Here you can find the long term project hosted in Associazione Link from  for 6-9 months starting from July 2024.

Associazione Link APS was established in 2003 with the aim of promoting intercultural learning and values such as solidarity and active citizenship. Since its birth the association had youth as its main target group, focusing on local and international volunteering and mobility as an opportunity for growth and non-formal learning. Link carries on different cultural activities and since June 2019 manage of the Community library in the city of Altamura.

Venue: Altamura

Altamura is divided in two parts: the city and the historical centre. In the historical centre you can visit the Cathedral. This church is quite important and it was built by Fredrick the II di Svevia in the year 1232. It is the most important monument of the city, and also the square around it is important in the summer evenings to sit together and have a drink with friends and during the city holidays to see the great parades which they organize.
The city has 70.000 inhabitants, but it is quite small, so it is possible to reach every point without a car.

Project description : Solidarity in the field of youth and culture

Community library AGORATECA is located next to the middle school “Tommaso Fiore” in Altamura. It is a public space which is connected to to the school, to allow pupils and teachers to use the multi-functional space, but also open to public. Agorateca has both the basic function of a library, but also it wants to be a space which encourage the participation of the population for social participation and active citizenship. Agorateca is located in the Carpentino district which is an area subject to urban redevelopment. In fact, Agorateca offers many collateral services to the basic canonical ones, such as the organization of cultural events, book presentations, musical concerts, theatrical performances, artistic workshops. In the external area of ​​the structure there is an urban garden, which allows the implementation of social agriculture projects, environmental education and active participation in the redevelopment of urban places.

The objectives that Agorateca sets are:

• encourage and promote reading and the relationship with the book, implementing alternative strategies through workshops, animated readings, meetings with authors and publishers, workshops, events, etc. to encourage the turnout in the library and the use of the materials in the catalog;
• allocate time and space to children, through recreational and laboratory activities, in order to encourage experiential growth and at the same time offer services to families;
• activate digital literacy courses and conscious use of new technologies;
• promote environmental education, healthy nutrition and well-being projects;
• encourage access to information and cultural and educational opportunities promoted at local, national and European level;
• promote opportunities for aggregation and socialization and trigger active citizenship processes;
• foster social inclusion and integration processes for migrant citizens; promote intercultural and intergenerational learning practices;
• encourage the expression of creativity with particular attention to the world of youth, promote the autonomy and self-organization capacity of young people;
• stimulate the entrepreneurial activities / skills of young people;
• develop participatory planning paths and accompany cultural and multimedia production processes.

What will the volunteers activity be?
The volunteers will be able to support all the activities organized by the team in full compliance with the anti-Covid 19 health security legislation. The volunteers will firstly be able to support the basic activities of the library, manage the reception point at the front office, follow the cataloging and loan books and organize the turnout of users within the study room. In addition, the volunteers will be called to carry out remote language teaching courses, organize support and manage workshops and promotion activities for reading dedicated to children and teenagers.
Volunteers will also be involved in setting up cultural events to be hosted in the Agorateca premises, always obviously in compliance with safety regulations. An important part of the activities will be related to the care of the vegetable garden and the management of urban redevelopment projects related to it, such as the construction of outdoor furniture with recycled material and redevelopment of the garden areas to be used as green areas to be given to the inhabitants of the neighborhood and city.

Agorateca also hosts AGORADIO, an Italian-funded web radio that produces podcast formats daily to sponsor Agorateca activities and support volunteer activities. Agoradio’s activities can be carried out online without the need for physical presence, therefore they fully comply with the health safety standards. Volunteers will be involved in the production of podcast content for radio and / or to support the technical operations of packaging and editing content. In this context, online events will be organized for the dissemination and promotion of the Erasmus + program and ESC volunteer projects, in which the volunteers will be direct witnesses of the program with their own stories and experiences, which can also be conveyed through the podcasts of Agoradio.

For several years Agorateca and Link have had a fruitful collaboration with schools of all levels in the local area, with which educational projects have been organized based on the methodology of non-formal education. Currently it is not possible to predict what will be the access modalities to return to school and if this type of activity will be possible in the physical presence of pupils and teachers. However, in some institutes it will be possible to activate, always remotely, linguistic laboratories and creative workshops that can comply with the regulations regarding the contrast of the spread of the coronavirus.

The profile of the requested volunteer is from 18 to 30 years old, familiarity with the use of the computer, Internet and management of social networks. We also appreciate abilities in the use of photography and video/audio production and editing. An important feature is flexibility, enthusiasm and the desire to DO and EXPERIMENT with ever-changing contexts, with a basic knowledge of the English or/and Italian language.

Housing: Apartament shared with other volunteers in the city center of Altamura (no single room available).

The volunteers flat of Altamura is settled in the city centre. Volunteers will stay in a dorm with four beds, the flat has a common space (living room) with a beautiful view. There is a bathroom which all volunteers share. There is a kitchen where the volunteers are able to prepare meals on their own and to make lunch and dinner with friends. The house has an independent heating system.
There is also a washing machine. The volunteers is obliged to take care of the house and all included furniture and objects. It is the responsibility of the volunteer to clean the house. In the case that something is broken by the volunteer, or the house is left in bad condition, it is the responsibility of the volunteer to reimburse the organization for fixing or cleaning it.
The flat is supposed to host ONLY volunteers, it is not allowed to host other persons. 

Financial conditions: The funds of the ESC program cover 100% of the accommodation, give a pocket money and food money per month, offer a health insurance that reimburses medical expenses during the project and provides language training on a digital platform.

If you want apply you can find the official call on the ESC portal here: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity/placement/27075_en