4YOUgend - Verein oberösterreichische Jugendarbeit

The aim of 4YOUgend was and still is to improve the living conditions of young people (mainly between 12-30 years) in our county, this will be through: Initiatives for participation at youth programmes from the EU and through promotion of the international youth work Regional structure of the EU Programme ERASMUS+: YOUTH IN ACTION & European Solidarity Corps Sending and coordinating hosting organisation in volunteering projects of the European Solidarity Corps EURODESK member Initiatives for supporting the communal youth work Cooperation with the public youth ressort and youth organisations PR for young people and carrying out of projects in the youth work Coaching for jobless youngsters to find a job/education Media pedagogy workshops for small children Promotion of the upper-austrian youth work Verein 4YOUgend is well connected with the Youth Info Centers of Upper Austria, so it is easy to spread the info about volunteering projects; we are also connected with multipliers in Youthwork eg youthworker and other people working with youngsters, especially with vulnerable youngsters eg jobless, dropped out of school system and so on. Like this we can also reach the main target group of the programme, those who can`t participate in any other EU programme. In sending area we are inviting youngsters (everyone between 18-30 from Upper Austria) for an intense infosession and a workshop, where we talk about all necessary steps to be take and so on; so this helps for creating contact between the sending organisation and the volunteer. We also support youngsters in finding projects, preparing them as suggested in the programme guide, so that the youngster can then start relaxed in the choosen project. During the stay we are connected with the hosting project and the volunteer for guaranteeing a good project. After vounteering we invite the youngster for an evaluation talk and present him/her possibilities for bringing him-/herself into the ESC or even in Erasmus +, talking about the experience of volunteering infront of other youngsters... In coordination of the hosting projects we collect applications of youngsters, send them to the choosen organisations, they then make the selection ( and they are open to any nationality, age between 18-30 and it doesn`t matter if the youngsters bring in any language- or task related knowledge); we then arrange all with the youngsters and their sending organisations, set up the volunteering agreement together, arrange necessary invitation letters, check if CIGNA is done by the sending organisation, make final steps before arrival (application for a place at the OAT, sending OLS test, Info kit,...). The hosting organisation then takes over the first steps, arranging and presenting all in the hosting organisation, and as coordinating organisaiton we meet inside the organisation after some days of the arrival of the volunteer and sit together with the hosting organisation, volunteer and mentor; to be sure that all things are clear and to arrange final things then. As coordinating organisation we connect all volunteers together, also with former volunteers we sent and who are back; additionally we arrange regularly activities like coffee and cake, workshops in the infocenter like DIY workhops where they could meet other youngsters and so on. For urgents matters we are always ready to come into the hosting organisation and finding together a solution, things that can`t be cleared by phone.