EVS GUIDE BOOK+

LIFE LEARNING EXPERIENCE.

1. EVS European Voluntary Service

EVS description

Objectives The aim of the European Voluntary Service (EVS) is to develop solidarity and promote active citizenship and mutual understanding among young people. What is a European Voluntary Service project? The European Voluntary Service enables young people to carry out voluntary service for up to 12 months in a country other than their country of residence. It fosters solidarity among young people and is a true ‘learning service’. Beyond benefiting local communities, volunteers learn new skills and languages, and discover other cultures. An EVS project has three phases:

planning and preparation

implementation of the Activity

evaluation (including reflection on a possible follow-up). Non-formal learning principles and practice are reflected throughout the project. An EVS project can focus on a variety of themes and areas of intervention, such as culture, youth, sports, social care, cultural heritage, arts, civil protection, environment, development cooperation, etc. High-risk interventions in immediate post-crisis situations (e.g. humanitarian aid, immediate disaster relief, etc.) are excluded. It is designed to implement one or more EVS Activities. EVS Activity An EVS Activity has three essential components: The Service: the volunteer is hosted by a promoter in a country other than her/his country of residence andcarries out voluntary service for the benefit of the local community.

The service is unpaid, non profit-making and full-time.

EVS Training and Evaluation Cycle: the promoters involved in the EVS Activity must ensure that each volunteer participates in:

pre-departure training

on-arrival training

mid-term evaluation (for a Service lasting more than 4 months)

evaluation of the Activity.

All training courses must comply with the Guidelines and minimum

quality standards set by the Commission; details are available on the website of the European Commission. For further information on the EVS Training and Evaluation Cycle, please consult section 'What else should you know about EVS?' under this Action. Ongoing volunteer support: the promoters must provide personal, task-related, linguistic and administrative support to each volunteer involved in the Activity. For further information, please consult section 'What else should you know about EVS?' under this Action An EVS Activity involving young people with fewer opportunities includes specific elements to ensure that adequate support is provided to the volunteers. According to the number of promoters and volunteers involved, an EVS Activity can be defined as an Individual or Group EVS Activity: Individual EVS Activity: 1 volunteer sent by one Sending

Organisation to one Host Organisation Group EVS Activity: between 2 and 100 volunteers sent by one or

several Sending Organisations to one orseveral Host Organisations. The distinguishing feature of the Group EVS Activity is that volunteers carry outtheir Service in the same time frame and the tasks they carry out are linked to a common thematic.A GroupEVS Activity can also be linked to a specific event; in this case the Activity requires a solid partnership withthe organising body of the event and the volunteers' tasks must all relate to the event.

2. Spain

Capital: Madrid Population: 47,042,984

The Geography of Spain Total Size: 504,782 square km Geographical Coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W World Region or Continent: Europe Geographic surface: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north, Sierra Nevada in the south and the Central Mountain Rage in the centre Geographical Low Point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m Geographical High Point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast Major cities: MADRID (capital) 5.762 million; Barcelona 5.029 million; Valencia 812,000 (2009), Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga

The People of Spain Type of Government: parliamentary monarchy Languages Spoken: Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%; note - Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages are official regionally Independence: the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century AD and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain National Holiday: National Day, 12 October Nationality: Spanish Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% National Symbol: Pillars of Hercules National Anthem or Song: Himno Nacional Espanol (National Anthem of Spain)

Brief History of Spain Spain is located in Southwest Europe on the eastern Iberian Peninsula which it shares with Portugal. The Iberian Peninsula has been occupied by many empires over the centuries. The Phoenicians arrived in the 9th century BC, followed by the Greeks, Carthaginians, and the Romans. The Roman Empire would have a lasting impact on Spain's culture. Later, the Visigoths arrived and drove out the Romans. In 711 the Moors came across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa and conquered most of Spain. They would remain there for hundreds of years until the Europeans would retake Spain as part of the Reconquista. In the 1500s, during the Age of Exploration, Spain became the most powerful country in Europe and likely the world. This was due to their colonies in the Americas and the gold and great wealth they acquired from them. Spanish conquistadors such as Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro conquered much of the Americas and claimed them for Spain. However, in 1588 in a battle of the world's great navies, the British defeated the Spanish Armada. This started the decline of the Spanish Empire. In the 1800s many of Spain's colonies started revolutions to separate from Spain. Spain was fighting too many wars and losing most of them. When Spain lost the Spanish-American war against the United States in 1898, they lost many of their primary colonies. In 1936, Spain had a civil war. The nationalist forces won and General Francisco Franco became leader and ruled until 1975. Spain managed to remain neutral during World War II, but somewhat sided with Germany, making things difficult after the war. Since the death of the dictator Franco, Spain has moved toward reforms and improving its economy. Spain became a member of the European Union in 1986.

3. Arenas de San Pedro

A mountain village of 7000 habitants. Located 48km from Talavera de la Reina, 180km from Madrid and 80km from Avila (the capital of the province). It has two primary schools, three secondary schools, a health centre, justice court, police office, library, cultural centre and of course a church. There is no public transport with in the village. You can cross the whole village in half an hour.

The weather:

In October is still warm during the day (25/30ºC) but at night it will be already a bit colder (15ºC). The coldest months are from December till February. March uses to be pretty warm getting bad weather in Easter. In the winter there is snow in the mountains but never in the village which lays on 800m high. The Tietar Valley has a microclimate and is much warmer than anywhere around her. That is why in the summer there are cherries, figs, oranges, apples, nuts, plums and more fruits.

4. Ways to integrate yourself in Arenas de San Pedro

THINGS YOU CAN DO: YOGA & Meditation: with Harmony/ Ester, Nigama DANCE (in La Jara and in the primary school – they have

some flamenco dance rehearsals over there)

GOING FOR WALKS: at the castle, the Palace, the big lake, the old road from Arenas de San Pedro to La Para, etc.

TRAVELING to others villages: Guisando, El Hornillo, El Arenal, Candeleda, etc.

CYCLING (it’s a very appreciated sport in Arenas) CLIMBING (climbing panel in Arenas de San Pedro + rocks

to climb in Los Galayos – Sierra de Gredos and in the surroundings)

CHOIR - a small choir and a big choir - in the Music School – Escuela de Musica- Casa de la Cultura – They are very cool people, very funny, they speak very fast spanish, but I felt really integrated there.

TREKKING (in Sierra de Gredos mountains– La Mira Peak 2343 m, Los Galayos – very beautiful rock formations, Victory Refuge, Laguna Grande). More info: http://www.wikirutas.es/rutas/Castilla_y_Leon/avila/Sierra_de_Gredos/

Pay attention: Few of the routes are marked.

SWIMMING: There are natural river pools where you can take a bath during the summertime (as well as the one beside your house).

TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTAL SPANISH MUSIC: Each Wednesday, at 9 o'clock pm, some musical groups are practicing this kind of music at Local de las Asociaciones (where there will also be the youth meetings). You can ask them if you want to listen, and they will totally agree with this. You can also play on their instruments or bring your own to share your music.

PLACES/BARS YOU CAN GO: - CASA DE LA CULTURA (they have many events going on here) - SALA EL BALCON (different events) - LA JARA (different spiritual events) - MOON & ROCK BAR - we did here two of our events, the owner is a very open minded girl - Monika, - CHICANOS (the most well known bar), - MERRICK’S BAR - irish pub - LUIGI BOCCHERINI BAR - really nice owner, a Bulgarian woman

5. Asociacion Jovenes

Solidarios

Already 7 years of organizing, coordinating and developing projects and activities for young people from rural areas. We believe that we can make the difference in our small or big community by passing through message about Europe and countries beyond it´s boundries , the world of the equal opportunities. A message against racism, xenophobia, prejudices.

In Asociación Jóvenes Solidarios WE BELIEVE in the value of youth mobility, youth citizen Participation and sustainable development. We welcome you in Jóvenes Solidarios website and in our organization which is providing young people with information and opportunities for non-formal and informal learning with a European and global dimension.

6. WHO ARE WE?

Alisa I am Alisa, the black girl from the Faroe Islands. I decided to do EVS because I wanted to get away from my life at

home travel and learn. This experience has been an amazing journey, with many ups and downs. But with all the challenges, I have gained so much strength and awareness of so many things. We made this booklet to help future volunteers with to be more integrated into the village, As it was one of our biggest challenge. So I hope it will help you. My advice: Don't worry if its hard with the language in the beginning, just relax and take things as they come. Find me on facebook: lovecubell2001@yahoo.com (Alisa Hentze) Check out our blog: www.wevolunteerwithevsajs.blogspot.com .

Ade: I am a 23 years old girl from Romania. I chose this EVS because I wanted to gain more confidence in myself , and more

experience in the nonformal educational field. I am the very enthusiast, sensitive and affective one. :) I’ve learnt allot from this experience. Being very sociable, I had many conflicts with myself (especially with the integration part), but then I had to stand up and find ways of solving them so to feel better… It was so nice to try this experience, even sometimes I felt like a monk! I’ve learnt so many things! I hope you will enjoy this booklet; we’ve made it wholeheartedly so that you won’t feel alone! Open it whenever you want to find some inspiration for your experience. If you want to contact me and ask me something, you can do it on Facebook (search for ‘“Adela Nedelcu”) or write to my e-mail address here: acnedelcu@yahoo.com. So to know, we really became the superstars of the village, as we said at the beginning of our experience... We hope the same for you!

IMPORTANT! We would appreciate if you can also complete this EVS guide with your experience, so that the new generations of AJS EVS volunteers could stay up-to-date. (If you need the template for this booklet please contact Ade) Thank you!

The AJS EVS Volunteers 2012 – 2013 generation :D

7. WHAT WE DID HERE (AJS WORK)

In the office:

Blog updates Website updates

Making videos for promotion Helping with documents

Outside the office: - Painting with the children = The children are so wonderful and calm. It’s a very chill class.

English with the children = They can be a challenge, as they need clear communication and authority, but they are so wonderful. This was my favorite activity. (Alisa)

Youth meetings = They can be hard to work with, they have so much energy. Maybe some are shy in the beginning, but if you are confident and open with them, they will come around:)

Santa Cruz activities = The children here are so open and happy to be with the volunteers. Here you take as much responsibility as you want. You can do different creative activities with the children, just plan them 1 week in advance and tell Alicia.

General mood & attitude of the youngsters: In the beginning, we felt kind of invisible, because they were afraid of trying to talk to us

(also because we didn’t know the language), but after we began speaking a little bit Spanish and did more activities with them, they began to be more closer to us. In the end, they felt so sad that we left... :) General mood & attitude of the children: Painting class - chill mood, everybody is working on their own.

English classes - The little ones are very cute and energetic, so you always have to have something for them to do. If not, they will get out of control. They adore drawing, playing and dancing. The big ones - They are really intelligent, but also shy. When they will trust you, they will ask a lot of questions.

Extra events:

AJS Flashmob = We help made the flashmob for the youth. Was crazy fun! With Dance and batucada.

AJS FESTIVAL = This is the final festival. You will probably have different talents that you can share with the group. Your job is to make sure that everyone reaches the deadline in time, and support and help you youth group when needed. Coordinate the time, so everyone knows what to do when, within your activity.

Barrio Tietar Dance show: This is a place in the town La Adrada. ITS AN AWESOME PLACE. About 30 – 40 min away from Arenas. Here we made a dance show. You can meet sooo many wonderful poeple here, and if you want to get involved in activities, they do soo many things there. Ask Guillermo or Monia about this place. (I HIGHLY RECOMEND TO HAVE A VISIT)

Our own initiative:

- Concert = As Ade is a wonderful musician, she made her own Concert in café Merricks and Moon & Rock.

- Open Xpressions = This was an activity we made, inspired by some Norwegian friends. If you want to organize it, you are very welcome. We have talked to the bar Moon & Rock, and they are very open to work together. It will be a great opportunity for you to get to know more people within the town. Contact Alisa, for more info about Open X*

- Living Library = We made this event to clear our stereotypes. It was a fun and chill event. We made it on a weekday, but I think it would have turned our better if we made it on a weekend. People seem to be more busy during the week.

- Eco batucada = Ade took the initiative to talk to the schools and give out free batucada classes to the students. Great opportunity to connect to other youngsters and promote the organization.

- Free Hugs day = On our last week, we shared some love to the town with free hugs for everyone.

Key things to know:

- Best times to make an event is in the start of your EVS or in the last month, because that is when you have most time

April – June is the busiest month

- Events on weekends seem to work best, even on Friday

- Even if in the association they aren’t too enthusiastic about your project in the beginning, it is still a good experience to take the risk and try to do it on your own. You will learn SOOOO much from it, and it might help you gain a bigger network outside the organization.

8. MEMBERS OF THE

ASSOCIATION and

other people from

Arenas de S.P.

:)

Monia

She is the boss, but she is also very sensitive. So you'll have to be careful how and when you want to share an idea. She really wants to help you, so if you need help, she is always ready to give advice. Maybe sometimes too much, but you should just know your limits, and communicate with her. COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY!!

Guillermo

Very nice down to earth guy. He is the SURPRISING friend. He has a very interesting story of his life to tell. You will see.

Dylan

Dylan is a great person. He is a drummer and the “chief” of the Batucada AJS youngters group. So helpful and really helped us connect to other people here in Arenas.

Sara

Sara is Dylan's sister, she is also a very wonderful person. Open minded, helpful and loving carrying.

Lara

Lara loves to dance; she can be a bit shy in the beginning, but after a while she will warm up to you. She is conducting the Dancing AJS youngsters group.

Agus

The super kid. He is very creative with the music, theatre and dancing. He is always opened to collaborate in creative activities.

Morgaine Really a wonderful person. She is Dylan’s and Sara's Mum. She can really help with advises and mental support. She is also the best spanish teacher ever. Morgaine has a finca, so it is possible to help her in her activities. You can meet soo many interesting people through her workshops.

Elias He is the Music man of the town. Has a music studio, and great sound equipment. VERY TALENTED.

Monika

She is the owner of the Moon & Rock Bar. She loves collaborating, so you can easily organize events at her bar.

Juana

A wonderful woman. She is the teacher of an alternative school in Hornillo. You can ask her if you want to visit the school, and help with the activities one day.

Nigama

A vegetarian cook from Brazil. She is devoted to Amma (see more here: http://www.embracingtheworld.org/amma/). She also does deep meditation, prayers. She loves to sing and has an amazing voice!

Roberto

The hip hop dude. He is eager to learn English, so he is very open to try his best at speaking. COOL DUDe – he also sings RAP.

Alberto

Another HipHop dude. He also made EVS in Italy. He is very friendly and funny. He can connect you to the hiphop and youth guys here in Arenas.

Estela

She is and Argentinian music director and teacher. She is currently a director at the Music School in Arenas de San Pedro. She is also conducting two choir groups. If you're interested into singing, you should contact her. She is very motivated to have new people there.

Ester and Alicia They are both music teachers in the schools of Arenas. They are opened to any ideas regarding teaching music in other ways for their youngsters. They are also very sociable and they will love to meet you.

Harmony

She is a yoga teacher and she is organizing a lot of events at her beautiful house outside Arenas. She speaks excellent English as she is from London. You should also meet her partner, Jorge. Excellent spiritual and hippie lifestyle people with two beautiful children.

Ester Sanchez She is working with the Down syndrome people in Arenas and its surroundings. A special person, with a big heart.

Ester She’s a Spanish yoga teacher. If you want to go to free yoga classes, contact her to see if there are any free places.

Aurora

Crazy and beautiful girl.. She is so wild, but she doesn't speak english. But she really knows how to have fun. She lives in Madrid.

Gabriel Wonderfully friendly and open. He speaks english, and he is so chill. He also lives in Madrid, but comes sometimes to Arenas to visit his friends. You might meet him through Dylan.

Maria

She is such a beautiful girl. Very down to earth, and calm friendly personality. She comes to Arenas sometimes to visit, but lives in Salamanca.

Alejandro

He is an English teacher in Arenas, and he really wants to chat in english.

Ingrid and Harold Very nice couple that work in Madrid, but have a house in Arenas. Ingrid is an ex-professional dancer and Harold is an actor. They are opened to varied activities and ready to give you a drive in Madrid!

Guillermo E-MAIL: astrologialquimica@yahoo.es Dylan FB: https://www.facebook.com/wepdylan?fref=ts Sara FB: https://www.facebook.com/sara.anonima?fref=ts Lara FB: https://www.facebook.com/lara.triplecero?ref=ts&fref=ts Agus FB: https://www.facebook.com/agusmusica?fref=ts Morgaine FB: https://www.facebook.com/morgaine.sheluxx?fref=ts Elias TEL: 653131388 Monika FB: https://www.facebook.com/modenna?fref=ts, TEL: 627065897 Juana TEL: 661867255 Nigama TEL: 633 079 889, FB: https://www.facebook.com/cocina.energetica?fref=ts&ref=br_tf Roberto FB: https://www.facebook.com/rober.lozanolizardo?fref=ts Alberto FB: https://www.facebook.com/amunozgonzalez3?fref=pb&hc_location=friends_tab Estela FB: https://www.facebook.com/estela.salomone?fref=ts Ester & Alicia TEL: 630521372(Ester), FB: https://www.facebook.com/alicia.rodriguezblanco?fref=ts (Alicia) Harmony TEL: 647824770, FB: https://www.facebook.com/harmony.hannigan?fref=ts Ester Sanchez TEL: 699251647; Ester (yoga teacher) TEL: 662211714 Aurora FB: https://www.facebook.com/aurora.rosi.75?fref=ts Gabriel FB: https://www.facebook.com/gabryporsimismo Maria FB: https://www.facebook.com/marywankenoby?fref=ts Alejandro E-MAIL: jandrosalas@gmail.com Ingrid & Harold TEL: 617017911

Good luck, we hope that you

will make many, many, many

friends around there!

9. THE HOUSE (LA

CASITA)

A heaven in autumn, spring and summer and a hell in winter. During the winter, try to wear thick clothes and eat very good for yourself! You won't have to adapt only to the new environment in which you're living now, but also for the cold season, so be aware of your depressions. Anyway, with some nice activities around, it'll pass like no time!

The history of the house goes back like 50 years ago, when the house belonged to an old french woman who was coming to Spain to stay only during the summer.

We generally shared the food (we had kind of the same preference for cooking) and things (toilet paper, soap, etc.) we were using in common. For these, we had to put 50 euros each per month.

( & ) DIA – The cheapest supermarket here GIGANTE – a little bit more expensive supermarket, but with

more stuff to buy HERBOLARIO – a natural products shop Chinese supermarket situated on the main road, which has

a very flexible program (besides the others) – it is opened even on Sunday until 12.00 am.

Chinese shop “EM HOME” - it's cheaper than anywhere else.

We had two bats “visiting”, by entering through the horn in the living room. For this, you can open the windows and eventually they will go out. If not, wait until they get tired and then try to get them outside within a blanket. Sometimes we were afraid about the ambient of the house in the night, when we were alone, because everything seemed so visible for the outside. But we heard robbers mostly steal lonely houses during the winter! Hehehe!

You will find the best relaxation here: time for yourself, a river whispering, some birds singing, but also you can make parties and barbeque here, invite other people for lunch...

We left you some “treasures”. Hope they will be useful for you! :)

~ ~

10. STARTING A NEW LIFe

In your EVS journey, you will encounter some pleasant or unpleasant situations. We’re talking now especially of the “bad” ones… DON’T PANNIC. STAY CALM. The EVS journey is a learning path. Take everything NEW as a challenge, even if sometimes is awkward, strange, disgusting, terrible, painful…let’s say: a little bit trouble maker for your peaceful mind & soul. Always try to find SOLUTIONS for getting out of the SHIT. You can do it, you awesome EVS volunteer dude! And don’t forget… You really are a very special and strong person! May the Force be with You! Ameen.

Here are some examples on how to solve conflicts: 1. Have a journal where you can describe what’ve you’ve experienced new, how you feel, etc. Personalize it with stickers, drawings, la le le lu lu lu. 2. CHAT with us! We are very open to HELP you with whatever question/doubt you may have! 3. We’ve created the… CONFLICT SOLVER!

Ex 1: My bike was robbed. + : I will walk more, I’ve learnt how to appreciate more the things -: I have to spend money on a new bike Solution: I will raise money and take a new one Ex 2: I have a conflict with my roommate because of the fact that I’m not doing the dish +: 0 – I don’t like this, I wanna go home.. Solution: I can talk again to my roommate to say that I’m not really a dishwasher, but I could sweep the floor. :D

More down you can fill in your own examples.

CONFLICTS SOLVER

SITUATION WHY POSITIVE (why do

I like it)

+

WHY NEGATIVE (why

don’t I like it)

-

HOW CAN I IMPROVE IT?

SITUATION WHY POSITIVE (why do I

like it)

+

WHY NEGATIVE (why don’t I like it)

-

HOW CAN I IMPROVE IT?

– Warning! – It’s important to maintain your calm, optimistic and humoristic perspective of life; otherwise, it is possible for the “Conflict Solver” not to work.

11. TRIPS OUTSIDE/ INSIDE ESPANA

BY:

TO: PRICE:

WEBSITE:

BUS (SAMAR) 2 ways MADRID (Spain) 20 euros www.alsa.es

BUS 2 ways PORTO (Portugal) 60 euros www.alsa.es

BUS 2 ways BORDEAUX (France) 112 euros www.alsa.es

BUS 2 ways GRANADA (Spain) 30 euros www.alsa.es

CAR (3 persons) MADRID ZARAGOZA BARCELONA

50 euros Talk to a Spanish friend

Etc… (The world is BIG) … Jamaica … Hitchhiking …Gooutsidethehouse.com

Tips & Tricks: - IF YOU BUY “IDA y VUELTA “ (GOING & RETURNING) THE TICKET IS CHEAPER

- CHECK OUT THE OFFERS!

For going to Madrid, you can also talk to some people in Arenas de San Pedro and you might have a free or a more cheaper rides, because some of them are working in Madrid so they have to go there, and then come back.

It is possible hitch hiking around the villages!

GO TRAVELING!

12. EVS trainings, EVS volunteers

Ade They were like a deep breath of air for me. Chatting with them it’s like opening worlds,

and worlds that have something in common - the desire of changing the Humanity into better. Also, don't forget that in these trainings you will make connections with volunteers

from all over Spain, so you can go travelling to the towns/pueblos of the new friends you’ll make! Happy exploring!

Alisa WOW.. IT WAS AMAZING TO MEET EVERYONE.

Use the contacts you gain through these workshops. You can talk to each other about problems within the organization, and conflict solutions. And visit them! It might be the breath of fresh air you need.

BYE BYE

(for now…)