📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Our partner is a non-profit association and was founded in 2006 by the parents of a young man with a disability. They wanted their son to live in a community house hosting 5 or 6 residents rather than in an institution. The "residents" are the people with disabilities living in the houses of the association. They are men and women with various disabilities aged between 20 and 30 years old. A third of them have a complex dependency need disability, which means that they need continuous support throughout their daily activities. Generally speaking, the organisation aims at improving the personal development and the well-being of each resident. This is possible through giving them opportunities to make their own choices, to realise their potential by carrying out daily activities, living in their own home, and be regarded as full members of the society. More specifically, the objective is to promote the integration of these people with disabilities into the neighbourhood and the social life, providing them with the same rights as every citizen. It can be done through participation of the residents in community life activities in the house or in the neighbourhood, among other activities.
💼 What the programme involves
Volunteers will assist a team of professional support workers assisting the residents in their daily activities, leisure activities, organising events and parties in the Houses such as having family members or friends over. They will also participate in the meetings of the professional team to help develop the residents’ personal projects and think about ways to ensure a better and lasting well-being for each resident and the community in general. Each volunteer will work in one of the Houses of Pilotis. They will carry out various tasks together with the residents. Some activities will be carried out in collaboration with the professional support workers when needed. Support and care of the residents: - in their daily activities: take them to the bathroom so that they can take a shower/bath, brush their teeth, get dressed, etc. - in their personal household chores: cleaning their rooms and washing their clothes, etc. - in leisure outdoors activities (walks, visits). Run the daily activities in the Houses (! Always IN COLLABORATION WITH and in support of the residents!): - shopping, preparing meals, organising birthday parties, feeding small pets (rabbits, guinea pigs!), etc.
🏠 Accommodation on site
The living costs (food, accommodation, transport, laundry) are covered by the organisation. The volunteers will stay in a flat equipped with the following facilities: two single rooms, a cosy and bright living room, a kitchen/dining room, a bathroom, toilets, Internet connection. This is a duplex flat, located on the top floor of the Park House in the Etterbeek neighbourhood (no elevator), and it has no common spaces with the House (except for the staircase). Etterbeek is the European communities neighbourhood. There are parks nearby. Depending on the working hours of the volunteer in the House, some meals can be shared with the residents. Volunteers can have their other meals privately, in their accommodation or outside, according to their wishes. For private meals, a food compensation is allocated to the volunteer.
📍 About the location
There are a lot of parks in Brussels, and the Houses are located close to them, which is suitable for relaxing, doing sports activities, cycling, walking, etc. Culture in Brussels plays a big role, with its pop culture, cafés, concert halls, beautiful Art Nouveau-style houses and buildings, and original and lively museums. “Les Pilotis” encourages participation in the community and cultural life: parties with the residents of the neighbourhood, leisure activities, visits, trips to the North Sea, weekends in the Ardennes ... with a bit of imagination, there is always a chance to share happy and satisfying moments with the residents.