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Wings of Hope
Start date: Jun 30, 2015, End date: Dec 29, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Wings of Hope is an organisation that aims to provide opportunities and support to young people and adults who are disadvantaged in society. This includes educational, social, vocational and mental health support. The purpose of this project is to provide extra value in the services that the hosting organisation can provide to young people and disadvantaged individuals in Sarajevo by providing support through the volunteer to the trained project staff. The volunteer will help support the delivery of a number of activities and help to document and disseminate the learnings of the local young people access Wing's of Hope services. In this context the project aims to facilitate the volunteer's understanding of the impact of post-war trauma Bosnian society and to promote practical knowledge of approaches to psychological and psychosocial support. Activities will primarily focus on the promotion of mental health and wellbeing. The volunteer will assist the psychologist with the preparation and evaluation of therapy sessions and assist with the development of mental health resources. The volunteer will help to address negative attitudes towards mental health and assist developing anti-stigma resources. In addition to this the volunteer will be involved in the delivery of language classes, learn about all aspects of project development and delivery and will also continuously reflect on her experience meeting her mentor several times per week. She will also experience the culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina and will receive Bosnian Language Lessons during her stay. The activities the volunteer assists with, will be delivered together with an experienced member of staff allowing the volunteer to learn, and to seek assistance as and when required. It will also allow a continuous exchange of knowledge and a space for the volunteer to reflect on their experiences. The volunteer will have space to prepare activities together with project staff, assist with the delivery of activities and participate in the evaluation of activities delivered. For the participant, the expected impact is a greater awareness of the needs of disadvantaged members of society in relation to mental health. She will also gain applied knowledge in the context of Global Mental Health and provision of psychosocial support in a post-war region. Connected to this will be the practice, training and instruction the participant will receive on how to work, communicate and help people suffering from the trauma of war or social discrimination. She will also gain experience of delivery of language classes and pedagogical skills that are part work with children and young people. Finally she will hone project management, organisational and cross-cultural communication skills, including learning the native language. The receiving organisation, Wings of Hope, will emerge from this project with theoretical knowledge UK approaches, which may help to develop new approaches. The volunteer will also contribute to the development of mental health resources and assist with the workload of the psychologist, in relation to preparation and evaluation of workshops lead by the psychologist. In addition the volunteer will be able to assist Wings of Hope to tackle stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness which may be prevalent in the general public and will help to develop resources for anti-stigma education. The volunteer will also help to gather research evidence on the current state of mental health in Bosnia, which may be useful to improve current approaches to the delivery of mental health support. The long-term benefits for the volunteer will be the experience of a very different culture and the opportunity to expand her horizons. It will also expand her knowledge of practical approaches to mental health support in a cross-cultural context and promote her understanding of the issues faced by people living in a post-conflict society. In addition Wings of Hope will benefit from the work the volunteer will contribute and will be able to build on the resources that will be developed throughout this year. For the sending and hosting organisation this exchange will build new connections that will facilitate further collaboration in the long-term and open up avenues for the hosting of other EVS volunteers as well as youth exchanges.

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