What challenge inspired this recipe?
Before arrival to their host country, the volunteers receive all important and relevant information for their project start via e-mail. However, as we have experienced that many volunteers don’t read the information sent to them via e-mail, especially in the hurry/excitement before their departure from the home country, we always prepare a “welcome folder” with all the most important info sheets (e.g. emergency contacts), documents (participant confirmation, volunteering agreement, etc.), agreements (e.g. accommodation agreement, data consent agreement, …) and forms (e.g. registration form, application form for residence permits, etc.).
The welcome folder will usually also contain the public transport ticket and apartment/room key of the volunteer.
The person who will pick up the volunteer from the airport/bus/train station– usually a local volunteer or someone from the host project – will give this “welcome folder” to the volunteer upon arrival, so they have all the information they need in one folder. They can read through all the info calmly (again) after their arrival.
The volunteers are asked to bring this folder with all the signed agreements and documents with them to the “welcome days” and they are informed to use this folder throughout their volunteering activity to store all their important documents (e.g. confirmation of residence registration).
Ingredients :
- online tool to keep the content;
Step by step guide
- Create a folder that contains the most important infosheets (e..g emergency contact, address of accommodation and any other relevant info regarding the housing, program for the first week/month, contact of the support and host organization, info on first working day (when, where, with whom, etc.), info on where to buy a SIM card, how to open a bank account, etc.)
- If applicable, the folder can also contain the apartment keys and/or public transport ticket of the participant
- Add anything else that the volunteer might need upon arrival
- Inform the person that will pick up the volunteer as well as the volunteer about the welcome folder: what does it contain, what should they do with it etc.
- Person picking up the volunteer should give the welcome folder to the volunteer
- If no person is available to pick up the volunteer: the welcome folder should be left in the volunteer’s accommodation, so they find all the information upon arrival
Before you start cooking, keep in mind…
Sustainability: printing all the info sheets is not the most sustainable.
