Context and background: The cultural workshop Politistiko Ergastiri Agion Omologiton is a non-governmental organization which is involved in activities related to culture, history and arts. It has 15 years of experience in small-scale research, education, performances and is involved in various Youth in Action and now Erasmus + projects and activities. After successfully managing long term EVS the last years, our organization has expanded its efforts in supporting rural areas. Since approved, we successfully implemented a one month EVS project which took place in the village Lysos, in Paphos area in the north west of Cyprus. The main objective of the activity was to spread the knowledge of Erasmus plus programs and the importance of non-formal education through the rural areas and villages in Cyprus. For this, the volunteers where hosted within the village. Twelve young people from three different countries of the European Union (Slovenia, Italy Romania) had the opportunity to experience the way of living in Cypriot villages by supporting, working and cooperating with the local community by sharing their skills, knowledge and helping out during harvest time. In other occasions the participants were involved in preparing local events, writing articles for the website hosted by the village and spreading the knowledge about Youth in Action programs amongst the local community, especially the local youth. https://www.facebook.com/worldwidevillage Main objectives of the activities: - Support the professional development of youth workers through the implementation of activities such as contact making events, study visits and short term EVS. - Enhance the participants’ foreign languages competences. - Contribute and raise self-awareness about better recognition of competences gained from the participants during their service abroad. - Promote the understanding of other cultures and countries to give the opportunity for the buildup of a network by identifying partners with vision for a united Europe consisting from people who are socially active; aiming to develop a sense of European citizenship. - Provide tools for development of key competences, empower and promote the need for personal development of the participants. - Promote non-formal learning and cooperation in the field of youth with partner countries. - Foster cooperation and exchange of best practices between young people from different regions of Europe. - Encourage young people to create partnerships across regions. - Offer an alternative future perspective to young unemployed people and those at risk of unemployment. - Create a unique sensation between the relation of the participants and the environment. Raise awareness of the importance and power of nature and how we can work sustainable for the benefit of both the human and nature. Profile of participants: - enjoy working in the environment - are comfortable working as part of a team and under supervision - like to experience a different culture and integrate into the local community - are comfortable with using non formal communication (sometimes the locals might not speak English very well) - have an interest in education and cultural issues and promoting various ways of involvement in community life of young people Number of participants: Activity 1, 12 participants Activity 2, 12 participants Description of activities: This project is called “World Wide Village”. Our proposal consists of 2 separate activities : Activity 1, Short term EVS. The participants will: 1) help out during harvesting time by picking carobs, almonds and lemons from the fields. 2) write articles for the website hosted by the village. This task also includes research and the promotion of EVS and other youth in action programs. 3) organize an event in the village for its visitors and the local community. 4) help out the local community and assisting them with some easy tasks. Activity 2, Short term EVS. The participants will: 1) create a morphological plan for the development of the cycling/hiking track. 2) contribute socially by cleaning and repairing some parts of the track. 3) organize an event in the village for its visitors and local community. 4) plant trees to make an impact on the working landscape. Methodology: Team - Building activities , motivational support, Story-telling and videos on personal developments and success stories on sense of initiative, Role-playing and simulations on work situations, self awareness and self-efficacy development through tasks and reflections groups, work on job tools and and on competences, attitudes and behaviors (Youthpass). Results and Impact: An event organized by our partner organizations will give the opportunity to the volunteers to inform other young people in their countries about their experiences and provide information about the project, EVS but also to encourage youngsters to use Erasmus plus as a sustainable long term educational tool.