Issue 1 August 2020
VOLUNTEERING FOR
BETTER
WORLD
Dissemination brochure for partners and volunteers Youth Activity for Creative Learning and Development II
Visit our official website at www.eks.aktywnekobiety.org.pl to learn more info.
CONTENT About our association ......1 About project ...................2 Project Implementation....3 Multilingual Competence..4 Personal, social and learning to learn competence........5 Citizenship .......................6 Entrepreneurship...............7 Cultural Awareness...........8 Digital competence .........9 Literacy ............................10 School No9 .......................11 School No30 ....................14 School No4 ......................15 Outcomes ........................17 Padlet ..............................18 Join Us! ........................... 19
CREATED BY NINO GABADZE
ABOUT US Active Women Association is a non-governmental non-profit organization which promotes social inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable groups such as youth, seniors, women and minorities. We actively promote tolerance, gender equality and civic society values. The main channels we work through are: non-formal education, social & media campaigns, networking & coalitions, strategic learning partnerships, lobbying, advocacy, and counselling.
Since 2002 we are involved in local, national and transnational collaboration running:
Non-formal education for 17000 learners
European Voluntary Service for the Youth
Exchange of experienc among organizations
Empowerment trips to Africa, Asa, Scandinavia and Europe
ul 3 maja 11, 41-200 Sosnowiec
https://www.aktywnekobiety.org.pl/
+48 606 976 474
Mon - Fri 09:00 - 17:00 biuro.akt@gmail.com
1
ABOUT
THE PROJECT Thanks to these projects, young people from all over word have the opportunity to gain professional experience in organizations or institutions abroad, establish international friendships, develop language competences, learn about the culture and customs of other countries. This project is in the frame of the Programme European Voluntary Service and is co-financed by The European Union. In this project volunteerrs had an opportunity to work at schools in Sosnowiec. Look what they say after their volunteering term finished :
" The project taught me how to be more empathetic, decisive and how to develop personally. " Clara from Spain
" This project was the best decisition I have ever made in my life! " Muberra from Turkey
2
* Comments are taken from the feedback documents that volunteers had to fill after their volunteering term was over.
Project Implementation steps Implementation of a project means to execute activities proposed in the application form with the aim to achieve project objectives and deliver results and outputs. The success of a project depends on meny factors (internal and external ones). Some of the most important ones are a very well organised project team and effective monitoring of project progress.wd sfsdf
Implement
Evaluate
Report
Communicate
Implementation of the project started as soon as it was approved by the National Agency. The recruitment of volunteers started several months before to ensure equal and just seletion. After the volunteers were selected and arrived in Poland, all of them had an orientation meeting with the tutors and mentors. Fully furnished flats were waiting for them to make themselves comfortable and create their "little home" in Poland. They had an orientation meeting at schools too, where they met their supervisors, teachers and pupils. After all was set, they were ready to volunteer and develop their professional skills. From week to week the volunteers had a meeting, during which they would talk - how they have developed, which skills they have acquired and which new information they have learnt. This weekly evaluations always help volunteers to realize and reflect upon the week, evaluate their knowledge and follow the development. Apart from tutor meetings, volunteers had a one-in-a-week meeting on Wednesdays. During the meeting everybody could share what happened, what new activities they have descovered, which new words they have learnt and etc. Also during these gatherings they would talk about their dificulties and the group as a whole and a mentor, Anna, were trying to find solutions for them. And the last, but not the least was a document , specially prepared for volunteers, which wold remind them about dissemination : writing articles about their experiences and practices and sharing them, so that more people could absorb the knowledge and become better citizens.
3
Project goals and 8 key competences In order to impement the project successfully, the EU worked on and came up with the 8 key competences. They are said to be the goals of the EVS projects in general. By focusing on these goals, volunteers develop their skills and competences. Here are all of them, following the outcomes :
Multilingual Competences
Multilingual competence is the ability to use different languages for communication and to understand and express thoughts, feelings and facts orally or in writing. One would need to know the grammar and vocabulary of a certain language. The ability to learn a language in various ways is also important. Appreciation of cultural diversity and curiosity for intercultural communication are attitudes connected to this competence.
European youth projects involve interactions with people from different countries, who speak different languages. For many participants, communicating in a foreign language is of crucial importance. A European project offers the perfect environment to practice this. Especially in longer-term projects, this competence area is among the ones that the participants develop to the greatest extent.
4
Personal, Social and Learning to Learn Competence Personal, social and learning to learn competence is the ability to learn to learn, to manage one’s own learning and to reflect on oneself. It is about time and information management. Social competences include working with others in a constructive way and managing conflicts in a supportive way. Personal competences include resilience, the ability to cope with uncertainty and complexity and to show empathy. Ability to support physical and emotional well-being is also relevant for this competence area. European projects often rely on group interactions which can be intensive where one is confronted with own attitudes. Reflecting on the self, the relation with others and one’s own role in the group is therefore essential. Working together with others in a meaningful and constructive way plays a big role. Learning to learn is crucial to improve oneself in all remaining competence areas. It is about being aware of one’s own learning and taking responsibility for it. European projects offer the possibility to choose own learning paths and to decide what to get from a project. It is about setting learning objectives, reflecting on learning strengths and weaknesses and the ways one learns the best. It involves organizing own learning, self-motivation, assessing and monitoring the development, collecting outcomes and acknowledging the changes that one has gone through.
5
Ci ti zenshi p Competence
Citizenship competence is the ability to act as responsible citizens and to fully participate in civic and social life, based on understanding of social, economic, legal and political concepts as well as global developments and sustainability. In many projects, participants are directly or indirectly involved in a civil society organisation or they work on a locally or globally relevant social or environmental theme. They reflect on values, laws, human rights, make comparisons between practices, problems and needs in different realities in Europe. They may discuss what Europe and its core values are and how they are experienced in different contexts and from different perspectives. They may also reflect on their own understanding and experience of being an active citizen.
6
Entrepreneurship Competence Entrepreneurship competence refers to the capacity to act upon opportunities and to turn ideas into action that has value for others. It includes taking initiative, creativity, innovation, critical thinking and problem solving. It requires the ability to work collaboratively and to plan projects of cultural, social or financial value.
European projects are about turning ideas into reality, about being creative, and trying out new things that might also be risky. The project has to be managed in different contexts. Participants have different possibilities to develop talents, discover passions, try out new roles and get inspired to turn their ideas into action. In a volunteering or youth exchange project, if a participant wishes, then planning, preparation, management and evaluation of the project is done together with them. This is even more valid for a solidarity project or a youth initiative.
7
Competence in Cultural Awareness and Expression Competence in cultural awareness and expression is the understanding of how ideas are creatively expressed in different cultures, through different arts. It involves developing and expressing own ideas. It requires the knowledge of local, European and global cultures and the ability to express ideas and emotions in different artistic and cultural forms. Openness and curiosity are important attitudes. Young people often develop creative forms of expression to make contact with others or to reflect on experiences. Either organisations offer an opportunity to develop cultural aspects during the project or the participants use this form of expression based on their own initiative. All forms of creativity and media can find their place in youth work. Increasing cultural awareness can prepare the ground for effective intercultural learning. It can also serve to raise awareness about dealing with ambiguity.
8
Mathematical Competence and Competence in Science, Technology and Engeneering Mathematical competence and competence in science, technology, engineering (STEM) is the ability to use mathematical thinking to solve problems in everyday situations. Competence in science refers to the ability to use knowledge; to identify questions and to base opinions on evidence. It includes the ability to use logical and critical thinking, to handle technological tools and to communicate conclusions and reasoning behind them. In a youth project, participants can improve this competence in thematic work (such as leading science labs or helping children with their homework). However, even in projects that do not directly work on scientific topics, participants can improve their problem solving and analytical thinking skills by being involved in decision-making processes regarding the management of different aspects of their project.
9
Literacy Competence
Literacy competence is the ability to understand and express thoughts, feelings and facts orally, in writing or in other forms, and to interact with others. It is the basis for further learning. The openness to critical and constructive dialogue and the awareness on the impact of language on others are important elements of this competence. In a youth project, a participant may need to create various types of written material for different target groups (social media posts, petition texts, official letters, newsletter articles, activity reports, etc.). They also get to know new terminology – even in their own language – on the topic of the project. They are likely to be in contact with different people (children, parents, teachers, decision-makers, foreigners living in the host country, journalists etc.) and need to adapt their communication to the context.
10
* Disclaimer : competences are shared for studying purposes
Upper Secondary School no 9
ABOUT SCHOOL IX school offers new horizons and perspectives to the Youth. It prepares students for making responsible decisions regarding future carreer. The presence of volunteers helpsthem to gain more knowledge about the world and practice their language, feel comfortable around foreigners and make them more confident.
"Thanks to Nino's and Jeanne's presence at school, students and teachers could learn about new cultures and use English and French in natural communication situations for learning purposes. Students had the opportunity to discuss important topics that affect them on a daily basis, and for which there is not always time during regular lessons. Students could learn informally, which is always much more engaging for them. Many students developed a closer relationship with Nino and Jeanne and talked to her about many different topics outside of the workshops. The presence of volunteers allowed to expand the school's educational offer with new and interesting activities." JOANNA JANAS-SAJDAK, TUTOR
11
School website : https://ixlo.sosnowiec.pl/
IX Liceum Ogólnokształcące w Sosnowcu
ACTIVITIES Jeanne Vial from France and Nino Gabadze from Georgia these two volunteers were working closely with the school. They planned different kinds of activities, especially on topics like discrimination, nature protection and language learning. They were using informal educational tools that were interesting for the pupils.
12
WORKSHOPS Nino created custom workshops for the pupils about gender / sexual orientation / religious discrimination, and informative presentations about modern day slavery. Jeanne was very fond of environmental workshops, sharing her knowledge about the subject and engage pupils with various games and and activities. ONLINE COURSES Because of the Corona virus school was shut down. So, volunteers came up with the idea of recording presentations online. Jeannes started with Pop culture in France. Nino spoke about Human Rights Declaration and Georgian Language. All and all, it was still prouctive regarding the situation.
School website : https://ixlo.sosnowiec.pl/
Primary Special Need School no 30
ABOUT SCHOOL
ACTIVITIES
The school educates students with light and moderate mental retardation as well as those who suffer from conjugated disabilities, including autistic students. The school aims at supporting the development of the students in every way possible. Volunteers helps them to integrate, develop different skill sets and lighten up their day.
Joaquin, Clara and Anne were our volunteers from Spain after Oriol and Juanjo (both from Spain) and Linda (from Portugal). They had various activities planned for the pupils. Cooking classes were the most famous among them. They have cooked together and enjoyed the Spanish meals. They also created engaging games and informative classes. If you want to know more about the activities and volunteers at this school. please visit their website. "16 years ago I went to my school in Spain as a pupil. Now I am entering it as an elementary teacher. How would I know? "
Joaquin from Spain
14
Too see the video and more inormation about the school, scn this QR code --->
Special Needs School Complex no 4
ABOUT SCHOOL
ACTIVITIES
The school educates students with light and moderate mental retardation as well as those who suffer from conjugated disabilities.
Volunteers were participating in hippotherapy, supporting teacher-therapists and pupils during exercises, assisting the children in the therapy.
Volunteers from Turkey (Muberra), Spain (David), Italy (Guido) and France (Aurelie) were working for this school for 11 months.
They were also actively engaged in ceramics workshops conducted by professional artists (from the design, through the melting and cutting of clay sculptures to firing and glazing). Volunteers also actively supported the implementation of projects and school events, especially in executing theatrical events and plays. Volunteers were supported by an amazing tutor, Dagmara from the school.
15
For additional information, please,visit our website.
OUTCOMES EVS improves foreign la ngua ge skills
EVS improves intercultura l competences
97 % of our pa rticipa nts improved their foreign la ngua ge skills and learnt how to communica te well
Our volunteers become more confident to tra vel, work or study a broa d 100 % of our volunteers ha ve tra veled a cross Europe a nd pla nned a ctivities themselves
95 % of our volunteers sa id they beca me more tolera nt a nd understa nding towa rds other cultures.
EVS promotes solida rity a nd tolera nce 99 % of our volunteers ga ined more knowledge a bout other cultures, socia l issues a nd beca me more tolera nt.
EVS helps pa rticipa nts to rea lise their idea s All of our volunteer s ha d oppor tunities to sta r t their own projects , tea ch courses, crea te round ta ble a nd discussion pa nels on their own. They a ctively pa rticipa ted in different a ctivities a nd crea ted some themselves.
17
EVS helps volunteers to identify a nd use opportunities Almost a ll the volunteers got employed after finishing their projects in the direction a nd sphere of their volunteering.
Project Imlementation
LETTERS FROM OUR PADLET PAGE:
For more, visit our padlet and blog: https://padlet.com/europeanscawa https://europeanvolunteerspoland.wordpress.com/
18
VOLUNTEERING FOR BETTER FUTURE
19
JOIN NOW!
http://eks.aktywnekobiety.org.pl/current-offers-in-poland/
