Volunteering as an Educational Opportunity Erasmus Project

Project Title

Volunteering as an Educational Opportunity

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

The project builds on the need to foster an international dimension in order to, on one hand, motivate young people to engage and, on the other hand, enable youth workers to develop key competences, sense of initiative and civic participation through one of successful strategies wide spread in the world, service-learning. Service-learning strategy has been developed abroad within nonformal and also formal education since long and the project partners have gained experience in its development. The potential of the strategy in Central and Eastern European countries has still not been used enough, because of the missing structures, lack of competence and experience in development of the strategy.
General objective of the project is to enhance the competencies and opportunities of youth to fully participate in its society (local, regional, country and EU level), both economically and socially.
The specific objective of the project are to improve the quality and relevance of the education offer in the field of implementation of the service-learning strategy in youth work through development of a training curriculum and related documents and manuals adapted to the context of Central and Eastern European countries; to enhance capacities of organizations and youth workers in implementing service-learning concept in practice and possibilities of its implementation in cooperation with local as well as international youth volunteers; to increase the quality of youth work primary in area of youth volunteering; to increase awareness about volunteering as an educational experience and to create better connection between solidarity service and learning in volunteering experiences of young people.
The project is based upon experience and expertise of partners from 5 EU and 1 non -EU country (associated partner) in the field of service-learning implementation, putting forward new international, innovative and so far unrealized outcomes. The project coordinator is Platform of Volunteer Centers and Organizations, which will cooperate closely with the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica (Slovakia). Project partners come from Romania, Croatia, Poland and Hungary There is more than 400 participants presumably involved in the project. The number include young people, youth workers, educator, target groups in the communities, conference participants. There will be at least 115 individuals lacking opportunities. The project activities consist of creating, testing and spreading innovative outcomes used during the realization of the project and upon its completion in order to develop and spread the service-learning strategy in the field of youth work and outside it, fostering quality of youth work and volunteering. Among main innovative outcomes of the project there are: 1) training for youth workers in service learning and a guide for trainers, 2) manual for implementation of the service learning strategy in the youth work, 3) manual for youth – how to implement service-learning projects and 4) Webinar – graphically facilitated introduction in Service Learning. The outcomes of this kind have not been produced so far but they are of key importance for service-learning development and implementation. The outputs will be published in English as well as in 5 national languages. All outcomes will be available online on the project website. There are 5 transnational working sessions planned within the project and training of trainers in service-learning, centered on the conception of intellectual outcomes and steering of the project. Steering activities include project management, monitoring, evaluation, dissemination, communication and follow-up. The key dissemination activity will be a 2-day international conference. All project outcomes are planned so as to be usable upon the project completion. Apart from partner institutions, youth workers and involved young people, the project will have impact on local communities. It will show in broadening cooperation between actors and decision-makers of various kind – a civic society, citizens and public bodies.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 140339 Eur

Project Coordinator

Platforma dobrovolnickych centier a organizacii & Country: SK

Project Partners

• Önkéntes Központ Alapítvány
• Stowarzyszenie Centrum Wolontariatu
• Udruga za razvoj civilnog drustva SMART
• Asociatia Pro Vobis – Centrul National de Resurse pentru Voluntariat