Profile of the Host

Voluntary Service of Armenia - Republican Headquarters of Student Brigades (HUJ) was founded in 1965 and is a registered Non-Profit Non-Governmental Organisation registered in Armenia. HUJ is a member of the Coordinating Committee of International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) at UNESCO and the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations.

The main activities run by HUJ are for and with volunteers, mainly the young people. The regular activities of our organisation include exchange of volunteers with different organisations, opening of international workcamps in Armenia, preparation and sending volunteers to different trainings and seminars, as well as EVS and other long-term projects.

The target group of organisation are young people willing to be volunteers in various partner institutions of HUJ such as orphanages, rehabilitation centres, nursing homes, hospitals, children’s health centres, educational institutions, botanical gardens and various ecological organisations, etc.

The essential aims of the organisation are to raise the social competences and employability of the youth by organising activities for national and foreign volunteers in various programs in Armenia (workcamps, training courses, medium and long-term projects) as well as facilitating the participation of local and national volunteers in similar projects abroad; to take care of orphans, children with special needs and socially indigent people by proposing activities to and for them and making them more visible for local, national and international communities.

HUJ started working with EVS volunteers already in 1997 and has a vast experience in the field. Being a specialised voluntary service organisation, the variety and quality of the projects of HUJ (both as a partner and as a coordinator) are of an utter importance and it is one of the main goals of our organisation.

After the opening of Eastern Partnership Window within the framework of Youth in Action Programme (2012-2013), HUJ has applied for and coordinated several projects under Action 3.1 and Action 2 of the Programme, thus gaining more knowledge and experience in the field of the Youth in Action that will be a valuable asset to the participation in Erasmus+ programme.

Moreover, the volunteers who have participated in short-term programs, like workcamps or training courses, obtaining experience in voluntary field participate in EVS program and gain enormous and solid experience of long-term volunteering, acquire knowledge and skills, which they will prove useful in their future lives.

Each year many Armenian youngsters participate in EVS programs in various European countries. Currently HUJ has several EVS volunteers, who started already their EVS projects in Programme Countries and yet many prospective volunteers waiting for their chance to join a project.

Besides, for several years already HUJ is a supporting organisation for 7 receiving organisations also in terms of EVS and has been delegated the practical arrangements for the volunteers (e.g. search for partners, co-selection of the volunteers, obtaining of residence permits for the volunteers, accommodation and food, provision of mentors and overall supervision of those). Besides, HUJ also held following internal trainings for EVS volunteers:

· Pre-Departure and Post-Arrival Trainings for outgoing EVS volunteers;

· "Upon-Arrival" Meeting with incoming EVS volunteers in organisations supported by HUJ;

· Mentors trainings;

· Trainings for supervisors at receiving organisations.

Our team consists of 8 employees, which is amended by a group of local volunteers during a big projects’ preparation. There are separate designated coordinators for outgoing and incoming volunteers.

The program coordinator to be in charge of pre-departure preparatory activities is highly skilled in sending the EVS and short-term volunteers. She will make sure that the volunteer is fully informed and aware of their project, the priorities and requirements of Erasmus+ in general and of EVS in particular and be by their side, even though virtually, throughout the whole EVS experience.

The incoming EVS volunteers will work with all of us and during the whole period of the Service, the volunteer will integrate in HUJ-Team. The majority of our employees knows English (some also speak French) so the language will not be obstacle for communication with the staff during the first time.

The volunteer will have a specifically named coordinator-supervisor that he/she can always come to. He has good experience of working with volunteers and thus will have a good impact on the volunteer's learning process. He is one of old volunteers of our organisation who participated in the international and local volunteering camps and has been an EVS Support Person at HUJ since 2012. Besides the work with the volunteers directly, the coordinator is also actively involved in other projects of Erasmus+: he has twice participated in annual event for EVS coordinators and other training courses in Armenia and abroad, which enriched his competences in this field. Besides the supervisor, all members of our team will support EVS volunteer and they will be ready to share their experience with him/her.

The whole team of HUJ will use their experience and competence for the fruitful implementation of the volunteers' service and their learning agenda.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 715