Belgien: Natuurpunt Educatie (EVS Winter/ Frühjahr 2010)

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Ort/Region: Turnhout
Dauer: 6 months
Anzahl der Plätze: 1
Beginn: Mitte Februar

Volunteer Profile:
- The volunteer should be able to work independently and should have an interest in education.
- Knowledge of or an interest in the themes of nature, environment and landscape is necessary.
- The volunteer should be willing to work together with other organisations, under the guidance of the educational staff members.
- We prefer a volunteer who is familiar with one or more target groups of a diverse ethno-cultural background (see higher).
- Some experience with volunteering in the home country is an advantage
- The volunteer is willing to become immersed in the socio-cultural field and to search for good cooperations with different communities.

AFS, the coordinating host organisation, strongly believes in the intercultural learning aspect of an EVS-experience. Therefore, the volunteer will be living with a volunteer host family, as we believe this is the best introduction to Flemish culture and a great opportunity to integrate in the local community. Volunteers should be willing to share in the host family's daily life (spend some free time with them, occasionally join the family on activities outside the house, eat together, give a helping hand in the household... ) and should be motivated to live with and learn about Flemish people of different ages and opinions. They should also be willing to adapt to the local eating habits. On the other hand, we guarantee a family that is interested to learn about the volunteer's culture and background and that respects his/her values and beliefs. Living in a host family is an excellent opportunity for both the volunteer and the family to broaden their cultural horizons!
Candidates who clearly prefer to live independently or together with other volunteers, are advised not to apply for this project.

The Organisation:
Natuurpunt Educatie is a specialised education organisation, recognised by the Flemish Community. They organise courses about nature, environment and landscape throughout Flanders and in the Brussels Capital Region.
Natuurpunt aims to educate people about these themes. Its courses aim for personal development, but another goal is to encourage people to actively participate in and for nature. Their particular approach to education stimulates community building and increases the opportunities for participation for all people.
"Learning for nature, environment and landscape" and "learning for biodiversity" are central in our educational work.
Our courses focus on the several kinds of plants and animals, on biotopes in general (a.o. Nature in the garden, in the city… ), nature conservation, biodiversity and elements of nature conservation and policy in general.
Natuurpunt Educatie would like to broaden its target group and wants to pay extra attention to diversity and interculturalism.
Natuurpunt Educatie works together with several organisations in order to realise its mission.
Cooperation with volunteers: Natuurpunt Educatie cooperates very closely with the nature conservation movement 'Natuurpunt'. Natuurpunt has 67 221 members at this moment, divided in approximately 200 sections. Several volunteer guides give courses in the field, and are supported by Natuurpunt Educatie.
The projects in which the volunteer will be involved will be set up in Ghent, as we are now (on the moment of the compilation of the HEI) in the process of hiring an educational staff member for our provincial secretariat in Ghent. The team at the secretariat in Ghent will consist of 2 staff members (one new, one that is already working there) and the volunteer. The staff members will help the volunteer to get to know Ghent and its surroundings, and will introduce him/her to the network of Natuurpunt Educatie and to the cooperating partner organisations. The address of the Ghent secretariat is Kortrijksepoortstraat 192 - 9000 Ghent
Ghent is the capital of the provice Eastern Flanders and has approcimately 233000 inhabitants. It is located where the rivers Schelde and Leie merge, and is famous for its historic centre with the castle Gravensteen, the St. Peters Abbey and 3 beguinages. There are 14 museums in Ghent, covering nature, folklore and art. In July, there are the very famous 'Gentse Feesten', a 10-day festival in the whole city. The pedestrian shopping streets make shopping a relaxed activity. People who love nature can visit the nature reserve "Bourgoven Ossemeersen" (212 hectares), that is only a couple of kilometres from the centre. The other cities in Flanders (Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels… ) can easily be reached from Ghent by public transport or by car.

The Project:
The European Commission has declared 2008 the European year of the intercultural dialogue. In the framework of this campaign, the Flemish Community is also working on interculturalism. In the spring of 2005 the project "interculturalisation of the sectors culture, youth work and sports" was launched. Research resulted in a first action plan in February 2006: "Interculturalisation - Flemish Action Plan from and for Culture, Youth Work and Sports".
In line with its vision, Natuurpunt Educatie also pays attention to elements of diversity and interculturalism. Starting from the Flemish Authority's Action Plan, Natuurpunt Educatie also wants to broaden its way of working. They want to search for opportunities to better reach target groups with a different ethno-cultural background* with their educational work. Natuurpunt Educatie wants to cooperate with other organisations and networks of the different ethno-cultural communities (Turkish, African… ) (* The Flemish Action Plan defines persons with a ethno-culturally diverse background as follows: 1) persons who have been living in Flanders for quite some time and who have - through a history of migration of themselves or their (grand)parents - affinity with more than one culture, one of which is not associated with Western Europe; 2) persons from non-Western European countries who have recently settled in Flanders, eg as an asylum seeker or through family reunion. )

Natuurpunt Educatie wishes to work with an international volunteer, especially in the light of its new initiatives regarding Interculturalism. In this way, its staff can get to know a different culture and learn how in the volunteer's home country people work around the theme of "nature". Through involving an international volunteer, Natuurpunt Educatie wants to broaden its perspective in its work on interculturalism. Working with an international volunteer will allow us to have a different view on man, society and nature - inside our own organisation, but also in our relation with other partners in this project.
Natuurpunt Educaties works together with several organisations in the broad socio-cultural field, which will enable the volunteer to get to know the social life in Flanders. Moreover, the ethical value associated with nature is a bridging factor between different cultures. Although different cultures look at nature in a different way, all enjoy its qualities of silence, rest and recreation. Starting from this binding element, we want to introduce people from a different ethno-cultural background to our nature and educate them about this theme.

What we offer the volunteer:
- Get to know the social life in Flanders
- Get to know the culture and society of Belgium
- Get to know socio-cultural education work of Natuurpunt Educatie and its partners
- Get to know the workings of several self-organisations of different ethno-cultural communities in Flanders
- Learn about nature and biodiversity
- Get to know several nature reserves in the region, and nature in an urban environment.
- Learn about biodeversity in the broader framework of sustainable development, starting from the situation in Flanders
- Learn to work together with different organisations, and to tune different goals - learn to deal with diversity.

Activities: projects of nature education (100%)
- Together with the professional staff member, the volunteer establishes contacts with the target group and with the cooperating partner organisations to set up an educational initiative on the theme of nature, environment and landscape (30%)
Analysis of the needs and wishes of the target group. (20%)
Analysis of the existing conceptions and images of nature of the target group. (10%)
- Compiling a program of potential activities for and with the target group. (20%)
- Coordinate and accompany activities with the target group together with the educational staff member. (40%)
- Participate in courses of Natuurpunt Educatie. (10%)

Work schedule:
Monday to Friday, 7 hours per day between 8.30 - 17.00 h. Lunchbreaks from 30 to 60 minutes, we have a coffe break at 10.00 am. Occasional weekend work will be discussed with the volunteer - these hours will be compensated during the week. 12 holidays for a 6-month project, when these are taken will be discussed with the volunteer.
AFS, the coordinating organisation, will provide a basic language course at the beginning of the project. After this, the volunteer can join a public course in the region of the local host organisation.

Reference number: 2006-BEFL-45