ITALIE  2008

YAP-Italie      +18 ans

YAP-ITALIA: A SHORT INTRODUCTION

Youth Action for Peace (YAP) Italia has been present in Italy since the beginning of the Sixties. It was officially established as a national organisation in 1971, and has been a branch of YAP   since 1973. Its first volunteers took part in workcamps after the great floods in Florence . Since then, Italian volunteers have been participating in international voluntary service projects around the world and have thus been in contact with the international structure of the organization. Once known as MCP-Italia (Movimento Cristiano per la Pace), the NGO today organises international workcamps, seminars, study visits and training courses.  These programmes educate young people about peace, dialogue and solidarity through projects of voluntary action and social and cultural development without any links to religion or a formal political party.  

In 2007 YAP Italia organised at least 40 workcamps, mid and long term projects and it has already successfully organised about 1000 projects in the past.  This including every year about 400 Italian and International volunteers in short, mid and long term voluntary service projects, trainings and seminars worldwide. The organisation has also organised directly or been involved in the organisations of training courses and seminars on the themes it believes and works on. YAP-It is currently an active member of and participant into different movements, umbrella platforms, councils or international networks. (Youth Action for Peace International, CCIVS-Unesco, AVSO, NVDA, EBCO, the EU Youth council...).

The aim of the activities, besides the realisation of the projects, is to contribute to the creation of a multicultural society based on discussion between different people. We aim to work at local and global levels.

We believe that the presence in international camps of volunteers, coming from various countries and social backgrounds, brings us closer to this goal; thus, allowing local or isolated communities to get in touch with different cultures, and to learn and communicate with them.

We want to promote solidarity in a constructive way, not free assistance: practical help can be useful to overcome emergencies, but we prefer to provide tools and methods that can be used in order to build the Future…

And it is only with the help of our volunteers that we have been able to achieve what we have, no matter how much time and energy they dedicated to the global project of the organization.  Thanks to our wonderful volunteers!!!!

YAP Italia's 2008 Workcamps common frame and principles

-        All YAP-Italy's workcamps are international projects. All profiles of volunteers can be accepted, as long as they are 18 years old when the project begins (no superior limit).  Unfortunately, most of the workcamp sites and activities are not “accessible” or adapted for our friends with disabilities.

-        YAP-Italy strives to create intercultural and mixed groups on their projects as much as possible. We believe that the more culturally diverse, the better the quality of the project and the group dynamic. With that said, we do not accept more than 2 people per country/cultural/linguistic group per project, as long as the size of the group permits. Furthermore, we do not recommend that participants from the same organisation know each other or to be dating before the project as we often notice.

-        The basic timetable on YAP's camps is about 30-35 hours of work per week but the necessities of the project can bring the volunteers to work more (rarely less). We DO NOT organise holidays camps. Any tourist activities should be done before or after the beginning of the project and we will always expect the volunteers to be available and dedicated to the activities of the project for the duration of the workcamp. We will never hesitate, even after consultation with the sending organisation, to ask a volunteer to leave the project if we consider his/her activity, behaviour or motivation doesn't fit the needs and nature of the project.  YAP-Italia organises international WORK-camps for volunteers, not camping-sessions for middle-class kids...!!

-        The common languages of the workcamps will be English and Italian except when specified.

-        In most of the projects, daily activities and tasks, free time and global organisation will be decided among the  community.  Then it will be facilitated by the coordinator following the needs of the project and managed in teams. We expect each workcamp to create a  strong team of volunteers, for the benefit of the project and the local community.

-        YAP Italy automatically insures all the volunteers hosted in their workcamps. More details are provided at the end of this programme. European citizens are anyway obliged to take their European Health Card (former E111 form).

-        There will always be at least one coordinator per camp from or trained by YAP Italia for the whole duration of the project. Far from being an omnipotent and omniscient “leader”, we like to see him as a facilitator, experienced volunteers with more work to do and more responsibilities toward the global project...

LES CHANTIERS 2008

CPI 19 - MOGLIAZZE – AGRI/RENO - Mogliazze (Piacenza) – 21 August 08 /04 September 08

BACKGROUND: In the 70s, a few friends moved into an abandoned village called Mogliazze, on the Apennine mountains. Today Cooperativa Mogliazze works on the promotion of bio-agriculture, environmental protection and conservation of the traditional buildings.

WORK: Volunteers will be involved in the activities of the cooperative. They will harvest and compile fruits and medicinal herbs and may also do some masonry work.

ACCOMMODATION: Volunteers will live in a traditional house in the village. All hygienic services are provided. Self cooking and management. Sleeping bags are required.

LOCATION: Mogliazze is a small village near Bobbio, at an altitude of 800 meters , on the mountains of the Apennine chain in the District of Piacenza, north of Italy

TERMINAL: Piacenza is the nearest train station, Milan and Bologna are the nearest airports.

SPECIAL REMARKS: A disabled Italian girl named Linda will share the activities of the workcamp with the volunteers, as usual. She can speak some English and do many things by herself but she needs help all day long. So we are looking for one more female volunteer who has the wish to take part in the camp but also to be especially dedicated to Linda.  

CPI 20 MILANO FILM FESTIVAL  – FEST - Milano - 09 September 2008/23 September 2008    dates to be confirmed!!!   

BACKGROUND: Since 1996 the Milano Film Festival has attracted films and filmmakers from all over the world. It is independent – from the interests of major distributors, from institutional politics, from money, from fashion, from critics. But it is also dependent – on the filmmakers' creativity and talent, on the expertise, the experience and the skills of the people that organize it, on the work and commitment of hundreds of volunteers. This festival has proved that Milan can be a friendly and hospitable city. For ten days, this festival transforms places and people that pass through them.

WORK: Volunteers will help with the running of the food counter, the InfoPoint, and the bookshop, with afternoon and evening shifts (for the InfoPoint and bookshop, we’re looking for volunteers with at least a minimal acquaintance with the Italian language). Volunteers will also contribute to the management of the “Directors’ House”, where they will stay. Volunteers will have 3 free days during the camp, to be arranged according to the festival’s needs.

ACCOMMODATION: Volunteers will lodge in the “Directors’ House”, the place where all the festival’s guests generally stay. Every year, placed in a different post in a different place of around 500/600 m², the “Director’s House” provides some hundred beds, a communal area with a self-serve kitchen, showers, and bathrooms. Sleeping bag is required. Breakfast and lunch will be organized within the house, while dinner will generally be held at the central food counter of the festival.

LOCATION: Milano

INSURANCE POLICY IN YAP ITALY WORKCAMPS  

The policy covers accidents and illnesses under the following circumstances:

IMPORTANT  

All participants from EU countries must have an E111 form or equivalent, they are issued by each country. This will facilitate the process if heath problems appear during the workcamp. All participants must have their own insurance (inscription to the National Health Service – form E111), YAP ’s insurance is only in addition to the social insurance. In case of illness, the insured person should go to the insurance society within three days from the appearance of the illness with a medical certificate.