Partnership building seminar "EVS ODYSSEY IN EUROMED"

Background

Euromed cooperation has been developing and enriching constantly since its beginning. EU and Meda countries have been bridging both sides of the Mediterranean Sea, youth organisations have been contributing to create links and to make out of this cooperation between states a reality of common projects.

A lot of youth workers are eager to experience this Euromed spirit and looking forward to get an opportunity of enriching their own individual educational pathway by starting with the Odyssey of Euromed cooperation.

A lot of youth organisations are looking forward to turn these individual wills into an exciting local hosting project, which could give them the opportunity to develop new projects, new ways of working.

This is the meaning of Euro-Mediterranean Voluntary Service: Making links, between individual projects of young people, and strategies of Euromed cooperation between youth organisations from European Union and the Mediterranean area.

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Organisational Frame

This activity combining training elements is organised in cooperation between the SALTO-YOUTH EuroMed Resource Centre, the French National Agency of the Youth in Action Programme and with the support of the Provence Alpes Côtes d'Azur regional Youth and Sport authority, in Marseille (France) from 25 to 30 October 2008.

Working languages will be English and/or French.
Participation is limited to 30 persons.

Aims and Objectives

This partner building seminar aims to be an opportunity to meet European and Mediterranean partners in EVS, to get a common understanding of the meaning of voluntary work, to develop common sending and hosting projects, to be in a "partnership- building-way- of-thinking", and to discover the richness of cultural and educational differences.

The following concrete objectives set in order to reach the aims as described above:

- To create a space of Euromed cooperation in the field of European Voluntary Service.
- To support the creation and development of new innovative and quality EVS projects in Euromed.
- To facilitate the contact making and the partnership building between youth organisations active in EVS (or willing to become so) from both sides of the Mediterranean sea.
- To get acquainted with the Youth in Action programme and its development in the frame of Euromed.
- To develop a common understanding of voluntary work and the various educational perspectives in regards to cultural diversity.

Let's get prepared to enter the next Odyssey of the new EuroMed Youth Programme with new quality EVS projects !

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Profile of the participants

30 participants

- Full time and/or volunteer youth workers, representing of youth organisations (or similar).
- Able to make a decision in the name of their NGO or with a clear mandate, that might help them to involve themselves into partnerships and projects.
- With practical experience in the Euromed Youth Programme (all actions) or with experience in the Youth in Action Programme and/or knowledge of both (all actions).
- Experienced in EVS in the frame of Euromed Youth Programme and/or Youth in Action Programme, and/or with a concrete sending or hosting project in EVS.
- Committed to attend the whole working programme of the seminar.
- Committed and available to attend the conference "networking in EVS: Odyssey contuinues which is the evaluation of the whole Euromed odysseys (Greece 2006 - Denmark 2007- Norway 2008- France 2008) that will take place from 25 to 30 of November 2008 in Greece ( each participant of the above mentioned EVS odysseys in Euromed must take part to this evaluation)

Programme elements

Contact-making oriented

- Stands and organisation market
- Exchange of practices: in Euromed, in EVS
- Partner matching
- Project and partnership time: Work on sending and hosting projects

Quality and knowledge-oriented

- Voluntary work in Euromed: Inputs and workshops
- Educational perspectives (Educational systems and visions of non formal education in the different Euromed countries): Input and workshops
- Information on the future of the Euromed Youth Programme and the future infrastructures for Meda countries (Input) subject to new information on Euromed Youth IV
- Reflection on EVS and Euromed in a wider cultural and geopolitical framework: administrative and political barriers, cultural habits and local customs...

"Euromed spirit" oriented

- Cultures and traditions evenings
- Debates on preconceived ideas and representations
- Group life moment

Application Form

Due to visa issues, there will be 2 deadlines to apply as followed:

• 18 August 2008 - Application form for MEDA applicants
• deadline postponed to 10 September 2008 - Application form for Programme Countries applicants.

Financial Aspects

Hosting costs will be covered by the French National Agency for the Youth in Action programme. Travel costs should be covered by the sending National Agencies (for Programme countries candidates)
Special arrangement is made for MEDA participants: the French National agency will also cover travel costs.
In what concerns MEDA participants, the selection is made in collaboration with the French National agency, by the Salto EUROMED and with the support of the EMYUs.

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