A set of activities in which the volunteer will participate should be defined by the hosting organisation, in accordance with the volunteer's needs, abilities and interests. It is important that the reflection about these activities be made before the potential volunteers apply to ease the selection process. As a general principle, the volunteer's role should be adapted both to the volunteer's needs and abilities and to the project's needs, to ensure that the experience is beneficial for all partners. There are some specific elements that are important to keep in mind while preparing the volunteer's set of activities.
Before the volunteer arrives:

- A reflection about the volunteer's role and potential activities should be developed, and it should involve the whole staff of the hosting organisation. It is important that everybody is aware of the arrival of a volunteer and what can be expected from him/her.

- In the expression of interest, the hosting organisation describes the activities that a volunteer could perform, and within which framework (type of organisation and staff).

- When the hosting organisation has been contacted by a potential volunteer a more complete description of activities should be sent to him/her before arrival in the project so as to ensure a good understanding of the role in the organisation and to avoid false expectations from both sides. It has proved being very useful to draft an activity calendar, both on a weekly basis ans over the whole EVS period.

- It is also important that the hosting organisatino and the volunteer discuss the possibility of having holidays and a typical weekly roster including a number of hours and times of activities.

- At the beginning, the volunteer might have some language difficulties: the hosting organisation must plan that the activities to be performed by the volunteer might have to be adapted to his /her abilities.

When the volunteer has arrived:
- The volunteer may have more or less abilities that the hosting organisation previously thought , or s/he may develop certain skills as time goes by: the volunteer's activities should be flexible to adapt to the volunteer's abilities. The activity calendar can then be reviewed in accordance with the volunteer`needs and desires.

- The volunteer's role should include the possibility for the volunteer to develop a personal project or to take on some personal responsibilities or to develop initiatives if s/he is willing to do so.

- The hosting organisation cannot expect the volunteer to be independant from the very beginning and must therefore plan pedagogical support, especially during the first months.

Reminder:

- Employment substitution : The use of volunteers for the substitution of paid staff is not allowed within the EVS and organisations should refer to the norms in their country. Points in particular wich should be taken into consideration reflect the legal dispositions in this field include: a) whether the action of the young volunteer gives added value to the hosting community (for example helping to start new initiatives or developing existing ones ), and b) activities wich are not simply aleviating the load of the staff allready in place ( such as daily activities in hospitals, kindergartens, homes etc)

- Administrative/routine activities. Volunteers'activities in the hosting organisation should not be based on administrative or routine activities and such activities may not exceed a reasonnable percentage of their time. If an organisation proposes to take on a volunteer to be involved in an awarness or promotion campaign, the focus should be on the interest of the subject matter for the volunteer and it should be an alternative educational or training experience and not simply administrative tasks.

- Non-profit-making activities : The activities of the hosting organisation and particularly those in wich the volunteer will be involved should not be of a profit-making nature: It should be noted that non-profit making organisation may have an economic impact on the local community but not necessarily a profit-making one.

- Limited acces to the project : Hosting organisation that specify that volunteers are to be of a specific race, ethnic group creed, religion, sexual or political persuation are not acceptable on the grounds that they are open only to a limited number of young people and do not conform to the principle of access to the EVS for all young people without discrimination.

What you can see is the EVS user's guide: It's not a law that has been made to protect the volunteers but it's a text that helps the tutors to organize the volunteers lives. But after what you could have read in the "Problems and experiences" part, it seems that this Charta is not as respected as it ought to be.

Some points may not have been particulary respected, for example the "information" point. Some volunteers did not have any information about their projects and sometimes they did not have choice between severals projects. Some volunteers were maybe surprised when they arrived in their projects: they think they will work with children and actually, they work with handicapped people. The volunteers have to develop their own project and should not be used for the substitution of paid staff: that part does not seem to be respected for example the people who work with handicaped people and in hospitals. Some points have been forgotten so the organisations' obligations are shortly described here:

-Sending-organisation's obligations concrening:

The insurance: it has to be paid by the sending-organisation. When you go to the doctor you do not have to pay anything. But when you arrive in Germany you have to go to the AOK-Krankenkasse to get an authorisation that allows you to be cared for by a doctor.

The international travel: that includes the travel to and from project at the beginning and end of the time of service.

Preparation before going in the project:: that includes languages lessons, a seminar of 3-4 days about the hosting country.

Organisation of seminars in the hosting country ( at the beginning and in the middle of the project )
Hosting-organisation's obligation:

integration in the country: it has to pay for national travel, but it depends on the organisation: some of them did not pay for example the BahnCard that allows you to travel in Germany for half the price.

Pocketmoney: you must get at least 350,- DM per month.

The hosting organisation has to pay for your accomodation and food

Concerning the duration and the nature of the responsibilities of the work and the holidays, the European Community did not give any directives about this subject.

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