Volunteering Youth: routes and tools for Competence’s Emersion Erasmus Project

Project Title

Volunteering Youth: routes and tools for Competence’s Emersion

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 youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Integration of refugees

Project Summary

The issues dealt with by the project were the validation of the competencies achieved by young volunteers and the promotion of connections between volunteering and the labour market. Thoughout the entire EU, over 1 out of 5 young people regularly performs volunteer activities. Such activities are highly educational and could have a very positive impact on the professional future of the young people.Unfortunately, the organizations which host volunteers are usually not as aware as they should be of the importance of the validation of competencies and do not invest resources to cope with the issue. Furthermore, the tools at their disposal are few and inadequate: even the models created in these years for the validation of learning in informal and non formal contexts deal with the volunteer sector marginally. On the other hand the volunteer sector has some peculiarities and needs ad hoc tools.

The objective of VOYCE was to promote the employability of young people by using learning acquired thanks to volunteer experiences. A special attention was given to refugees, migrants and other young people with fewer opportunities.

The experimentations of the project were be achieved by a partnership of 9 organizations, covering 5 member countries.Italy: CESV – Service Centre for Volunteering: (applicant); CPIA 3 of Latium – a public school for the permanent training of adults. France: CEMEA France and CEMEA Centre: 2 organizations with a long experience in non formal and informal education of young people through creative activities. Spain: Docete Omnes – a vocational training school for disadvantaged people; Cibervoluntarios – an association of volunteers specialized in ICT instruments. Poland: Era Ewaluacy – an organization specialized in evaluation and research. Portugal: IPR Institute and Clube Intercultural Europeu – 2 organizations that implement services and training for young people at risk and for disadvantaged categories.

The results were 4:
1) Identification of good practices for the validation of competences in the specific sector of volunteering – thanks to a specific research
2) Creation of innovative and user friendly instruments for the validation of competences and for the connection with the labour market
3) Training of youth workers concerning the use of these instruments
4) Promotion and dissemination of the project experimentation among young people, organizations hosting volunteers, firms, training institutions, etc.

The project activities included:

a) 5 intellectual outputs:
• research on the innovative practices for the identification and certification of learning acquired by the volunteers;
• a manual on the validation of competences acquired by the volunteers;
• a web-based platform for the on line validation of such competences
• a guide and training module to help volunteers’ mentors to stimulate and reinforce new competences of the young volunteers
• a training module on the valorization of volunteer experiences in the search for employment.

b) 2 training courses addressed to youth workers dealing with young volunteers:
• a course on the validation of competencies acquired by volunteers (through the manual and the web-based platform created by the project)
• a course on reinforcing new competences of the young volunteers and on the valorization of volunteer experiences in the search for employment.

c) 5 multiplier events for the dissemination of the outputs and of the project results: there were 2 transnational events (in France and Italy) and 3 national events (Spain, Portugal and Poland). The events involved an audience made of young people, volunteer organizations, entrepreneurs, training institutions, etc).

The main aspects of the adopted methodology were:
– an active contribution of the participants (young volunteers and youth workers) to the implementation of the outputs. In particular participants tested all tools and provided the necessary feedback to improve them
– the model for the validation of competences integrated the self-evaluation of the volunteers and the evaluation made by the organizations
– the model made an integrated use of analytic instruments (like interviews and questionnaires) and artistic and expressive instruments (like digital storytelling).

The impacts included:
– the organizations hosting the young volunteers are more aware of the relevance of the validation of learning and more capable of identifying and certifying such learning
– a growth of the employability of young people that carry out volunteer activities and also an increased participation of young people in volunteering
– local and national institutions are more aware of the importance of the validation of learning achieved by volunteers and there will be a public debate on this issue.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 209092 Eur

Project Coordinator

CENTRO DI SERVIZI PER IL VOLONTARIATO & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Centro Provinciale Istruzione Adulti 3
• Era Ewaluacji Sp. z o.o.
• CEMEA Centre (Centres d’Entrainement aux Méthodes d’Education Active – Région Centre)
• FUNDACION CIBERVOLUNTARIOS
• Fundacion Docete Omnes
• KADIS, 2002, Ljubljana
• INSTITUTI PRINCIPE REAL – ASSOCIACAO PARA A INOVACAO E DESENVOLVIMENTO