Associazione Culturale Link is a cultural organization created in 2003 by both experienced youth leaders and young people. Link was created with the aim of having a tool to better access the needs of young people living in our local community and territory so to give a concrete contribution to satisfy their requests in terms of participation, active citizenship, feeling of belonging to a common Europe, tolerance and antiracism. In a more specific way our aim is to get young people closer to European issues, to bring a European dimension in a region far away from decision-making centers and peripheral in terms of geographical and economic position.
We provide help and training to young people –inside and outside the organization – who wants to implement new projects fostering their participation through the organization of international youth exchanges, intercultural learning activities, information campaigns and workshops about various topics.
Our activities approach youth from 8 years on with workshops in local primary schools, language classes is high schools and weekly cultural activities in our office all year long.
All our activities are based non formal education and are connected to volunteers, local and international. Since 2011 Link is officially an European NGO, being head organization of a non-formal network of European Organization, moreover Link is part of the national network RIVE which focus on quality for European Volunteer Service.
Link is accredited as EVS SO, HO, CO organization since its creation. We are hosting volunteers all year long, for long and short term projects in different fields and sectors. Instead we are sending organization for youth from all Italy, focusing on Inclusion volunteers especially from our territory.
Since 2012 Link is part of the National network RIVE (Rete Italian Volontariato Europeo) which is made of 12 Italian NGOs who do collaborate in the dissemination of EVS opportunities through the following platform http://serviziovolontarioeuropeo.it/ and share best practice and high quality preparation tools for the future volunteers.
Link does have best practice in preparation of young volunteers for their experience abroad. All volunteers do meet us personally (if possible, others several skype meetings are necessary to complete the preparation process), we give them all support they need, outlined by the documentation provided by the National Agencies (Infokit). All volunteers (if possible) do take part in a pre-departure training, mostly realized as weekends, which we organize frequently.
During all the project duration we support the volunteer with stable and personal contact (e-mail, phone, social networks). After their return home we meet them for final evaluations and for follow up planning. Who of them is interested do take part in our local activities, support of hosted volunteers, mentoring, European projects and eventually develop their own projects later on.
Link has a staff of 5 employees with ten-years’ experience, with expertise in European project management, social work, youth work specialized in Inclusion work and NEET profile youth. Through the years’ experience we gained capacities and skills in management of different types of groups (youth, adults, children, small and big groups) from different social backgrounds (students, unemployed, disadvantaged backgrounds, disability, etc). Moreover activities are supported by University Trainees and local volunteers who give their helping hands when needed.
The coordination of international volunteers, within our organization or on local and international level, is our main focus, our projects do involve every youth without discrimination of origin, skills and capacities, race, sexual orientation or else.
Inside the organization there are two person responsible for EVS sending volunteers, who focus on the preparation period through personal meeting (if possible) and with a adapted preparation plan for each single volunteer, using tools created through last years’ experience.