put it into concrete measures regarding EVS. The Training is a milestone in the frame of the Inclusion strategy of the European Commission and it's in line with the AVSO’s work, our ongoing priority of including young disadvantaged people in voluntary service projects. At the moment a final document in the form of a Toolkit is being developed by the AVSO secretariat.

Expert seminar on exchange of information and best practice in working with the EU Youth Programme, 3 - 6 July 2007, Brussels, Belgium

The new Youth in Action Programme 2007-2013 is a turning point for hundreds of organisations involved in the youth field. AVSO planned a Seminar in Brussels to provide the organisations with the proper tools to face this new challenge.

This Seminar gave to the participants the opportunity not only to exchange doubts and good practices in the implementation of projects in the frame of the new Youth in Action Programme (especially Action 1 and 2) but also to benefit of the presence of members of the EACEA (Henar Conde), of the Youth National Agencies (Marie Helene Cotte – French NA and Andrew Hurley – UK NA), of the SALTO RC Inclusion (Ann Hendriks) and of the European Commission DG EAC (Peggy Geneve – Youth Unit and Jacob Kornbeck – Sport Unit) directly involved in the new Youth in Action Programme.

The main objectives were to give the participants the chance to clarify their doubts on the implementation of the projects and to provide the DG EAC and the EACEA with a snapshot of the first half-year implementation of the new Youth Programme.

This project corresponded to the aim of AVSO to improve youth policies and to organize more specialized expert seminars, trying to improve the quality of the voluntary service sector.

As a first outcome of the Seminar we collected the participants needs, doubts and suggestions about the new Programme in a what we called the “Participants’ wish list” that you can download here together with the list of the organisations that took part to the Seminar.

A lot of hot topics have been discussed, but the participants focused on a few ones.

Firstly the application forms that in spite of the Commission’s declared effort of simplification are still considered too complicated and time-consuming (especially for the small organisations). Regarding the EVS forms it has been said that they are too detailed and this limits the flexibility of the project, above all the fact that the sending organisation has to be a partner organisation limits in the choice of the volunteer.

Secondly, the Activity agreement, a “new entry” in the EVS application form, that potentially could be a good tool to formalise the partnerships (among the send and host organisations and the volunteers) and safeguard the organisations, but apparently at the moment it’s only creating a lot of problems, mostly to the organisations in those countries where the National Agencies didn’t provide templates.

Another major topic was the role of the National Agencies: merely administrative or also supporting? The participants were disappointed in realizing that there is a lack of coordination between the NAs and that each NA interprets the users Guide in a different way generating confusion among the organisations.

These are just a few of the many points tackled during the seminar, as you will notice reading the “Participants’ wish list”. This list didn’t mean to be a collection of complaints, but rather an attempt to find common solutions to common problems together with the institutions directly involved in the implementation of the new programme.

The “Participants’ wish list” and the Seminar has been thought as a first step in the process of making heard at EU level the voice of the organisations working at grass-root level. We have already presented the list to Mr. Mastrominas, Deputy Head of unit of the Youth programme and to some National Agencies and we intend to spread it further among other relevant stakeholders, so if you want to contribute to the debate with your opinions, suggestions and experience on the new Youth in Action programme, we will more than happy to listen to your voice!

--------------------------------

Previous Activities:

Expert Seminar in Lisbon (Portugal):

The experience of a lifetime – The impact of EVS and voluntary service on young people, from 6 to 8 December (3 days)

The objective of the seminar was to exchange experience and best practice and to come up with a European nomenclature of indicators and a methodology to measure the effect of the EVS and/or long term voluntary service for the volunteer in terms of access to jobs, to education, quality of life, and also the impact of the VS on the hosting local community and the sending local community.

Study visit in Warsaw (Poland):
Study visit to Poland – Voluntary Service across Europe, from 19 to 22 September 2006 (4 days)

The objective of this Study Visit was to visit Polish NGOs and other organizations working with volunteering, voluntary service and youth programmes with a group of voluntary service professionals and youth workers from all over Europe.

Download the final report here.

PBS in Sofia (Bulgaria):
Inclusion – Breaking the Barriers of Social and Physical Disadvantages through Voluntary Service from 9 to 12 March 2006 (4 days)

The objective of this partnership building seminar was to establish partnerships between the organisations from the EU and Pre-Accession Countries, that will trigger new volunteer exchange projects, enhancing the young peoples’ mobility and promoting their participation and inclusion in the development of civil society.

Download the final report here.

PBS in Nijni Novgorod (Russia):
MAKING EUROPE HAPPEN THROUGH EVS PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE EU, EASTERN EUROPE AND THE CAUCASUS from 10 – 13 October 2005 (4 days)

The seminar aimed at raising participants’ awareness of the expectations and the needs of prospective partners and volunteers and offering optional training on specific issues related to the implementation of EVS projects.

Download the final report here.

PBS in Gençtur (Turkey):
FORGING NEW EVS PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE EUROMED REGION from 8 – 11 December 2004 (4 days)

Its global aim was to establish contacts between the organisations from the EU and the Mediterranean that will trigger new volunteer exchange projects, as a result enhancing the young peoples’ mobility and promoting the participation and inclusion of young people in the development of civil society.

Download the final report here.