Follow your Vision – FAMILY VOLUNTEERING, a new form of engagement Erasmus Project

Project Title

Follow your Vision – FAMILY VOLUNTEERING, a new form of engagement

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Background
Many people are marginalised within society by disadvantage,minority background,lack of “modern” skills,of knowledge,awareness or means.Adults who want to volunteer with family members face a variety of obstacles identified in pre-project research as reasons to invest in a new way of community engagement-Family Volunteering- FV,an existing educational method for adults of all ages,that with some isolated exceptions has not been tested or adapted on a European level,but many of the needs it can successfully address are still stringent in our communities.
The benefits of this type of volunteering are numerous both for the communities being served and for the involved volunteers.FV has the potential to tie people together in efforts to achieve common goals on a local,national and European level.It raises awareness to the local contexts and the current issues.It fosters tolerance,solidarity,understanding towards differences and respect of human rights.The volunteers are offered an attractive opportunity of spending quality time with their loved ones,while at the same time developing their skills.They learn and improve themselves while sharing their own skills and knowledge,and raising their self-esteem.They become part of the community even if in the past they were being marginalized.

Objectives
1.Increasing the capacity of adult education structures to design, implement and evaluate quality FV programs in their communities, in the 6 project countries
2.Developing the managerial competences of at least 60 adult education professionals in the 6 partner countries in dealing with the specifics of FV projects and activities at high quality standards
3.Improving supply, access and attractiveness for at least 180 adults to new and qualitative educational opportunities within FV as non-formal learning,with a view on developing competences and validating their learning
4.Increasing the awareness of relevant stakeholders about the opportunities FV as an approach can bring to adult learning processes as well as community development and the key role of adult educators facilitating such processes
5.Providing opportunity and adequate space for awareness and reflection on the effects of FV on the practice of European values and on the development of soft skills of adult learners
6.Establishing a cohesive European network of organizations committed to and able to enhance the FV concept and practice as a viable tool for life-long learning and strengthened family ties

Participants
We will have 3 types of participants:
-in local FV activities–adults,youth or other family members involved in volunteering activities (180),as well as adult educators (36-mostly volunteer coordinators and project leaders),
-in local dissemination activities (185)-the future multipliers of FV approach and project results
-in project mobilities (5 transnational project meetings)-the representatives of partner organizations, in charge of exploring FV concept and practices,creating IOs and delivering project results,as well as advocating for project discoveries and making connections with other initiatives

Activities
Besides the production of 5 Intellectual Outputs and the high quality project management activities,that will be undertaken by all partners under the coordination of the applicant,during the project we will also have a local piloting phase planning the testing of 18 concrete FV activities adapted to the local cultural context and profile of selected families of volunteers.The skills and informal learning will be documented and valorised.All the results will be disseminated by the partners in their day to day activity as well as during 6 multiplier events.All partners will contribute to the project monitoring, evaluation and communication.

Results,impact,benefits
By the project end:
-36 adult education professionals will have a deep understanding of FV concept and its applications as well as the hand-on experience of implementing FV activities from A to Z
-180 citizens will have experienced directly benefits and opportunities FV can bring for them and their families,developing,upgrading and validating their skills in the process
-increased capacity for adult educators to professionally design and manage FV and become ambassadors of this new concept in their communities
-the intellectual outputs developed will serve as resources for everyone interested in FV
-partners will be able to further promote FV,develop FV opportunities and support others in creating their own FV activities
FV stands to bring numerous benefits for individuals, regardless of age, social status, education level, etc, as well as for communities, no matter what their current needs and issues are. Through this project we will introduce FV as an effective, attractive, easily approachable education method in the European area and a new form of community engagement to be explored for its future potential to generate change,on individual and societal level

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 171260 Eur

Project Coordinator

Asociatia Pro Vobis – Centrul National de Resurse pentru Voluntariat & Country: RO

Project Partners

• Volunteering Ireland trading as Volunteer Ireland
• Vestre Aker Frivillighetssentral
• Hrvatski centar za razvoj volonterstva
• Freiwilligen-Zentrum Augsburg
• CENTRE EUROPEEN DU VOLONTARIAT