Call for volunteers: Accompanying Person for a Youth Group

call for vols


Volunteer role: Accompanying Person for a Youth Group

 

Voluntary Service International (VSI) are looking for youth workers/youth leaders in Ireland to bring two groups of young people (age 18 to 24) to Albania (8 YP) and to Greece (10 YP). The groups will volunteer on two different projects (one working on a sports project with refugee communities and the other working in schools with children from disadvantaged backgrounds) for one month. We need two Accompanying Persons for each project.

About the projects

“Step Up!” projects are EU-funded short-term (1 month) group European Voluntary Service projects, taking place in:

  • Tirana, Albania from 10 May to 8 June 2020 – more info here
  • Athens, Greece from 1 to 30 June 2020 – more info here

 

 The role of an Accompanying Person for a Youth Group

Before the project

An Accompanying Person must fulfil the following roles:

  • Regularly liaise with VSI office staff, mainly with the Volunteer Programme Coordinator
  • Hold meetings with the group of volunteers
  • Help establish the final programme of activities with partners and participants
  • Engage in continuous communication with all project partners
  • Assess the potential risks / issues that may arise in the project and what measures might be taken to prevent / solve them
  • Help prepare and assist with running the group pre-departure training
  • Organise the group travel, help participants with the check-in, arrange group meeting at the airport etc.

 During the project    

  • Consult, support and continually monitor the participants
  • Ensure that each participant receives adequate support
  • Ensures the proper implementation of programme activities with the local host organisation supervisor and mentors
  • Assess daily activities together with other accompanying person and local mentors
  • Ensure that language barriers are overcome and the communication is carried out efficiently
  • Facilitate and support the group learning process and group dynamics
  • Help organise free time activities
  • Encourage participants to reflect on the learning process and help the with their Youthpass certificates
  • Help adapt the daily programme of activities (if needed) taking into consideration unforeseen circumstances
  • Continually send updates and feedback to VSI

 After the project – evaluation (& follow-up)

  • Submit a final project report
  • Help with issuing Youthpass certificates based on participants’ self-assessment
  • Help run project evaluation with participants
  • Help with project results dissemination

 

Requirements 

  1. Experience in youth work and the voluntary and community sector
  2. Experience of working/volunteering with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds
  3. Good communication and organisation skills
  4. Flexibility, patience
  5. Enthusiasm and positive attitude
  6. Experience of working with international groups and running workshops would be useful as we as experience of living/volunteering abroad
  7. Knowledge and understanding of the EVS programme would be an advantage

 
Practicalities

Travel expenses:

Funded up to €360.00 (return door to door travel).

 Accommodation:

Provided. Shared rooms in a hostel + separate room for accompanying persons.

 Food:

Daily allowance for food and necessities is provided (€59.00 per day per accompanying person).
The group of volunteers will prepare their own breakfast in the hostel. Lunch and dinner will mostly be arranged by the hosting organisation.

 

Application procedure:

If you are interested in one of these two projects and would like to take a group of young people to volunteer in Greece or Albania, please contact Mateja in the VSI office mateja@vsi.ie as soon as possible.

Applications via VSI Application From (by the 3rd Feb 2020) followed by informal interviews with shortlisted candidates.

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 9th February 2020

This role offer is subject to satisfactory references and Garda Vetting.

 

About the sending and hosting organisation

  • Sending and Coordinating organisation:

   Voluntary Service International (VSI Ireland)

  • Hosting organisations:

   Kinisi Ethelonton Service Civil International Hellas (SCI Hellas)

   Projekte Vullnetare Nderkombetare (PVN Albania)

 

Voluntary Service International (VSI) is a peace and social justice organisation working primarily through volunteering. VSI is the Irish branch of Service Civil International (SCI). VSI is a registered charity in Ireland, we are funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and by the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme. We work with young people and youth workers to: 

  • promote the social inclusion of young people
  • raise young people’s awareness of their rights, peace and social justice, sustainable development, the environment and intercultural understanding
  • foster young people’s active citizenship
  • promote young people’s civic engagement
  • develop young people’s skills and competencies and enhance their employability.

For more information: www.vsi.ie

Kinisi Ethelonton Service Civil International Hellas (SCI-Hellas) is a nongovernmental organisation based in Athens. It's the Greek branch of Service Civil International, an international voluntary movement that aims to promote peace, solidarity and intercultural understanding through organising international volunteer projects, campaigns and seminars. Through its actions, SCI tries to enhance the peaceful cooperation of people from different cultural and social backgrounds as well as to encourage the direct participation of citizens in the solution of social problems. It is a founder member of the Greek Antipoverty Network.

For more information: http://www.sci.gr/eng/

Projekte Vullnetare Nderkombetare (PVN Albania) is a nongovernmental organisation based in Tirana. It's the Albanian branch of Service Civil International, an international voluntary movement that aims to promote peace, solidarity and intercultural understanding through organising international volunteer projects, campaigns and seminars. PVN fulfils their aims by organising social, educational, ecological and cultural activities. The main target groups of PVN are people in need, especially children and young people with fewer opportunitites, people with disabilities and Roma communities.

For more information: https://pvnalbania.org/