Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw is an international network of youth work organisations working in the style of Don Bosco. In 2016 we are running a large-scale project titled “Don Bosco 4”.  This project aims at developing the capacity of our network in running advocacy campaigns (focused on refugees) within our own style. It consists of 3 activities:

1. ‘SPEAK UP!’ was a 6-day European training course on youth advocacy which aims to develop the competences of the pax in developing and implementing advocacy actions focussed at impacting local, regional, national or European youth policy, in particular policies affecting young refugees. The TC took place at the Salesianum in Vienna (AT), from 27/03/2016 until 03/04/2016.
2. ‘Crossing Borders’ is a 6 day youth exchange on intercultural learning and migration, aiming at introducing local volunteers to international youth work. The venue for this activity is the Aktionszentrum Benediktbeuern (DE), taking place from 30/07/2016 until 06/08/2016.
3. 'Take the next step’ is a 4-day training seminar aimed at transforming an international voluntary experience of returning volunteers into active citizenship in local community, with a thematic focus on young refugees. The venue is the Saint John Bosco College in Battersea (UK), from 16/11/2016 until 21/11/2016.

 
DBYN is looking for a student worker who can support the project administration for the project.  This includes work at DBYN’s international secretariat in Heverlee, as well as on-site work at the 2 remaining activities.  There are 3 main tasks areas of what we expect the student to work on:
 
Project coordination
You will assist in the project coordination. Your tasks will include registration of participants, communication with the participants, support of the team of trainers, support of the host team, ...
 
Project administration
This project is funded through a grant of the European Youth Foundation.  This means that we need to develop official reports for this institution, in order to ensure we use the grant in the right way.  You will be responsible for assisting in writing the interim and final reports of the project.  This includes the follow-up of the budget: handling reimbursements, preparing invoices for payment, ...
 
Online promotion
DBYN uses a combination of e-media to promote its activities.  For each project we create a dedicated website using the Weebly platform.  Next to this we use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Animato as tools for promotion through social media.  The project administrator is also responsible for maintenance and updating of this website and the promotion through social media.
 
Profile

• Registered as student until the end of 2016
• Able to work for 35 days (including 2 weeks abroad)
• Able to work in English (reading, writing, speaking)
• Able to work independently with eye for details
• Experience in project administration (planning, budgeting, reporting, ...) or a fast learner in this area
• Experience in online media, or a fast learner in this area
• Able to work in the office of DBYN (so living in or close to Leuven)

 
We offer a student contract for the 15th of June till the 15th December, for 35 working days.  The exact working days in the international secretariat are to be decided with the student worker, taking into account the schedule for university. Wage arrangements according to the official barema PC329 B1c.  Next to this you will have the opportunity to work in an international setting, develop professional competences in project management (coordination, administration, communication and financing), learn to work with the Council of Europe’s European Youth Foundation, work in international teams, meet Don Bosco volunteers from 17 European countries and finally, you’ll get a great bunch of co-workers from DBYN and our Belgian member Jeugddienst Don Bosco vzw.
 
If you are interested in the job, please create a short website on weebly (you can create a free account) introducing yourself, your motivation for doing the job and your CV and send it to rein.meus@donboscoyouth.net by the 1th of May. This website will be reviewed by the international secretariat and our president.  If you want more information, you can contact us at the same address.

“Will you join me?” is an Erasmus+ KA1 seminar focusing on how to lift barriers for young people facing fewer opportunities to take part in European projects.  We will in particular focus on how “assistance” is a good practice in encouraging youth workers and young volunteers in the youth field to do so.
 
The seminar is taking place from the 10th till the 13th of March in Assel (Netherlands). Over 26 participants, 2 facilitators and 1 staff member from the hosting organisation are joining. The participants are staff members or volunteers involved in the organisation of international projects, in particular of youth exchanges.

Click here for more information on this seminar.

After almost 8 years, DBYN is soon to release its new website. The previous website was developed in a time when social networking and other web 2.0 applications were in full development. In this time we worked together with a Belgian youth work organisation, specialised in web development for the youth work sector. We were ambitious, integrating many web 2.0 applications allowing us to make simple mash-ups and personalized mailing lists. However, we were surpassed by the rapid development of the internet itself. Many of the functionalities of our website, were soon taken over by Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Google apps.

Since 2012 DBYN started to develop dedicated project websites.  First with web-application EDICY, but when this European platform changed their business plan, we moved to the WEEBLY platform. After a few years of experience with project websites, we decided to transfer also our homepage to this platform.