EVS European voluntary service

Är du mellan 17 och 30 och vill uppleva nya platser, människor och organisationer? Då kan EVS vara något för dig. 
Ett EVS-projekt är ett partnerskap mellan två eller flera organisationer som rekryterar volontärer till sitt projekt. SKUNK är både mottagande och sändande organisation vilket innebär att vi både kan hjälpa dig som kommer från Åland vill vara volontär någon annanstans och du som skulle vilja vara volontär på Åland.

Projekten varar mellan två och tolv månader och kan gälla allt möjligt, t.ex. barn och ungdomar, idrott, kultur, kulturarv, konst, djurskydd, miljö och utvecklingssamarbete. Innan du åker hem igen får du ett intyg som beskriver det projekt du har jobbat med – ett s.k. Youthpass. Du får boende, mat, försäkring och fickpengar. Det enda du måste betala är en liten del av resekostnaderna.

 Vill du veta mer om hur det går till? Kontakta oss på SKUNK så berättar vi mer.

SKUNK tog emot sina första volontärer sommaren 2016 och är mycket nöjda och glada över att vi ansökte och efter ett första försök fick planen godkänd. Om man har en anställd som kan arbeta tillsammans med och coacha volontärer så kan vi verkligen rekommendera andra organisationer att  ansöka. 

OM EVS

To be an volunteer in skunk

The volunteers join SKUNK to work with developing leisure time activities for teenagers in six small communities, Vårdö, Brändö, Sottunga, Kökar, Föglö and Kumlinge. On this geographical wide spread area there only lives 150 youths and due to the geographical obstacles it is very difficult meeting other people and doing different leisure time activities. This project will train two volunteers who will travel around the archipelago engaging youths in afterschool activities for the youths age 6-15 depending on the activity.

How SKUNK arrange the volunteers staying and work  on Åland
SKUNK prepare all practical arrangement on Åland Island together with the volunteers so we adjust for their needs. The preparation and training is organized by SKUNK according to "Guidelines and Minimum Quality Standards of the European Commission" to address the needs of participants in terms of task-related, intercultural and possibly specific linguistic preparation. The training is hold in a form of online sessions.

We are in contact with our schools about cooperation and the possibilities with the EVS program and we also keep in contact with other stakeholders on Åland so the volunteers can be involved in different activities at their own leisure time.

SKUNK will plan the program, arrange food and accommodation and travelling to the 6 archipelago municipalities and the 6 schools. As of safety, well being, mentoring and support the board of SKUNK is involved as mentor-friends to make sure the volunteers are safe and as for insurance and social security this will be taken care of by SKUNK. The Youth coach is with the participants and volunteers through the year providing safety and mentorship for everyone. As of accommodation the volunteers live in an apartment close to SKUNKs office in Mariehamn. When we are traveling around in the archipelago, we sleep in the schools or at friends´ home due to the lack of hostel or other accommodation in the archipelago. The lunch is given to the volunteers when they are in schools and at the office we all bring lunch with us from home or eat out. During the office days, they have their own bike to go to work or to the shop, otherwise they travel around the archipelago mostly by bus and boat.

What do the volunteers bring...
...for SKUNK?
They contribute to reach the objectives of the organisation. They have met all 150 young people who live in the archipelago via the school and then meet them later on in different activities. Young people in the archipelago are marginalised due to the archipelago is such a widespread area where all participants have geographical obstacles and where  it´s very difficult to using the public transportation to get around (most of the time there is no public transportation and SKUNK often have to use taxi and sometimes taxi boat). So, thanks to the flexibility of the volunteers, they can bring activities inside those excluded municipalities. SKUNK have chosen them because they have a genuine curiosity to do the work which is needed in our area. Also, both Laurie and Mykola has worked at summer camps and camps are an important part of SKUNKs work. It will be good to get new perspective of the method for both SKUNK and the volunteers as camps can be done in many ways.

...for Åland?
Living in the archipelago it is ever so important to understand the possibilities of being a European citizen and the internationalization. The traditional working places are disappearing and we need to develop and train our entrepreneurial thinking to ensure the future of the rural areas, this is important for the young as well as the grown-ups and the politicians to see. This will be one of the impact EVS project SKUNK´s Craft of Project as well as learning more of other culture and practice language and social skills. They will have a possibility to show how to participate in an european project and travel in Europe to share their culture and skills with people, and finally, to bring new skills and knowledge to home. This program can indirectly improve the Åland society.

"Thanks to this, I know how to improve myself and maybe my presence had helped some people to become better. I learnt new tools and new methods to work with this public. Today, I'm more confident to start my studies to become social.”
Laurie, EVS volunteer.

​“It was really exciting year for me with full of everything. But the main thing that had happened with me it was of course my SKUNK EVS project. For that time I have been learning a lot of new stuff and about myself. New culture gave me so huge understanding your own being and you have nice possibility to compare good and not so nice side of your and other culture. Bring something new for you and share yours with everyone. The main new things that I had opened was the swedish principle of human being “lagom”. I would like to take it and bring it to Ukraine as well. It is kind of things in your life that  are much worth than money or some stuff.

Also this year gave me to know a lot of new people. Even too much. Unfortunately, you don't have so much time to keep with them in touch. New understanding of teenagers life, how to survive in so small islands, how to trust everyone, how to be “lagom person”.

Mykola, EVS volunteer.