The call
We are looking for candidates as volunteers OR as partner organizations for our EVS Project in our NPO organization named “Aps YARD” (Association of Social Promotion operating in Milan from 2001).

Be involved in activities of volunteering at SMS – Space of Mutual Aid in Milan, promoting Solidarity, Access to the Rights for everyone, Interculture and Anti-racism.

Period
The EVS project will start on the 1st of February 2017 for a duration of 8 months (deadline for applications: 30th September 2016).foto2

Who we are
YARD is an acronym for Youth Action for Rights Development. The NPO was founded in 2001 and has developed projects over the past 15 years about numerous themes. In particular it has supported attention to young people, promoting anti-racism projects, projects oriented to the socialization (music, youth meetings and exchanges…), cultural projects (promotion of literature, debate…), low-threshold projects (intervention with disadvantaged families and young people with fewer opportunities). YARD builds projects on the field of new technologies and of the promotion of citizenship rights. Thru this various interests, we actively contribute to the promotion of a young Europe that respect the differences and the rights of all.

foto3SMS, what is it?
“SMS – Spazio di Mutuo Soccorso” is a mutual aid project that takes place in a huge headquarter in Milan. This experience was born in 2013 thanks to a commitee for city rights against eviction and gentrification.

In this space, SMS, there are different activities: a popular gym, a free shop where people can exchange clothes and primary goods, a popular university with different courses and a language school, a buying group that connects directly the costumers with the organic farmers of the area, a playgroup for childrens, a cycle repair workshop and much more.

SMS is a big resistent community in which habitants and volunteers cooperate to build up an experience outside of market and business logics, in which exchanges and solidarity are the guidelines to reach autonomy and freedom.

Activities of the project
In SMS we organize a lot of activities, let’s join us!

1) Knowledge development: encourage mutual exchanges between cultures, reading activities and multilingual skills improvement. Eg: language schools “Abba Abdoul Gibre”, bookcrossing, translation & slam poetry
2) Children animation: cross-culture & non-formal education path against racism and xenophobia, about environmental sustainability and creative skills
3) Mutual aid and solidarity: exchange project and free shop (C_Rise market), solidarity purchase (G.A.S.P.), social events and festivals with our neighborhood community. A simple way to develop critical sensibility  together with real alternatives to resist to crisis and consumerism!
4) Sport against racism and xenophobia: we run a community gym, with the aim to guarantee economical accessibility to sport for all in the expensive city of Milan. The gym “Hurricane” supports several projects in which an upright fair play represent the natural prevention to discrimination and racism.
5) Development of communication skills for volunteer: activities of communication, web-site, blog and social networks updating, translations, graphic and multimedia productions. The volunteer will help in production of: short, claims, international campains.
6) Support the volunteering organization’s activities: we promote different international volunteering projects, like workcamps or other individual/group mobility activities. When the volunteer will be ready, he could help other operators in spreading good practices of active citizenship.

Info and Contacts
You can find all info about A.P.S. YARD on www.panweb.eu
Contact us if you are interesting in volunteering to: apsyard@gmail.com or +39 340 8125701
Do not forget to visit the website of Mutual Aid Space and our FB page “SMS – Spazio di Mutuo Soccorso”

Application for EVS

If you are a applicant volunteer: contact us sending via email a motivational letter + CV and we will organize a Skype chat as soon as possible.
If you are a Sending Organization: contact us via email or call and we will organize a Skype chat as soon as possible.

Guaranteed benefits to the volunteer
We ensure room, board and local transport costs. We will provide the monthly pocket money as expected by the E+. We will help the volunteer to manage the organisation of the departure, the trip and the preliminar preparation to the EVS experience.