European Voluntary Service directly from prison

'Everything's possible' is a national organisation, situated in the United Kingdom, which supports young people and offers them opportunities for European mobility. Everything's Possible specifically, but not exclusively, targets young people from minority ethnic communities as well as those with less opportunities. The organisation also has a presence in a prison in the North of England, where they run a citizenship education programme, and also offer young people on release from prison the chance of involvement in European mobility programmes.

Case Study: Tariq

Tariq was a persistent offender, mainly due to lack of family support, and was even resigning himself to the fact that he preferred to be in prison, rather than trying to survive as a homeless person in the outside world.

After much trouble getting Tariq a passport, he needed a birth certificate first and the name he went under was not the one on his birth certificate, he spent 3 weeks on a placement in Denmark

The experience was working alongside offenders in Denmark who work and live in a Social Enterprise as an alternative to prison. Everything's Possible normally send two young people to this project at any one time, in order to offer peer support between the volunteers, but also allowing the chance to integrate with young people from other countries.

Tariq enjoyed his experience, it was a first taste of work for some time and he was keen to talk about his experiences with potential volunteers. He attended one of the citizenship events Everything's Possible regularly holds in the prison to publicise European Voluntary Service.

Unfortunately Tariq recently returned to prison and may well be in prison for some considerable time. It could be that he could spend some of this time promoting European Voluntary Service!

• Everything's possible can be contacted at www.everythingspossible.org

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A song by a ex-offender volunteer with Everything's Possible

Life's hard when you've been behind bars,
Mental & Physical scars, waiting for years to pass,
But I'm free now nothing's stayed the same,

With two nephews, I'm an uncle with a next on the way,
Second of seven and driven by my sibling's achievements,
Out looking for work, I found some people named PEACAN

They said, they're there for ex-offenders,
I said "The world's against us.
Tell me how do we impress employers?"

See I can get paid many ways easily,
but now I'm free I want to stack it legally,
All my boys is locked up, fiends, or deceased,
Don't want to be a wasteman roaming the streets

I told Peacan "You must understand I'm a changed man,
Won't offend again want to help other children,
so they won't take that path",
GBH, robberies, not going to class, Come out the dark, cos,

• There isn't a single vision that's impossible
• All things are possible!

Want to help another youth, EVS is there for you
So what you wanna do? What you wanna go?
Yeah it may be difficult but

• It's not impossible,
• All things are possible,

Now I'm up in Sweden on a voluntary scheme,
Probation put me through to EVS I'm living my dream,
I'm getting closer to the kind of life I see myself in,

• Everything is Possible,

I'm packing up that life of sin,
Wanna make a change,
I'm in the studio, dropping lines like dominoes,

Surrounded by faces I aint seen before,
talking a language I don't know,
Its different cultures, sharing cultures, not just a free trip,
I'm having fun, but learning so much with those I work with,

Joachim, Adam & I went to blue hill,
saw so many girls street dancing,
Adrenelin pumping, like they can't stand still,
Look at any watch and know exactly where the day's gone,

So much done, we're heading back to where we came from,
Hurgadsta a house, looking like big brother,
Heavy clouds above us, but no-one worried 'bout the weather
I hit the bed memories of the day in my head
I feel blessed I got to know EVS

• There isn't a single vision that's impossible
• All things are possible!

Want to help another youth, EVS is there for you
So what you wanna do? What you wanna go?
Year it may be difficult but

• EVERYTHING is POSSIBLE!
• It's not impossible,
• All things are possible

Sweden June 2006

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