AFSAI Volunteers are never alone in the host organization. They will always support the staff of the organization during the activities. In case of outings with the hosts (in which the volunteers will also participate as a support), he/she will always be assisted by at least one operator.

Volunteers do not have same responsibilities of the workers and they never act as a job-substitution.

Volunteer, after a first period of observation and acquaintance with the Community, will be able to participate actively in the educational activities organized in the different Services and will share part of his/her daily life with the hosted persons.

The role of the volunteer will be of strong help to the management of the activities of the community. The working team will try to provide him/her with the necessary tools and information. Him/her wil need a first period to best experiment relation with the elderly people, offering them additional moments of well-being and emotional responses.

During the first period of adaptation, they will test each activity to understand which one is more suitable according to their skills and attitudes. This phase is very important in order to implement the project’s goals and to overcome possible communication problems with the hosts.

According to this, any of the activities described below will be open to suggestions coming from the volunteers:

• Helping in everyday life

The volunteer will support the operators in preparing meals and the hosts with special needs during the meal by cutting the meat, helping them to drink water and to eat, etc.

• Supporting recreational and rehabilitation activities

The volunteer tasks in Rifugio:

s/he will be supporting staff members in the recreative and rehabilitation activities run inside and outside the center. These activities are:

• Serve meals
• Gym
• Shopping
• Excursion to the near by zone
• Music-therapy
• Exercises for the maintenance of the cognitive functions
• Workshops with paper and other materials.

The volunteer will have important contacts with the guests, spending with them most of the time talking and listening to their special needs. For example: helping them to walk through the center, playing cards, reading newspaper, telling stories, writing, and so on.

The activities will be done by the volunteer in different times and/or areas of the center in presence of an other volunteer. In this way Italian and international volunteers can better perform their tasks to benefit the hosts.

When having group activities, the volunteers plan their tasks with the staff of the project. Each volunteer takes over different tasks and comply with them under the overall supervision of the operators. Some activities can be done by the  volunteers when an extra support is needed and/or when all the hosts are grouped together and only one working group is run.

Although the volunteers will carry out specific activities based on their interests and skills, the role of all the volunteers is also generic. All the volunteers should help the staff during lunch time, during the physiotherapy activities, during hydration and during the leisure activities organized by the staff. Volunteers should also help to clean and provide food to Rifugio’s guests.

In the framework of the project, volunteers hosted at RIFUGIO RE CARLO ALBERTO, will be encouraged to promote and to implement new volunteering activities.

The host organization as well will create new volunteering opportunities for volunteers.

Working hours

The volunteer will work about 7 hours every day from Monday to Friday, and will have 2 days off every week. The weekly working time is 35 hours, included the hours of Italian class (not included travel).

In the centre the daily working time is usually: 9.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. / 2.00 p.m – 5.00 pm. In the units, the the daily working time is usually  9.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. / 2.00 p.m – 5.00 pm. or 11.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. / 2.00 p.m. – 7.00 p.m.

The timetable will be set up according to the volunteer’s skills/preferences and according to the activities proposed in the units or in the daily center. Timing will be also agreed according to the Italian language course’s schedule. Volunteer will have the opportunity to propose their own initiatives. They can use our laboratories, rooms and tools we have (such computer, telephone, internet and so on). We are very happy to receive each volunteer’s contribute.

Days off

S/he will have two free days a week and two free days a month.

Rifugio Accommodation

The volunteer will have a shared room with bathroom inside the project structure at the last floor which is an area reserved to the volunteers. They have at their disposal a laundry machine  to wash their own clothes. The volunteers are expected to keep their own rooms clean and tidy.

Food at Rifugio

Food is always provided inside the hosting project. Everyday the volunteer will have breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining room of the workers. Having lunch or dinner with the other people is seen as a good way to share and live together. Food is always provided 7 days a week. Volunteers can have their meals in Rifugio also during their free days and on Saturdays and Sundays. Volunteers are required to be flexible regarding the food offered by Rifugio canteen.

If volunteers decide to go out from the hosting organization for holidays and personal reasons they will not receive money for food, as food is guaranteed inside the hosting project.