Meet Heloise, an EVS volunteer from France

 

European Volunteer Service or EVS: what is it?

 

An EVS project allows a young person to be a volunteer in another country for six to 12 months. EVS projects are an equal partnership between:

    * the sending organisation

    * the volunteer

    * the hosting organisation

EVS Projects cover a wide variety of themes, for example: environmental projects; heritage; community development; work with elderly people or children; and many more.

 

Who can take part?

Any young person aged between 18 and 25 can be a volunteer. Any non-profit-making organisation can be a host or a sending partner and benefit their own organisation and the community at large.

 

What are the Criteria and Features?

    * Volunteers must be 18 to 25 years old

    * Activities must be non-profit making and unpaid (for example, not job-substitution)

    * The project must take place in a country other than the home country of the volunteer

    * The project must last for six to 12 months; shorter-term projects are available to young people who may face difficulties.

 

Why send a volunteer?

Funding is available and volunteers will learn new skills and experiences, which they can pass on when they return. An EVS project creates a networking opportunity for organisations to build future projects. Any type of non-governmental organisation, association, local authority or non-profit-making body can send a volunteer.

 

Why host a volunteer?

By welcoming a volunteer, host projects can benefit from new ideas and introduce intercultural experiences to their projects and their communities. EVS projects create networking opportunities for organisations to build future projects.

Any type of non-governmental organisation, association, local authority, community initiative or non-profit making body can host a volunteer. Projects must first have a HEI (Hosting Expression of Interest) approved which will outline the tasks of the volunteer and their role in the project and the community.

 

Why become a volunteer?

Volunteers give their time and energy for a project that will benefit a local community in exchange for an opportunity to learn new skills and to make a valuable and tangible contribution to society. Volunteers will experience a different way of life in a new culture, perhaps learn a language and will certainly acquire life-skills that will be of benefit for the future.

 

EVS in volunteer Centres Ireland 2008

 

Presentation of the volunteer

Small presentation about me, an EVS volunteer. I’m Heloise, a 21 years old French girl coming from Metz town (close to Germany). I finished my study in communication in June 2007. I love travelling, discover others cultures. Also, as a French girl I like cooking different meals as crepes or cakes :)

 

Why do I do an EVS?

 During my study at school I realised English was really important in this area. As my English was not so good I decided to take one year to do something in an English country speaker. I was thinking to be “au pair” in Australia or UK but I didn’t know if I will be brave to take care of children so far away.

There is many solutions to do something abroad but I wanted a support when I will arrive in the country. I heard about European Volunteer Service when I was doing my professional trainning through my study. It was in a charity organisation in France. My responsible knew about my future plans so he suggested to me to do an EVS. I started to read some information about this program, some testimonies from other volunteers.

 

How does it work?

As it was saying above, I needed to find a sending organisation and a host organisation. During my study, I was working with a lot of charity organisations and one was a sending organisation in this program (EU youth in action programme). So, I contacted them about what I wanted, they accepted to be my sending organisation and they helped me to write cover letter, to find the best way to contact and find a host organisation, to prepare papers like insurance.

All organisations, sending and hosting, are in a commun database from the EU youth in action programme. So, each volunteer can find a sending and host organisation there in relation to their druthers.

Many areas are covered like Youth Policies, Health, European Awareness, Media and Communication, Rural Development, Social Integration, … So, as a future volunteer you can find your happiness.

Find a sending organisation is quiet easy but find a host organisation in the country and with the theme you want can be difficult. It can take more less 2 to 5 month so we need to be patient.

I started to looking for a host organisation in relation to my druthers. I sent many cover letter through email when I saw interesting projects in the country I was target which means Ireland and UK.

Finally, I found a good project in Dublin. I started on July 2008.

 

My experience abroad

It was the first time I came to Dublin and also, the first time I was living without my family. I never heard about Temple Bar, the friendly way of Irish people until I knew I was coming there.

Before to leave France, I was reading some books about Ireland in general, some traditions, special food and drinks.

When I arrived, after few days there was an On-arrival training for all volunteers in Ireland arrived in the same period as me. This training allow to know more about our rights as volunteer and meet others volunteers. You can create a network with them.

It was great to meet others volunteers and share experiences. We were doing some training, we went out in the small village where we were lived during the training.

 

Few days after my arrival:

I learn more about my host organisation: VCI or Volunteer Centres Ireland. They explained me about my activities, how I will live during my term.

As accommodation, I was living in a house with different persons. I was shared my room with a german girl and shared the flat with a Polish, a Brazilian and a Korean guy. It was the first time I was living with flatemate and it’s a good way to know people in a foreign city because most of us, when we arrive in a foreign country we don’t know anybody.

I started to enjoy my time in Dublin. With my flatemates, I was going out in some pubs, visiting some famous places in Dublin.

 

Activities in Volunteer Centres Ireland:

As I was studying communication, I stayed in this area. I updated the website of the organisation and give some ideas as well about what I can do.

I’m working in two offices located in Dublin. VCI is separate in 17 centres all around Ireland.

In the main office I look after the website and update it. Also, the others website of VCI as ammado or facebook.

In the other office I do kind of the same but I work as well about the database of volunteer.

As a volunteer do not hesitate to suggest some ideas because it’s one of the main goal of a volunteer: bring new ideas, be open-minded and be an ambassador of your country.

 

Recruitment in Connolly Station
12/09/08

This day, Yvonne (chief executive officer of VCI), Niamh (a volunteer for GIASD) and me went to promote volunteering and also Give It A Swirl Day. For that, we put a stand in Connolly Station and some others train stations. Our goal was more give some flyers with information and when people was interested, they was welcome to the stand to get more information. To promote volunteering, we should know what we want to say like the volunteer opportunities we have, which areas we suggest... Also, we should to be aware and not frustrated because people sometime is not interested in volunteering or just take a flyer so, they seems rude and not talkative but we have to keep the smile.

The thing is we have to show there is an interest to volunteer, go and speak with people... when they are waiting the train for example. It is a good experience to see the difficulty to promote an event or a cause when people doesn't know anything about it. It is a good opportunity to talk with people.

 

Refresh week at UCD (University College Dublin)
15/09/08 and 16/09/08

These two days, some volunteers and me went to UCD for the refresh week. what is it? during the beginning of the school year, there is an exhibition with all the clubs societies, some companies coming to promote them and get some members.
UCD was hosted a project for Give It A Swirl Day so, our goal was to get some volunteer for this project. A refresh week is really full of students and professional. It is the occasion to promote a lot the voluntary. During the session, I could realize than students was coming when there was something like pens or sweets. This kind of thing show us, we are in the Consumer Society and people want to know about the benefits of volunteering.
At the end of the refresh week which was during 5 days, we got 48 members for the projects at UCD for Give It A Swirl Day. It is a good thing to heard students were involved in it. We can see there is still some young people motivated to volunteering in Ireland.

 

National Ploughing Championship
23/09/08

The 22nd of September until the 25th of September was the National Ploughing Championship in Kilkenny. It is a national machinery and livestock exhibition for Irish people.

"The 2008 Ploughing Championships boasts the biggest demonstration of machinery ever seen in the country this year as well as a 70 acre trade arena with a huge cross section of businesses taking stands at one of Europe's premier agricultural events." (website of www.npa.ie)

VCI had a stand during this event. Around 70,000 people came to this event. it was a good opportunity to target a huge public and give them information about Give It A Swirl Day first but also about volunteering in general. Most of people was farmers of from a farmer family. The whether was good and we met some people interested in volunteering which was great.
The thing which was pity, was the fact some people was coming to take just some free stuff and they weren't interested in volunteering.

Through this event, I could see one of a famous event in Ireland and also see Kilkenny town. Kilkenny is a pretty town with a beautiful castle still intact.

 

***
Be volunteer in a foreign country is the occasion to learn a lot about the country, the inhabitant, the culture...you learn a lot about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses.

***

 

Give It A Swirl Day 2008
26/09/08

Give It A Swirl Day (GIASD) is the national day of volunteering organised by Volunteer Centres Ireland in conjunction with our member Volunteer Centres and other partner organisations. GIASD is a unique initiative as it concentrates on hands-on involvement rather than just fundraising,

For this event, in the morning, I participated to a project with Irish Deaf Kids organisation. We needed to take pictures of kids playing in the Imaginosity in Sandyford (kind of toy's museum) and in the Tallaght Adventure World in Tallaght (areas where kids can play). Unfortunately, there was not so many kids but it was a good way to know people who wanted to involve and give some time for kids. I visited the Museum for kids which was very interested. I wanted to come back to my childhood and played with the kids there at this moment.

In the afternoon, I went with some others volunteers to Kimmage Manor in Kimmage. It was in partnership with Spirasi organisation. It is a rest-house for old men. We went to visit them, to talk and give them an opportunity to share their experience and to make them happy. It is not easy to live in a rest-house with the same people and it is good to see others people for human relation. it brought me an human experience which was great. I talked to them, laughed with them shared experiences. Most of them went to Africa, so they told us about their experience there. I will always remember one moment which happens: we were speaking with an old man about different things then he started to sing... during this moment, we were listening him and an old man left his room to sing with him... it was like a musical movie where everybody is starting to sing. I really enjoyed share some experiences, my time to make them happy for one day. We received a feedback from Susan who works in Spirasi. She said:" Many thanks for mobilising all the volunteers that participated on the 26th event at Kimmage Manor. Tom Hogan, the Assistant Director informed me this morning that a representative from the Marian house called and asked him to pass on to all volunteers who visited them their very sincere gratitude for the gesture. Our time there was so much appreciated!"