my Erasmus+ @léargasHello, and Welcome to Florina! This booklet that you hold in your hands was created by two Irish volunteers as part of their EVS project. What is EVS? Well, it stands for European Voluntary Service and it’s an international volunteer program that’s funded by the Erasmus+ program. It gives young people (aged between 18 and 30) who live in Europe a chance to carry out an international volunteer service in an organization or in a public body in Europe, or as far away as Africa, Asia or South America. An EVS usually lasts between 2 and 12 months. This EVS “took about 6 months and it came together with the cooperation of OENEF - Active Youths of Florina - and Youth Work Ireland Tipperary. EVS is an amazing opportunity to live, work and experience another country and their culture. It also takes away some of the stress of trying to do this on your own, because the travel expenses, food, accommodation, health insurance and a monthly allowance are all taken care of through the program. Thanks to the intercultural aspect and its non-formal approach to learning and working, EVS is a unique opportunity to come into contact with cultures different from your own and to acquire new skills and abilities useful for your personal and professional growth.Through these programmes we can encourage young people with the learning of another language by living and being a part of their new community, spreading tolerance among young people of the European Union through youth exchanges and meeting new people, promoting active citizenship and volunteering, supporting the development of local communities and developing the ability to interact with people of different language and culture. Being in another country with a project like this, increases your own skills through the practical experience of volunteering abroad.For this EVS project our volunteers were Rachael and Simon who came all the way from Ireland. They stayed with us from April to October 2018 and created this guide for other young travellers to welcome them to Florina! During their stay here they had the chance to visit some of our famous attractions, to really understand the local life and to see what Florina has to offer people who come to visit us here. They went further afield to places like Nymfaio and Lake Prespa, but they also sat by the river, went for walks to explore the city, pet all the dogs in the park and got to know the real life here. All these experiences came together to make this booklet. Even though this was their main project, they were also here to help us with youth exchanges, educational school visits, and with the everyday running of our youth centre. You can see the creative impact of our volunteers in the centre with the colourful posters and art that are all over the walls. Rachael and Simon brought an added value to our activities and introduced important knowledge and experience in every action they were involved in. More than this, they became parts of our daily lives, our families. This is exactly what EVS is. A life changing experience. We hope you enjoy reading this booklet but also enjoy using it while you stay here in Florina!