Trabaja en área de juventud de un centro de Bélgica con el voluntariado europeo

Hosting organisation offers quality lodging ( buildings and camping grounds) for groups and individuals, in priority to youth groups . This allows groups to accomplish their operation and activities. Moreover hosting organisation fosters the natural environment of the domain for discovery and adventure.
De Hoge Rielen is a domain mainly for group stays. Our priority target are groups of young people between 3 and 25 years.. Most of them are schools or youth movements, but there are also sport and socio-cultural associations. We work with 4 categories:
• categorie 1: youth work recognized by the government or the municipality  This is our priority target group.
• categorie 2: all the other Belgian youth work including school groups and care groups
• categorie 3:foreign youth and school groups and Belgian socio-cultural associations
• categorie 4: adults, family groups and companies
The staff of de Hoge Rielen consists of 45 employees:
• the director
• 2 persons for administration and accounting
• 4 coordinators who are each responsible for a service, more specifically
o onthaal & info – reception & information: 6 persons and volunteers during the weekends and the holidays: They do all reservations, give information to the groups, follow up on the groups that stay on the domain.
o techniek & schoonmaak – technics & cleaning: 24 persons and interns : They give all logistics support to the organization (transport, maintanance,…).
o eten & drinken – catering: 9 persons and interns They are responsible for all meals; they follow up all orders by the groups and deliver in the building.
o natuur & avontuur – nature & adventure: 3 persons, interns and volunteers): They elaborate new activities and they coach the workshops and the various activities in the domain.
Most people of the organization are working in a flexible work schedule.
The regular activities are in line with the character of the groups that reside on the domain. It means:
• providing good maintenance of the lodges
• giving people a warm welcome; to answer questions that groups might have and to resolve eventual problems
• maintaining contact with the groups (should they have any problems or questions)
• preparing meals with attention for ecological principles
• keeping the bar open during the weekends and the holidays
• ensuring a wide variety of activities and workshops like cooking with wild herbs, painting with natural materials, doing rope trail, learning pioneering, catching water insects; material like geocaching, highlandgames, building of rafts, biking, …
• cleaning the pavilions and the camping grounds every day
• performing all necessary repairs.

• Hosting organisation is a youth residence targetting youth groups by offering them accomodation and special activities. Much emphasis is puth on the participation of the young people because their ideas are inspiring us in the development of the organization and the domain.
•Hosting organisation is supporting the European thoughts, by offering the the opportunity to people from different countries and cultures to work side by side within the organization. The staff of de Hoge Rielen have a very strong local bond; 90 % of people is living at less than 5 miles from work in a rural area. It’s an enrichment for all employees to cooperate with other nationalities
• Intercultural exchange broadens the mind, creates an open thinking framework and a new dynamism.
• De Hoge Rielen wants to create an European network where exchange in youth work is possible. An EVS volunteer will play an important role in this.

2 volunteers wanted – period of 9 months, 1/3/’16-30/11/’16 – guiding activities and/or focus on service – stay in Hosting organisation

Project environment:

Outline the project environment for the suggested voluntary Service, including the local community where the project will take place (e.g. geographical, social and economical environment). If the host placement is located in a live-in community, please include the rules and conditions that apply also for the volunteer.

Hosting organisation is – in origin – an old military domain. The many sheds served as ammunition depot. The late 1970s these sheds have been converted into sleeping accomodation.Hosting organisation is now a youth residence, under administration of the Flemish government (General Service for Youth Tourism), targetting youth groups by offering them accomodation and special activities. There are 17 buildings and 12 camping grounds. It’s 2000 nights – on average – in a week or 285 people a day. This domain is one of the largest children’s forests of Flanders. It measures 230 ha; these are 345 football fields. It’s a delightful destination for people with a youthful spirit. Each group has its own spot on the domain/ in the wood. Youth groups come to theHosting organisation for a multiday group activity, a youth camp, forest classes, welcome days, a training,… .The domain offers many possibilities such as: a beautiful nature, residence pavilions, camping facilities and camp fires, a theatre, a sporthall and sports fields, a pond, a bar and a restaurant. It’s also possible for guests to order food and drink.
Hosting organisation is located in the municipality of Kasterlee, in the province of Antwerp. Kasterlee is situated in Flandres, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Dutch will also be the main language used during the service.

The EVS-volunteer will stay in a small residence – stand alone in the forest on the domain, near the reception. This bungalow have all practical necessities: shower, little kitchen, living room, bedroom, internet,… . So the volunteer has a place on his/her own and has some privacy. He/she can live with an other EVS-volunteer. We accept 2 volunteers in the same time.
He/she can enjoy warm meals (also the breakfast and the evening meal if desired) at the restaurant. In the weekend and the holidays there are other volunteers present. During the week (Monday-Thursday) the volunteer is alone in the evening. It’s important to know. He/she can be on himself/herself and has a great indepedance. The domain guard lives with his family on the domain. Outside the opening hours, the volunteer may contact this person.

Proposed activities for EVS volunteers:
The EVS- volunteer can come from March untill November: 9 months. This is a very busy period. Many groups come and go; there’s a lot of activities on the domain. It’s the most interesting period to come: there are nice and different tasks to do.

Role of EVS volunteers (general)
• to increase the interculturality in the organization
• to be himself but in to other values and norms
• to give new impulses and ideas
• to support the daily activities of the different services
Role of EVS volunteers (specific)
In the first phase, the volunteer participates in different services. So he/she gets to know the organisation and the way we work. This participation can become more active, when the volunteer gets to know the way of working better and better.
In the second phase the volunteer can have a more or less personal project (for example to guide groups in activities, to prepare activities for ‘café animé’). This will depend on the personal interests of the volunteer. The volunteer will have the opportunity (and the space) to hone his skills or to learn new skills, according to his/her wishes. The volunteer is active in maximum two services. So he/she can build a strong bond with his colleagues and the other employees. The volunteer will be involved in inside and outside activities, in group or on his own, with a lot of variety. When the language is of great importance, the volunteer always will be assisted.
We have 2 profiles of volunteers. One profile is mainly focused on service. The other profile includes more support and guidance activities. A combination of the 2 profiles is possible after consultation.

Profile 1: focused on service
Activities on the service Learning opportunities
onthaal & info
(reception & information)
• to introduce groups on the domain
• to give information to guests
• to visit (welcome ) guests on arrival/leaving in their pavilions
• to supervise the skate accomodation and the campfires
• to open and close the domain gates and to control the domain …
==> to expand social skills:
• He/she builds a general customer contact with the resident guests and groups.
• He/she learns to deal with various youth groups.
• He/she improves his inderstanding the organization of youth work in Flanders.

eten & drinken (catering – restaurant):
• to help prepare and serve meals in the restaurant
• to retrieve and to deliver orders at the pavillions and camping facilities
• to be the bartender
==> to expand social and cooking skills:
• He/she learns a lot of how to work in a small industrial kitchen.
• He/she works closely with the various employees and guests.
• He/she has a lot of contact with groups.

Profile 2: focused on suppport and guidance activities
Activities on the service Learning opportunities
natuur & avontuur
(nature & adventure):
• to guide activities
• to make a new activity or workshop
• to prepare activities for café animé (to be animator) ….
==>to increase social skills:
• He/she gives information to the groups.
• He/she guides different groups.
• He/she learns how to work out a new workshop
• He/she prepares and guides the activities (film, dance, percussion, live music,…) for groups in the evening (on Wednesday in the holiday).

techniek (& schoonmaak)
(technics & cleaning):
• to follow up the lending material (lending service)
• to be responsible for the transport at the domain
• to repair bicycles …
• ! no cleaning
==>to develop technical skills
==>to expand social skills:
• He/she has a lot of contact with groups.
• He/she receives the groups and gives lending material.
• He/she informs the groups about lending material.

Week schedule
The volunteer works 37 hours a week in a flexible week schedule. Sometimes he/she works until the evening, sometimes he works during the weekends. The volunteer has 2 days off a week and minimum one weekend in the month free. Language lessons (in Turnhout) are included in the worktime. He/she has many possibilities tot learn Dutch in our organisation. We make a week schedule on measure, based on his/her interest en his/her learning opportunities.These are possible week schedules.

Profile 1: focused on service
morning afternoon evening
Monday free day

Tuesday Dutch lesson helping at service reception & information:

give information to groups, to introduce groups,…

Wednesday Dutch lesson helping at service catering:
to retrieve and to deliver orders at home …

Thursday helping at service catering:
to prepare and to serve meals,… helping at service reception & information:
give information to groups, to introduce groups,…

Friday Dutch lesson helping at service reception & information
to introduce new groups, to control the domain

Saturday helping at service catering:
to serve meals,… reception & information
to visit groups, to open ports and control the domain, campfires
Sunday free

Profile 2: focused on suppport and guidance activities
morning afternoon evening

Monday free
e
Tuesday Dutch lesson helping at service technics (& cleaning):
lending service, to transport materials on the domain,…

Wednesday Dutch lesson café
to prepare activities (film, dance, percussion, live music,…) for groups in the evening (to be animator)

Thursday helping at service nature & adventure:
to prepare activities, to guide groups helping at service nature & adventure:

Friday Dutch lesson technics (& cleaning)
to repair bicycles, lending service,…

Saturday helping at service nature & adventure
to prepare activities, to guide groups café
to keep open the bar

Sunday free

Number of volunteers hosted:
Please state the maximum number of volunteers your organisation is able to host at the same time (ensuring all quality, learning, and welfare standards of EVS for each volunteer):
2

Risk prevention, protection and safety:
Please describe:
• how you will guarantee a safe living and working environment for the EVS volunteers,
• how you will prevent risks and crises,
• how – in the case of EVS volunteers aged 16 or 17 – you ensure appropriate supervision, protection and safety.

The board defined a policy to use safety, quality and sustainability as guidelines in the exploitation of “De Hoge Rielen”. We want to promote a safe and motivating environment for our the employees. In 2000 a global safety and prevention plan has been introduced. It’s a dynamic plan with annual evaluations and progress reports. Starting from the inventory of risks on the work floor we have defined procedures and preventive measures.
There is a welcome policy for each new employee, intern of volunteer.

There is a prevention advisor who keeps the prevention and safety spirit alive. We are using checklists for guiding and orientation of new employees with a special attention to safety issues. We’ve been using an emergency plan for years with annual evaluations and a disaster exercise. For safety reasons some tasks and/or exercises are forbidden for youngsters under the age of 18 years.

In coaching the volunteer support is given at different levels.
First level
• The teamleader of ‘reception & information’ (onthaal & info) is the practical leader of the volunteer.
Second level
• One of the educational staff does the coaching of the EVS-volunteer: daily guidance, and weekly evaluations in relation to well-being, adaptability, expectations, positive and less positive experiences,… .
Third level
• The domain guard lives with his family on the domain. Outside the opening hours, the volunteer may always contact this person.

Profile of volunteer

Attitudes and skills marked with * are very important.
– sense of responsibilaty *
– like to work with youth groups *
– flexible attitude *
– open minded
– enthousiasme
– great independence* ( to be on himself/herself)
– willing to learn* – willing to learn Dutch*
– having right hand to the work
– like to be in the nature and outdoors
– able to work independently *
– able to take initiative *
– social committed *
– good communication skills
– eventual experience with youth groups

Recruitment process
The deadline to apply is 24/08/2015 for the periode of 15/02/2016 to 30/11/2016.

Building Bridges Association members will have preference, please enroll to the association here.

For the selection of the volunteers we will need:
– Europass CV with picture (made in the last month)

– Motivational letter, writing that your sending organisation will be “Building Bridges”. We ask all candidates to send a specific letter of motivation – why they want to volunteer with us rather than just a general EVS one.

Remember to write in the motivation letter that your sending institution is “Asociación Building Bridges”.

All documents written in english you can send to: asociacionbb@gmail.com with subject “EVS Belgium Hoge»