top of page

Job shadowing in Armenia

27.2.2018 – 03.03.2018

     OBC EVS coordinators Lana Novosel and Tamara Lipnjak spent 5 days (27.2. – 3.3.2018.) job shadowing at the partner institution –Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences in Armenia. It is the only higher education institution in the Caucasus and East Region that combines formal and non-formal education by the implementation of EVS. For more than 6 years University hosts international youth from various European countries for the cultural exchange and some learning activities. It is also worth mentioning that BRUSOV YSULS together with the partner organizations implemented “EVS Event in Armenia” in 2012. As one of the leading universities in Armenia YSULSS has a professional administrative and academic staff. EVS volunteers work in the YSULSS Career Centre and Graduates Association together with the Head and the Coordinator of the Centre, as well as local volunteers and interested youth. The staff is youth workers who are directly involved in youth activities and youth affairs. All of them are distinguished with their natural talents, abilities and of course, motivation and interest to make changes in the youth relation. The Career Centre staff has previous experience working with the local and EVS volunteers from different European countries. Those people are the responsible and contact points for EVS volunteers. Some other European youth projects are also coordinated by them, namely Tempus, Erasmus Mundus and other EU funded projects. Besides the University has contact point for EVS outside the organization, which is responsible for the preparation and some other tasks of the EVS volunteers. Coordinator for this project is Levon Babamyan Head of Career Center and Graduates Association Executive Director, responsible for EVS project at University since its beginning and OBC has been cooperating successfully with the University, since 2015. – we sent 2 long-term EVS volunteers each for a year in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017.

     During the job shadowing we got familiar with all different aspects of EVS coordination – administrative and financial aspects, coordination and mentorship of volunteers, we met with ex and current EVS volunteers, with the mentors, with the vice rector of the University and visited  the Erasmus+ National office in Armenia. We also joined EVS volunteers in their activities – while delivering workshops for local primary school in a nearby underprivileged area.

Job shadowing in Spain

22.04.2018 – 26.4.2018.

    Partner from Spain Almenaras Youth Association is young organization but showed great success in including youth from their rural region in youth projects and EVS, they successfully cooperate with youth council and the government of their village, Axarquía, and they host volunteers that carry out their EVS activities in the  local Home for elderly – Patronato Hogar de los Angeles, being a great example of implementing EVS in social governmental institution, what is most important for this project as we want to learn from them and share this knowledge with similar institutions in Croatia.

    So from 22. – 26.4.2018. again our 2 staff members spent 5 days job shadowing at Home for elderly in Spain – we job shadowed work of the EVS coordinator, mentors and volunteers, during their tasks in the Home for elderly and gathered this valuable information for the use during workshop for similar institutions that we will deliver later on during the project in Croatia.

Workshops for NGO'S

Social institutions etc.

    We started with workshops on 3.5.2018. on the island of Cres and Lošinj. On Cres we delivered the workshop in the eco-centre in Beli, governed by the Public institution for nature protection „Priroda“ from Rijeka, NGO BIOM and local NGO „Tramuntana“. Workshop gathered representatives of the eco-centre, „Tramuntana“, another local NGO „Volim Beli“, island development agency OTRA from Cres, and and representative of  Cres Museum

 

    In Mali Lošinj the workshop took place in the NGO „Idem i ja“ and gathered representatives from NGO „Idem i ja“, Centre for healthy growing, local primary and secondary school, local social institution for youth with behavioral problems, local NGO BE MORE and Women network Croatia from Lošinj.       

 

    We shared information about EVS and ESC, gave practical advices and tips and tricks, went through all the phases and possibilites of getting involved in the EVS and hopefully soon some EVS project are gonna be organized on Cres and Lošinj as the participants of the workshops showed great interest and initiative to get involved in EVS.

Altogether in the 2 years of the project we have implemented 14 workshops and included 225 participants from all over Croatia (place, date and number of participants of workshops that took place: Beli and Mali Lošinj 3.5.2018. =13, Veliki Žitnik 12.5.2018 = 18, Velika Gorica 2.7.2019 = 8, Dubrovnik 20.1.2020 = 5, Primošten 16.1.2020 =19, Solin 10.2.2020 = 21, Slatina 11.2.2020 = 14, Zabok 13.2.2020 = 14, Gospić 14.2.2020 = 21, Kloštar 20.2.2020 = 22, Varaždin 21.2.2020 = 19, Tar 25.2.2020 = 15, Rijeka 26.2.2020 =36, Zagreb 24.2.2020 =7).
Methods used were formal and non-formal - presentations, discussions, interactive group work.

       WORKSHOPS FOR YOUTH
  First workshop for youth about EVS and volunteering opportunities within Erasmus+ program of the EU, took place on 28.5.2018. in primary school in Labin, on which we gathered 29 youngsters from local community, Labin and surrounding villages. They got to know about EVS, ESC, how to get involved, how to choose a project, where to find support in applying, how to apply etc.

We implemented 9 workshops during the 2 years of the project and included 194 participants from all over Croatia (place, date and number of participants of workshops that took place: Labin 28.5.2018 - 28, Mali Lošinj 15.2.2019 - 26, Mali Lošinj 15.2.2019 - 19, 3.Gimnazija Zagreb 18.3.2019 - 13, 3. Gimnazija Zagreb 18.3.2019 - 15, Varaždin 6.5.2019 - 16, Varaždin 6.5.2019 - 25, Zabok 13.2.2020 - 18, VII. Gimnazija Zagreb (5.3.2020) - 34. Methods used were formal and non-formal - presentations, discussions, interactive group work. Youth included were 13 - 29 years old, with focus on youth aged 17 - 29.

Job shadowing in Finland

16.10-21.10.2018

IMG_2553.JPG
Slika 3.JPG
Slika 4.jpg
Slika 2.jpg
Slika 1.jpg
IMG_2544.JPG

Often the trips to new countries and meeting new people are inspiring us to try something new and to act differently in our daily life. In all that helped us a lot the five days job shadowing that we did as a part of strategic EVS project ''EVS for all''.

During this trip we had opportunities to see all the aspects of the activities of the youth worker and to get to know how they become important part of the experts team in schools.

The youth work in Lahti, Finland is basically giving support to young people in all the aspects in their everyday life as spending quality free time, supporting in developing ideas into activities, consultation about choosing the most suitable education and finding job, finding opportunities for internship and volunteering, consultation about handling finances, giving information about their social rights, organising support groups for people with mental health problems, drugs and alcohol.  All the services are provided for free, and open for all young people from17 to 29 years.

Our cooperation so far is great since we have hosted four EVS volunteers from Lahti in Outward Bound Croatia.

What impressed us the most is that the youth worker in schools doesn't have an office, but a place in the hallway so he/she is available to the students.

This experience made us realise that the role of the youth worker in school is really important as someone who is encouraging young people to take initiative and to figure out that they are responsible for their future life.

This experience was useful and give us new ideas how to be better youth workers our self by seeing another positive examples.

''EVS for all''Seminar in Samobor

26/11-01/12/18

The seminar within the strategic project "EVS for all" took place in Samobor. We spend 6 days with representatives from our long-term partner organisations: Lahden kaupunkiYerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social SciencesAsociación Juvenil AlmenarasBrno ConnectedSFERA Macedonia and Pekarna Magdalenske Mreže. During diverse sessions we exchanged our knowledge, experiences and advises on implementing volunteering projects and learned about the formal change from EVS to European Solidarity Corps. Among other things we were discussing about good mentoring, overcoming the challenges and obstacles that might appear during EVS, and our volunteers presented how they see the volunteering process from their point of view. Also we organised a visit to our Outward Bound office and Krugovi, another NGO in Zagreb so we shared our mission and way of work. While meeting relevant local stakeholders new ideas were developed for interesting future projects as we expanded our partnership network.

95ba872f-9c5f-49d0-b8c3-9461d193b2ef.jpg
IMG_2929.JPG
IMG_20181127_180208.jpg
47050585_10213325718558410_4104179617441
IMG_20181128_125557.jpg
IMG_20181128_181831.jpg

Closing conference of the project

16.7.2020.

On the conference  that took place on 16.7.2020. in Zagreb, Croatia, where the results of the project were presented and disseminated, coordinators of the project, 1 long term EVS volunteer and representatives from local NGOs involved in the project, were the speakers, on the conference, there was also a panel discussion, 30 persons participated the conference (interested young people, individuals, representatives of partner organizations, other NGOs and institutions.

109812777_3385657781464442_7034478545895
110196360_3385657928131094_3536986505379
109619958_3385657784797775_6273225879973
bottom of page