SERVIZIO VOLONTARIO EUROPEO
INGHILTERRA

ORGANISATION: Dingle Made Safe, Liverpool

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: To provide community groups , schools and individuals, primarily in the Dingle area, with guidance and advice on arts related issues and projects. Organisation of venues and exhibitions where visual artists and photographers may exhibit and sell their work. Performances take place from local writers and poets as well as musicians and theatre clubs.

TASKS OF THE VOLUNTEER: To assist in the promotion, marketing and coordination of various arts activities in Dingle and Liverpool city centre. this includes live music and theatre, community festivals and record releases.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: The local adult education centre(THE phoenix) has courses in Spanish, freench, italian and German and teachers have promised to support the volunteers for any linguistic requiremants they may have. dingle 200 develoment trust has recruited Steven Carden, their community development worker for management and monitoring.

ORGANISATION: Share Discovery '80 Limited, Lisnaskea

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: Volunteer arts worker

Share is a residential activity centre pioneering the integratinal of the physically and mentally disabled with the able bodied. Situated on the shores of Loch Erne, a wide range of activities are provided which utilise the leisure opportunites afforded by the water, including boating, canoeing, sailing, wind surfing, pleasure and sightseeing trips on our barge, swimming and fitness in the leisure suite, walking, archery, orienteering, barbecues, museum visits, day trips and social evenings. Our target population includes voluntary organisations for the elderly and disabled, school and youth groups, community groups and individuals in Northern Ireland in particualr but also throughout the rest of Ireland and beyond. The centre which is a registered charity relies on the genorosity of private individuals and companies in generating money, materials and time. We have a large team of volunteers who provide assistance in all aspects of the centre's work including fundraising, caring, catering, housekeeping, maintenance, and outdoor activities. Volunteers are of all ages and backgrounds and include a great many young people who provide assistance to our many elderly and disabled guests on respite care holidays in the summer months. The centre has links with the Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association, who in a unique partnership with Share all own property on site. We also run a programme to train young people as instructors in out-door persuits funded by the European Social Fund. There are 18 students aged 18 to 25 at present. The centre obtains its funding from charitable donation by individuals and groups, economic activity in the off season which generate runnig costs and by grant aid.

TASKS OF THE VOLUNTEER: Volunteer Arts Worker - The Centre recently employed an Arts Development Worker, financed under the Special Fund for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland. We have also secured funding form the Arts Concil Lotterly Board here to build a multipurpose Arts Area to serve the wider area. The broad purpose of the arts programme which has been running for approximatley 6 months is to provide opportunities for children and young people to participate in Arts activities, especially those which are new to them or to which they would not normally have access. The aim is to develop creativity, personal expression, self identity, and self esteem and confidence. These are especially applicable to children with special needs, difficult backgrounds and learning or other disabilities. To date the type of activities have included drama, music, painting, animation, printing, kite making and video making. Many of these will focus on the local environment and use material from it. Activities are carried out on both group and individual basis and although sometimes offered as a short discrete activity, the aim is to work on a longer term basis with some groups. The volunteer would be required to assist the Art Development Worker in providing activities. On a practical level this will largely include the collection and preparation of materials and the working area, but will also include bands on experience with the group and some input into the planning and running and evaluation of activities. As we are a residential centre, other work will be expected from time to time and will include helping out with catering, house keeping and maintenance. There will be the opportunity for the young person to obtain training in arts activities and participate in water activities such as canoeing or windsurfing. The person must have some experience of Arts activities, be imaginative , creative, and interested in working with children and young people. Enthusiasm, motivation, the ability to work well as part of a team and get on well with others of all ages and backgrounds are very important.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: Overall supervision will be by the volunteerCo-ordinator who will liase with the person responsible for co-ordinating the centre on a weekly basis. training will be provided in the relevant aspects of the centre's work and there will be the opportunity for the young person to participate in some out-door activities. the largest town in the country has a college of Further and Higher Education and it is envisaged that they will be able to provide English classes if required. They have an extensive outreach programme and the young person will have access to a wide variety of educational, recreational and cultural activies dependent upon their own interests. Ideally there will be a system in palce allowing the person to meet up with other EVS volunteers in Northern Ireland to share experiences, to evaluate and discuss the projects as well as providing the opportuinty to socialise. although it will not be a aprt of their work, volunteers will be encouraged to learn and enquire about the cultural and political situation in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom and gain an understanding of life here.

ORGANISATION: Sheiling Curative School Camphill Community Thornbury, Bristol

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: Sheiling school
The Sheiling School Thornbury is more than just a school, it is a therapeutic community, providing a total environment which children can be helped towrads their full potential. Curative Education is the term used to describe the work in the school, and this means not only a balanced combination of teaching, care and therapy, it also includes every aspect of the child's existence from walking to sleeping in all of which education and healing can take place. Children are grouped in dormitories of two, three or four. This grouping is done with the awareness and diversity of special needs which can be of real benefit. Children mixed in this way are often able to help each other in remarkable and unexpected ways. In school the children receive a broad education based on Rudolf Steiner's Waldorf Curriculum, classes tend to be small and formed according to age rather than ability. The fees are met by the Education Department of the local Authority concerned. At present there are about 40 school children between the ages of 6 and 16 distributed over 4 households and others aged 16 - 19 living in 2 houses.
This is a closed project, only accepts volunteers from already existing partners.

TASKS OF THE VOLUNTEER: The volunteers will be involved with the care of the general daily needs of the children as well as fostering their development and potential in all areas e.g. independence, life and social skills . Life and Social skills are given special emphasis with small group tuition in the classroom followed by application in the local community. The pupils practise the use of public transport, telephone, dealing with money and communication skills in the wider community. In school the volunteers help during some school lessons under the guidance of the class teacher. There will be classes/workshops in singing,various crafts, swimming etc. The volunteers also participate in training sessions for the Course in Curative Education. In addition the volunteers are involved in the many cultural activities which focus on the celebration of the Christian festivals and form an important part of the community's life. Other activities include walks with the children and visiting places of interest. During some weekends and during leisure time they could for example accompany children to the library, go shopping or assist in other general leisure activities.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: Each house has permanent houseparents who are supporting the new young volunteers personally and humanly. Each class has a teacher who support and help the new volunteers in learning how to help and support the children.

ORGANISATION: The National Trust, Brockhampton

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: The National Trust owns a large country estate at Brockhampton, which is open to the public. The most important single feature of the estate is its 14th century traditional English timber-framed Manor House. The estate is a combination of amenity parkland and woodland, commercial woodland and commercial farmland. The National Trust sees it very much as a working estate and the commercial activities of farming and the sale of forest products helps to sustain the estate as a public amenity.

TASKS OF THE VOLUNTEER: Volunteers will assist NT staff in conservation duties on the estate and in ensuring that it is accessible to the visiting public. The NT estate office at Brockhampton is the base for a team of seven staff. It is also the headquarters of the NT's Countryside Department for the counties of Hereford and Worcester. Volunteers who work from Brockhampton, therefore, may be working on a number of NT estates in these counties, but will start work each day at Brockhampton, with transport being provided to other estates when necessary. One volunteer will work mainly with the Countryside department as a warden's assistant. The duties will include some forestry work (on Parkland trees), landscaping work, maintaining paths etc. The other volunteer will work mainly within the Forestry department, working chiefly on the woodland areas of the estate, on conservation duties. Quite often, though, the countryside and forestry teams work together so there will be a variety of tasks for each volunteer. Volunteers will receive appropriate training in safety and in conservation techniques.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: Overall supervision will be provided by Mr David Hughes, NT countryside manager for Hereford and Worcester, who is based at Brockhampton. Comprehensive support and evaluation services will be provided by EIL.