What challenge inspired this recipe?
Welcoming a young volunteer with fewer opportunities on a European volunteering project requires that the support of the young person during the different steps be more in-depth, personalized and constantly verified by a feedback loop in order to optimize the chances that the young person will realize the project which meets his expectations. Attention must be constantly paid to the well-being of the young people and the development of his abilities.
Ingredients :
– A4A Form A4A (form which summarizes the volunteer’s profile, his experiences, his specific needs, his objectives and project)
– Monitoring sheet (document which lists all the contacts and procedures carried out with the volunteer)
– Interview guide (document which covers the different points to be addressed during an interview)
– Dashboard (file which allows to visualize the different steps to be taken and those which have been carried out = checklist)
– Report on participation (document written by the mentor/leader which includes the description of the project, the volunteer’s relationship with other, relationship with his environment, involvement at work, attitude and behavior, etc.)
– Evaluation Form
– Cohabitation charter
– Decision log (cohabitation)
Step by step guide
Inclusion is a democratic effort to be made by all citizens so that they can all participate fully in society, according to a principle of equal rights.
The individual and the relational must therefore be favored throughout the intervention process by considering the support of a volunteer with fewer opportunities individually but also collectively.
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT: reinforced mentorship via personalized support is provided for the participation of any young person who explicitly or implicitly expresses the request. Reinforced mentorship is carried out jointly by the sending, coordinating and hosting organizations.
COLLECTIVE SUPPORT: the group can also collectively play a role of support for the person in difficulty, thus offering a necessary articulation of individual and collective needs (involvement of the host organization and the people who share the accommodation and daily life with the volunteer).
BEFORE THE PROJET
– General presentation of the organization and activities
– Interviews of orientation, advice, monitoring and feedback loop
– Identification of the volunteer’s profile (experiences of commitment, mobility, volunteering and work…)
– Identification of the specific needs (behavior, addiction, health problem, language barrier, disability, etc.), expectations and fears
– Identification of an international mobility project that matches the volunteer’s motivations and resources
– Identification of the necessary administrative procedures and support in the various administrative procedures (form, regularization of the administrative situation so that the volunteer maintains his rights, insurance, European procedures, identity card, drafting of authorization documents or requests for maintenance of rights, etc.)
– Identification of a preparation activity and acquisition of the leader’s report evaluation
– Period of reflection for the volunteer
– Interview with the coordinating organization (video conference)
– Interview with the host organization (video-conference)
– Identification of a hosting and coordinating mentor
– Preparation of the journey (search for an itinerary, reservation of transport tickets and purchase of tickets, writing of an infosheet, explanation of the journey)
– Explanations on the different contact persons for the volunteer, sensitive points, the volunteering curve, culture and rhythm shocks, commitment, etc.
DURINT THE LE PROJECT
– Tutorat renforcé : entretiens, dialogue, contacts réguliers, disponibilité, médiation, écoute,…
– Reinforced mentoring: interviews, dialogue, regular contacts, availability, mediation, listening, etc.
– Self-managed collocation, collective life where the rights and duties of each person are negotiated and accepted. Everyone participates in the collocation according to their skills and desires (meeting, distribution of tasks, charter, etc.)
– Sharing living spaces and shared moments (solidarity presence). The volunteer is accompanied by professionals (tutoring) or volunteers (roommates) depending on his needs and requests.
– “Praatcultuur” makes it possible to maintain a dialogue between or with people in order to defuse a whole series of potential conflicts. This word can be translated as “chatter culture”, in that chatter is light, but essential as an element of group cohesion and a means of resolving a problem before it degenerates into conflict.
– When cohabitation becomes difficult, or even temporarily impossible, we consider appropriate measures aimed at resolving the difficulties or reviewing the supervision standards. Only when these measures have failed can alternative solutions be considered such as temporary departure and/or finding another place to live (mentor from the coordinating organization)
– Appointment of a mediator within the cohabitation
– Appointment of a “godfather/godmother” for new members of the cohabitation (to answer all their questions, explain things in more detail, etc.)
– Preparation for the end of the project (organization of the return, confirmation of the planned return date, reservation of tickets, planning of an evaluation time, etc.)
AFTER THE PROJECT
- Evaluation of the project with the aim of promoting the experiences and skills acquired by the volunteer
- Recognition and certification for non-formal & informal learning in the project
- Support in administrative procedures (inventory of fixtures, youth pass, etc.)
- Acquisition of the hosting organisation’report on participation
- Acquisition of the volunteer’s participation report from the host organization
- Update of the monitoring sheet
Important to highlight!Welcoming and sending volunteer with fewer opportunities on short-term projects requires constantly ensuring that the young person is at the center of the project while providing him with the most appropriate help possible. This requires flexibility, communication and questioning skills from all the actors involved as well as the conviction of the common interest of such a project. |
Before you start cooking, keep in mind…
The challenge of an inclusive welcome depends on the involvement of all the people likely to evolve around the volunteer (inclusion is everyone’s business, for the common good). It is not always easy to measure the extent of support that a volunteer with fewer opportunities will require once the project has started. Support requires the designation of a reference person who is available within the host and coordination organization. Roommates must be aware and in agreement with welcoming a volunteer with fewer opportunities. We must be careful not to welcome young people with the same problem together.
