What challenge inspired this recipe?
Who could give better advice to new ESC volunteers than the ones who have already lived through this experience? At our evaluation meetings with ESC volunteers we therefore always ask them to write down all of their suggestions and advice for future ESC volunteers. For this we have a sheet prepared with some sentence starters (e.g. My suggestions to future volunteers about …. learning German/ volunteering / Vienna/Austria … I wish I had known….) but also enough space for any further comments. The volunteers fill in these sheet and share their advice from their own volunteering experience.
The sheets of suggestions are shared with the newly arriving volunteers. The sheets for example are hung up on the wall of the meeting room during the welcome days, so participants can read through it during breaks and can gain some starting advice for their time as ESC volunteers.
Ingredients :
- paper and pen (or digital tool)
- facilitator that leads the reflection activity during the evaluation meeting
Step by step guide
- ask volunteers who are finishing their ESC volunteering activities to share their experience and advice/suggestions for future volunteers
- this can be done e.g. in writing with a prepared template or just a blank pieces of paper, or a digital tool like Padlet, Mentimeter, etc.
- we recommend to provide a template with some guiding sentence starters or questions
- the volunteers fill in the sheets/digital form which will then be shared with the next arriving volunteers
- over the years, you gather a big collection of peer advice
Important to highlight!Rarely, but still sometimess, volunteers give advice that as the lead organization we cannot confirm or support. Therefore check the suggestions and advice given by the volunteers before sharing them with the future volunteers. |
Before you start cooking, keep in mind…
… what the best method for collecting the suggestions and advice of volunteers is. What is most appealing for them to contribute to? And make sure the method you choose is accessible and barrier free for the volunteers. In addition to the collection of advice at the project end/evaluation meeting, you can also ask the volunteers already during their activitiy to contribute continously to the collection of advice and suggestions.
