Euro 2007 Aklhue Worldwide

Worldwide and for people of all ages

International volunteer service for different generations Supported by

FORUM European Conference 3.-4. May Paris

Coordinated by

Coordination Association “Learning and Helping Overseas”

Responsibilities: •

Coordinate participating “sending / receiving organisations”

•

Link between volunteer organisation and government

•

Central public relations: - Homepage - Flyer - Events

•

Manage the financial administration

Objectives develop and establish an international volunteer service for people of all ages

address a new target group (volunteers older than 27 years)

improve the quality of the exchange programs (dialog with the partners abroad and cooperation within the IFL-network)

arrange an inter-cultural and inter-generational dialog

Members of the IFL-Project 11 Volunteer organisations 1.

AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V.

2.

Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste e.V. (ASF)

3.

Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Frieden (AGDF)

4.

Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB)

5.

Arbeitskreis „Lernen und Helfen in Übersee“ e.V. (AK LHÜ)

6.

Katholische Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Freiwilligendienste (kath. BAG)

7.

Caritas / IN VIA Katholische Mädchensozialarbeit Deutscher Verband e.V.

8.

EIRENE – Internationaler Christlicher Friedensdienst e.V.

9.

Evangelische Freiwilligendienste für junge Menschen FSJ + DJiA gGmbH

10. Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED) 11. Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Entwicklungshilfe (AGEH) 12. Freunde der Erziehungskunst Rudolf Steiners e.V. 13. Friedenskreis Halle e.V. 14. Internationaler Christlicher Jugendaustausch e.V. (ICJA) 15. Peace Brigades International e.V. (pbi) 16. Senior Experten Service e.V. (SES) 17. Soziale Friedensdienste im Ausland e.V. (SoFiA)

Volunteers worldwide IFL-Volunteers work in more than 40 countries

Asia: 55 Europe: 52

North America: 6

Africa: 23

South America: 57

Australia/Oceania: 1

Neuseeland: 1

Volunteers worldwide Asia

South America

57

Bolivia

11

Europe

52

Brasil

5

Belgium

2

Costa Rica

7

Bosnia

2

Ecuador

3

France

14

El Salvador

1

Guatemala

55

China

3

Georgia

1

India

3

Indonesia

5

Israel

32

Great Britain

7

4

Ireland

3

Honduras

2

Italy

1

Columbia

11

Kosovo

1

Nicaragua

6

Lithuania

3

Panama

3

The Netherlans

1

Peru

4

Poland

2

North America

6

Portugal

1

Canada

1

Romania

6

USA

5

Spain

3

Austr./Oceania

1

Czech Rep.

4

New Zealand

1

Togo

1

Ukraine

2

Chad

1

Uganda

2

Germany

58

Malaysia

2

Nepal

1

Palastine

8

Africa

23

Ghana

1

Mosambique

2

Namibia

1

Niger

1

Nigeria

2

South Africa

12

Volunteers worldwide Volunteers from more than 20 countries are active in Germany

Canada 1 USA 1

France 1 Italy 1 Poland 2 Czech Rep. 2

Russa 4 Kyrgyzstan 3 Georgia 2

Romania 6 Ukraine 1 Israel 3

Japan 2 Taiwan 3 China 1 Nigeria 1 Bolivia 2 Brasil 8 Columbia 9

India 3 Nepal 1

Length of stay Dauer der Einsätze 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

3 Monate

4-5 Monate

6 Monate

Length of stay of the volunteers abroad

7-11 Monate 12 Monate

> 12 Monate

IFL: women & men Distrubution of Gender

male 34%

female 66%

since June 2005

Diversity: Fields of activity public relations, Fundraising and administration 4%

education 13% disabled people 25%

enviromental protection 1% prevention of violence, peace work and reconciliation work 7% human rights, support of civil society 11%

children and youth 17%

homeless people and migrants 7%

elderly 13%

health care, HIV / AIDS 2%

Financing the volunteer service Costs • • • • • •

Travel expenses, Visa preparation (country studies, language course,…) board and lodgings pocket money insurance Ongoing servicing of volunteers through the sending organisation (crisis management, trainings,…)

Funding 1. By the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth 2. Donations and funds of the NGOs 3. Participants fees or from supporter circles (depends on the country and the NGO)

Open for all generations

• Minimum age is 18 years • In principle there is no age limit, except some NGOs have special agreements with the “workplace”. In this cases the age limit range between 75 or 88 years. • Age margin of the volunteers: from 18 to 71 years.

Open for all generations

34% bis 27 28-49 54%

über 49 Jahre 12%

Î46 % of the participants are older than the classic age group of volunteers (18-27 years) Î The average age of a volunteer is: 32 years.

Open for all generations The age of the online applicants

51%

26%

bis 27 Jahre 28 - 49 Jahre Ab 50 Jahre

23%

Î59 % of the applicants are over the classic age group (18-27 years).

Interaction between the generations (I)

workplace • The volunteers usually work for another generation. (young people work for older people, older people for children,...) • In many workplaces volunteers stay in communities or in guest families so they live in an intergenerational surrounding • Some volunteers work in different workplaces (for example: in the morning with older people and in the afternoon with children)

Interaction between the generations (II) Accompanying training • Advanced education for the training leader: working with heterogeneous age (mixed) groups • The inter-generational dialog will be initiated well directed. Basis is the common experience = the volunteering. • Themes concerning all generations will be reflected, for example: - becoming older in another culture - the position of youth in a foreign society

Experiences (I)

obstacles: • With increasing age the flexibility of the candidates decreases in multiple ways. (e.g. contract length, service region, fields of activity) • The selection of volunteers / finding a suitable working place for older volunteers is more difficult than for young volunteers. • The work with inter-generational groups is more ambitions, more timeconsuming and needs additional resources.

Experiences (II)

• The older volunteers want to leverage their experiences and competences. In some cases it changes the character of a volunteer service as learning experience in the first place. • The international volunteers in Germany initialise in their guest-families and workplaces several impulses for a change of perspectives, for an intercultural exchange and for global learning.

Experiences (III)

• Women und men, who were active within an international volunteer service are in possession of valuable experiences and are open to transfer these into their own community. Typical subjects are openness towards other cultures, association with foreigners, engagement against xenophobia, violence and racism.

The IFL-Project homepage For further information please visit our homepage:: www.internationale-freiwilligendienste.org

Thank you very much for your attention.