New EVS’s at VIEWS International
As you may know already, every October we host new EVS volunteers. This year was no exception.
From the 1st of October we have the pleasure to host Adrian from Spain, who is doing his project at Santé Nord-Sud, and Max from Germany, who helps us in the office. Badia joined them from the 22nd of November. She comes from Italy and is doing her project at IRHOV, a school for Blind and partially sighted people in Liège.
Our volunteers will be with us until the end of June 2015. We are very happy to host them and wish them a lot of success, both with their respective projects and with their Belgian stay! However, we are very sorry that Lucia from Italy could not come due to personal reasons; we wish her all the best and hope she gets the opportunity to do an EVS some time in the future.
Well, now it’s time to get to know Adrian, Badia and Max.
During their stay in Belgium, they organized a common activity for the local community. Would you like to know what it was? Then read the following article.
You can also read more about some of their nice Moments, or about their goodbye.
Presentation of the EVS volunteers: Max
My name is Max Grote, I’m 18 years old and I come from Germany.
For the next nine months, I will work in the Office of VIEWS INTERNATIONAL as a volunteer to do my European Voluntary Service.
For those of you who don’t know it yet: the European Voluntary Service (EVS) is a European project within the “Erasmus Plus” Programme by the European commission which gives young people between 18 and 30 years the possibility to work in social, nonprofit and non-formal projects for organisations in foreign European countries.
Both, the volunteer and his environment (organisation, people from the european country…) benefit by the intercultural exchange and the experience of working together.
Hearing about the European Voluntary Service and especially of this project, I was directly fascinated by the thought of having the possibility to work for VIEWS INTERNATIONAL in Belgium and to work with the young people in Belgium, as well as doing international projects.
I will be writing, planing and coordinating projects for youth people as well as writing for the website and representing VIEWS in general.
Creating articles for the Views Newsletter will also be a part of my work field.
Now some personal information about me:
My biggest hobby is music. I love playing the piano, singing, playing the percussion drums, mixing music/deejaying, realizing my own musical ideas and I especially love doing that all together with other people. In my free time, I also love to do lots of different sports, for example running (athletics), inlineskating, skiing, jogging, swimming, playing football and riding the bike, as well as to listen to music, to cook, to spend time with my friends and to meet new people.
I’m also a member of the local scouts group in my hometown and I belong to the team of youth leaders. We organise regular activities, like the annual tent camp for children, but we also always plan new and different events for children and young people every year.
I’m very motivated for my project in VIEWS and I’m looking forward to unique experiences and great meetings.
I’m looking forward to become a part of the dynamic and lively team of VI and I hope to make a good contribution with my ideas and new projects.
Presentation of the EVS volunteers: Adam
Salut! I am Adrián García, I am 27 years old and I am from Spain. Actually, and until June (9 months), I am living in Liège (Belgium) as part of my European Voluntary Service.
Until February, I was working with the organisation Santé Nord-Sud Asbl, helping them with their humanitarian projects with Congo and creating new projects. Unfortunately, Santé Nord-Sud had to close and, since February I am working at VIEWS International creating and helping in new projects, managing the webpage and helping with the administrative work.
At Spain I was searching EVS offers for a long time and, when I watched the offers of VIEWS International and Santé Nord-Sud, I was immediately interested in those two projects. Fortunately, they answered to my demand and now I am here, very motivated with my work, applying all that I studied about the social work, improving it and learning new very useful things.
Today I’m happy living this experience, and I know that all that I am learning here as in the office as in the daily life in Belgium will be great for my personal and professional future.
If you want to ask me something more about me or the EVS, don’t worry and contact me! Until then, have nice days and see you!
Adrian Garcia Orts
Presentation of the EVS volunteers: Badia
My name is Badia Benlaamiria, I’m 25 years old and I come from Italy.
First of all let me tell you that I have a sight handicap that made me totally blind.
I’m a student of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Bologna.
Currently I’m living in Belgium to perform the activity of European Voluntary Service at the I.R.H.O.V. primary school in Liège town. My work activity concerns the teaching of Computer to visually impaired or blind children: the purpose is to reach a basic knowledge of Informatics in order to get a better autonomy for studying.
I also take place to cultural and ludic activities such as cooking, geography, Torball games and parties.
I am really happy of my activity with children: it is a new world to explore. Day after day I try to give the best of me to let them reach the goals of which I already see the benefits.
It is a wonderful experience: I would advise it to youth people who want to walk my same path and dedicate this time of their own life to the Social. To live and breathe a new culture and a new language is also a thrust for an interior growth that will be useful in future.
Life in Liège, for a blind or for a handicapped person, is pretty hard: there are always works on sidewalks and on streets, and I often need to walk on the carriageway, afraid for my health. The public transport is excellent, but buses haven’t got vocal assistant which helps you to understand when to get off and, due to works, bus stops always change place.
I believe that this is a hard issue for a blind or handicapped person: it forces without any choice to be dependent from others.