Participants’ Profile

Candidates applying to work in the libraries will be able to first of all fulfill their needs of communication, as this the axis of any library operation.

The general background requirements for the candidates: volunteers who would cherish and appreciate the opportunity given to them and regard it as a valuable experience to learn and improve themselves. The volunteers should be able to dedicate their time and effort to the receiving organizations and their communities. The receiving organizations hope that the future volunteers will be active, positive, communicative, ready to help and learn. Nevertheless, project partners are ready to work with volunteers that don't immediate match the "positive and active" style. During the candidate selection attention will be given to how interested future volunteers are in the popular applied IT tools.

Each receiving organization has drafted a list of specific requirements, which are made public in the EVS database, are additionally presented to the sending organizations and will be also included in the EVS agreements.

The geographical location of a particular organization is important in candidate selection, as candidates will have to reflect on the prospect of having their project in a relatively small town (the case of Plungė and Zarasai). The principle of rather modest (student-like) living conditions and relatively low amount of allowance (pocket money) will be another point of reflection during interviews with each candidate. Least but not last, the general way of life in Lithuania and our culture will be also a subject of conversation including our weather patterns. All of the above might seem trivial, but based on our experience over the last 16 years of work with EVS volunteers, these are the very things that are underestimated in the first place leading to the overall dissatisfaction with the EVS experience in the long term. Voice interviews will be conducted to get a general feel on the candidates. At least basic communication skills would be very helpful for a volunteer to quicker integrate the organization.

There are no restrictions towards the age of the participants (provided they are in the limit foreseen by the programme itself). Candidates will be evaluated first by the sending organizations and then by the receiving organization (with the help and advice from the coordinating organization). The selection will be done based on how well the candidate fits the general profile of the volunteer above and the specific qualities needed to volunteer in each of the organization groups. A lot will be credited for the motivation of candidates to volunteer.

The project involves volunteers who have geographical and/or economic obstacles to be mobile (distant regions of Ukraine and Russian Federation, as compared to their pairs). The sending organizations who have the task to identify such volunteers will do so during the candidate evaluation process. The chosen volunteers will be given extra attention, and topics such as international travel, budget management, intercultural learning will be given additional focus during the preparation meetings (including those taking place in Lithuania). Mentors and tutors are well aware of the profile of their future volunteers and are prepared to give reinforced guidance/supervision.

Learning Outcomes

The activities foreseen in the project provide a wide array of learning. Each of the receiving organizations offer a number of professional competences to be acquired by volunteers as outlined during the EVS accreditation phase. These expected professional learning outcomes will be presented to the volunteers during the selection stage, outlined in the EVS agreements and later during the first introductory meetings with the mentors and tutors.

The task of the coordinating organization (and other partners) is to also present a bigger learning picture based in the premise that EVS experience in far from being limited just to the volunteer activities in the receiving organizations. Life and volunteering in Lithuania opens so much more to volunteers.

They will be able to learn more speaking about social and civic competences, cultural awareness and expression, communication in foreign languages, learning to learn. Volunteers will face many seemingly small problems, which were taken for granted in their countries. Volunteers will learn to structure and plan their daily lives, apply new ideas and concepts to new life situations. While planning their learning, communicating and reflecting on their learning with mentors, participating in the EVS training cycle, the volunteers will learn to learn. They will be encouraged to see their EVS as a learning and development process with the need to plan, structure, manage, evaluate and adjust. Volunteers will have the opportunity to implement their ideas, or to perform other project-related, but not initially defined tasks.

In this project volunteers will be able to learn or improve at least five specific Youthpass competences:

Communication in foreign languages. Most of their time volunteers will spend communicating in English language. During all the period of this project volunteers will receive information about their daily tasks, common project activities, events, initiatives and trainings in English language. Not only receiving, but also by actively participating in all project activities volunteers will improve their English talking, understanding and writing skills. Volunteers will also receive a Lithuanian language course.

Digital competence. All libraries in this project have abilities to suggest activities, where volunteers could learn or improve their knowledges, abilities and skills in digital competence. In most of the libraries volunteers can make a pictures and videos of various events and to make a video montage for the library. Also almost all libraries has a computer areas, where some customers need a help to use Internet or computer programs. Many of the libraries have modern 3d modeling and printing facilities, graphics design software, robotics learning kits, video making equipment, notepad computers and various other pieces of applied IT. Also all volunteers will be asked to create their individual blog where once per week they will post some information about their project.

Learning to learn. In all period of this project volunteers will receive more tools and information about their learning process and how to improve it. By taking everyday tasks, common project activities, various events and their own initiatives, young people will learn how to find newest information. Every task which will be given to volunteers will teach them better skills to manage their learning process in time. All volunteers will increase their learning skills by having weekly reflection together with their mentors about their learning results. In the beginning of the project volunteers, together with their mentors will make individual learning plans, which will include volunteer’s expectations. In the end all learning results will be supported by coordinating organization and evaluated in the context of all project.

Social and civic competence. Living in another country with a difference language, culture and nature might be challenging. By recognizing various difficulties in personal way for successful integration, implementation of activities and finishing the project volunteers will learn or improve their social skills. During the training the volunteers will be taught to recognize their emotions when in stressful situations and to learn to control the stress, and to act constructively. In this project volunteers will learn the skills of working individually and in a team. The subject of youth unemployment will give the opportunity to learn active citizenship by actualizing problems of the current days and searching for solutions.

Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship. As there was mentioned before, all volunteers will create their individual learning plans for this project. In this process we will support the ideas, which could develop into personal initiatives. Volunteers will be supported by coordinating organization to recognize main elements and the results of their personal initiative and how to improve the idea, before implementation.