Volunteering Activities in the Netherlands (2019-2021) coordinated by the Rock-Solid Foundation
GENERAL INFO
Dear volunteers or future volunteers and Sending organizations,
We are looking forward to meeting you maybe in September 2019 and starting a new ESC Volunteering year with you, in one of the three projects coordinated by Rock Solid Foundation: De Glind, Humanitas and Siza. You may be one of 14-20 future volunteers coming to the Netherlands. We hope that in the year ahead you will learn not only about the Dutch culture and language, but also each other. The ESC Volunteering year will be a challenge for you to meet yourself, to meet other people, to meet the world and find out about your own culture and belief. You can be sure that it will be a life changing experience!
Our organization has years of experience in collaborating with sending and hosting organizations in the field of social care for people with mental and physical disabilities. In the Netherlands, we work with the hosting organizations Humanitas, Siza and De Glind. They have many different locations and possibilities for volunteers to get to know the Dutch social care system, such as various living groups and working places, an own restaurant ran by clients of the organization, places for leisure activities for the clients of the organizations, and so on.
During the ESC Voluntary year, volunteers will focus on learning the differences in the society regarding this work field. Next to that, they will try to motivate local youngsters as well as clients from the organizations to participate in national and international projects, such as youth exchanges and training courses. Also, they will learn how to improve the conditions in their own country, step by step, after going back home. They will be actively involved in the different activities of Rock Solid, on local and regional level. The volunteers will also attend Dutch classes for foreigners. The duration of the majority of the ESC Volunteering projects is 12 months (360 days according to the guide) and they always start on the 1st of September.
Next to that we organize a few short-term projects for people with disabilities including a helper. These are tailor made projects so will not be described in this info pack. Most of the general info for them is the same, but of course living conditions and working conditions will be specified to their needs.
• At Humanitas volunteers you work in the same house for the whole year, if this is easier for the clients. The different houses are located in Ede, Nieuwegein, Odijk and Amersfoort. An extended description of the working places is further in the info-pack.
• At Siza volunteers are placed in one of the living groups and work with that group for one year. Some of the groups include people with heavy disabilities, so it is important that the volunteers are aware of that. An extended description of the working places is further in the info-pack.
• In De Glind volunteers will be hosted in the same village, where they will stay for the full year in the same working place. The will work in the family homes and day care centers and will do all kind of practical jobs that belong to the practical work in a family home, but also will do as much as possible activities with the kids that live in the family home. An extended description of the working places is further in the info-pack.Lunteren, a village right in the middle of the Netherlands, will be a little bit the ”center” of the projects (where most of the volunteers will be hosted, language courses and team building activities will be organized etc.), so traveling time to work by bike, bus or train can take between 25 minutes till 1 hour and 20 minutes (if there are no delays). However, the working hours are adjusted to the traveling hours, so less travel means more working and more travel means fewer working hours, so it will be “fair” for all. In total the volunteers are active between 36 and 40 hours a week, including the Dutch classes, travel and other mandatory activities (excluding team-builders).
Volunteers can apply for all projects or only for one of them, but they cannot choose a specific working place. We will divide these together with the hosting organizations in the way we feel how is best according to your profile and the needs of the working place, we do this after the interviews and after an assessment of the skills of the candidate and the needs of the organization. Of course, you can give a preference, but if you are open to work in any of the three organizations, your chance of being selected is bigger for sure.
Rock Solid Foundation has workers with solid practical experience concerning all the aspects of the project cycle in a project:
The goals for the volunteers:
• Contribute to a just society.
• Develop and discover new skills, knowledge and work experience.
• Increase the ability to (learn to) live and work in groups.
• Take note of and being part of Dutch culture, society and language.
• Meet other young people from different cultural, social, economic and religious backgrounds, in a respectful and open manner.
• Reflect on their own spirituality and to be open to other religions, cultures and lifestyles.
The goal for the volunteers is divided into two dimensions: “Engage” and “Growth.
• Engage – participating in social projects, being part of a community, learning how to live together with other volunteers, with different backgrounds, beliefs and ideas, becoming actively involved in cultural exchange.
• Personal growth – getting more mature and become independent, learn how to work in a team, getting a broader understanding and perspective about society and social work, discover and develop in themselves new qualities, skills and talents.
The jobs at all locations will be similar. Tasks will include:
• spend time and communicate with the clients during coffee breaks, board games hours, walks;
• assist the clients in daily routine activities, such as organizing the rooms, washing the dishes, doing the groceries etc.;
• help clients with cooking and/or eat together with them;
• organize activities with the clients, such as: handcrafting or Christmas decorations workshops, beauty hours, movie evenings, baking etc.
Profile of the volunteers and selection process:
• We aim for volunteers who are interested social work with children and/or people with disadvantages in general.
• One of the conditions to apply is a good knowledge of English and good social skills because the volunteers have to work with children and with people with mental challenges.
• Another condition is a proof of good conduct, because this is obliged in Dutch youth and social care.
• The candidate can send his or her application to email: info@rocksolidfoundation.eu, this should contain a CV, motivation letter and the details of FIOH as your sending organisaiton, photo and preferably Facebook contact.
Download FIOH details HERE