Coordinating organization: Youth and Sports Division of Portimão Municipality, with the support of DYPALL Network – Developing Youth Participation at Local Level
Hosting organisation: Portimão Municipality
Duration: 9 months (1st of October 2018 – 30th of June 2019)
City: Portimão, Algarve region, Portugal
Deadline: 2nd August 2018
PRESENTATION OF HOSTING ORGANISATION
Portimão Municipality
The municipality is responsible for the implementation of socio-economic policies in the city. Activities in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme are under the responsibility of the Youth and Sports Division of the municipality.
Several projects in the area of youth were implemented with the support of the municipality, such as:
✓ StartWork, an entrepreneurship, job and training opportunities fair considering several youth demographics;
✓ Youth Council, which is made by 20 organizations and which is active in advocating for better youth policies;
✓ Loja Ponto Já, which is an information and counseling service in areas such as health, sports, education, psychological support and nutrition. This service is mostly accessed by socially disadvantaged youth, which mostly goes there in order to use IT equipment that they normally do not have at home.;
✓ Férias Desportivas, a summer activity involving more than 1000 young people throughout 6 weeks in sports activities, supervised by 60 young volunteers acting as mentors;
✓ Vela Solidária, a project from a local civil society organization, which aims to build skills and self-esteem within socially disadvantaged youth, particularly among those with low academic performance.
For more information: https://www.cm-portimao.pt/.
PRESENTATION OF COORDINATING ORGANISATION
DYPALL Network
DYPALL Network is supporting the coordination of this project. It is an organization responsible for developing and supporting a European Network involving 36 local authorities (LA) and civil society organizations (CSOs) active in the youth field in more than 20 European countries. It aims to involve young people in the decision-making process and enable municipalities and regional authorities to address their most pressing needs and interests. This means further engagement of youth as active actors in elaborating solutions for their problems, and thus a bigger level of ownership, commitment and involvement of youth at the regional and local levels. The motto is that creating an effective and sustainable involvement of youth on decision-making, improving the work culture between local authorities and youth organizations can contribute to more sustainable youth policies at local level.
Together with local municipalities and civil society organizations active in the youth field, DYPALL:
✓ Develops structures and mechanisms for youth participation in decision-making at local level;
✓ Identify best practices and introduce innovative approaches on public governance in cooperation with local authorities and civil society organizations active in the field of youth;
✓ Fosters youth engagement and inclusiveness in representative and participatory democracy processes;
✓ Builds capacity and provide technical assistance on various areas and processes like policy making, advocacy, structured dialogue, co-management, and more;
✓ Mainstreams youth policies at local and regional level (such as youth Guarantee schemes) to develop cohesive and engaged societies.
For more information: http://dypall.com/, https://www.facebook.com/DypallNetwork/.
CONTEXT AND ACTIVITIES OF THE EVS PROJECT
This call for volunteers is in the framework of the project Generation XXI: EVS connecting Europe through sports, which has the main goal of bringing a new dynamic in youth work in Portimão, bringing a European perspective at local level, that has a positive impact on local youth. Volunteers will learn about local youth policies and their implementation, taking into consideration non-formal education methodologies.
Portimão is located in Algarve, which is the region with the highest youth unemployment rate in Portugal. A huge amount of youth leaves the region to look for better opportunities in more central locations and abroad. The economic crisis created on the one hand a need for change and looking for better opportunities elsewhere, but also underlined the emergency of dealing with local challenges and connecting it with the European level. Very few young people in Portimão benefit from programmes
and opportunities at the European and international levels. Therefore, we believe that facilitating experiences of engagement in local activities, training and mobility support the development of personal and professional skills among both the volunteers and local youth, while creating a positive impact on the local community. This project promotes active participation and European citizenship, due to the involvement of EVS volunteers in activities undertaken by civil society organizations that aim to improve the life quality of local communities, via youth participation, training, education and sport.
The volunteers will work alongside Portimão’s municipality officers, and will be allocated according to his/her interest and skills to one of the following 3 key areas of development within the Youth and Sports Division:
1) Support the management of the Local Municipality Youth House (Loja Ponto Já):
✓ Supporting the implementation of workshops that are part of Loja Ponto Já annual activity plan;
✓ Support the creation and implementation of a new Youth Information Center on opportunities related with European initiatives on youth, such as mobility programmes;
✓ Elaborate and implement actions in local high schools and vocational schools, with the support of our municipality officers, in order to inform about volunteering opportunities and also about the Erasmus+ opportunities.
2) International project management support & support to the local youth Council:
✓ Volunteer will be based on the office of DYPALL Network, where together with experienced project managers will be involved in the management of several international activities (training courses, seminars, conferences, etc.);
✓ Will support in the communication, design and image development of the Network events (development of communication material, news, logos, and material development for the social networks);
✓ Support the communication and implementation of its activity plan of the local youth council;
✓ Support the revitalization of local youth organizations.
3) Project support on City Council Communitarian Center:
✓ Support and implement activities for young and senior people;
✓ Support sport activities developed for young people and for the citizens in general in the municipality that promote healthy life styles;
✓ Support the development of new projects and initiatives that promote healthy lifestyles among young and senior people in Portimão;
✓ Support different actions to promote the uses of sports for a more cohesive and inclusive society in Portimão.
In a nutshell, these projects will allow EVS volunteers to contribute for social change, through signaling and overcoming challenges, and thus further implementing the pillars of the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life, of involving young people in the areas of health, sports, education and equality/inclusion.
HOW TO APPLY
If interested, send your CV and motivation letter to marta.monteiro@dypall.com and sending@cid.mk and apply through the European Solidary Corps platform by 25th July 2018.