„Volunteer to learn“: best-practice / project form
Partner: Cluj-Napoca Volunteer Centre
Project: EVS hosting and sending projects
Main topic: Learning plan
Identification of the organization
Name
Cluj-Napoca Volunteer Centre
Location
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Type of organization
Non-profit organization
Contact details
[email protected]
www.centruldevoluntariat.ro
+40 264 431 411
Virgil Fulicea street, nr.1, ap.1, 400022, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Identification of the practice / project
Title
Learning plan
Objectives of the practice/
The tool supports the personal development of volunteers and acts
project
as a monitoring tool especially for the longer term projects of
programs.
Detailed description of the
See appendix for the exact description of the tool.
project (methods,
instruments, working plan …)
Target group volunteers: who The method was used so far by our organization with EVS
should be reached by the
volunteers but it can be adapted also to local volunteering
project?
programs.
Which measures have to be
taken to reach them?
Context of the project: What
The tool meets the need for guided support in the learning process
needs/problems existed that
that was identified in the case of international volunteers
make it necessary to
(volunteers sent or hosted in the frame of the European Volunteer
implement the project?
Service – Youth in Action). The “learning plan” helps the volunteer
clarify and set the learning directions he/she wants to follow during
the volunteering project.
Steps to take
Required time to prepare and The tool can be used as a start for the reflection process of the
implement the practice/
volunteer and is recommended to be presented to the volunteer
project
before the start of the project/program or in the first part of it.
The instrument can be filled in by the volunteer together with the
support of a tutor/mentor/coordinator in the organization.
Resources and costs
Staff (paid, voluntary)
-
Involvement of volunteers in
planning and implementation
The tool is focused on the volunteer and his/her needs to clarify
from the start his/her expectations and objectives for personal
learning. Therefore, the volunteer is an active actor in the process,
moreover since the objectives set in the beginning can be
readapted, changed or replaced by others if the project is on a
Possible obstacles for
implementation and ways to
overcome them
Needed partners / support for
the project
long-term basis.
Clarifying the learning objectives and the main areas in which the
volunteers is searching for development can represent a challenge.
The tool works best with the guidance of a more experienced
person in the organization (tutor/mentor/volunteer coordinator/
volunteer) which can support the volunteer in the reflection
process.
Effects and benefits of the practice /project
Quantitative results of the
practices/ project (how many
volunteers were involved,
how many hours of training,
gained certificates ...)
Added value for the
The instrument acts as a good support tool for the volunteer in the
volunteers: what learning
learning process that he/ she is going through in the project. The
opportunities and skills were
learning plan represents a great starting point and
gained through the project?
monitoring/evaluation tool for this learning process. As the same
time, it helps the volunteer understand and become more aware of
the learning process as a structured one (even if it happens in the
frame of non-formal education – as it is in the case of volunteering
projects.
Added value for the involved
The learning plan helps the organization individualise the support
organization
offered to the volunteer - by adapting it to the needs and
expectations of the volunteer. In this way the instruments
contributes to increasing the efficiency of the volunteer
management system.
Summary
Why is the practice/ project a
good example?
What works well?
What doesn't work well?
The learning plan is a great tool to use in order to clarify from the
start the expectations and desires of volunteers. It contributes to
guiding the learning process and making sure that both the desires
of the volunteer and the objectives of the project are fulfilled.
The reflection process is not easy, especially for young volunteers
or volunteers with less “life experience”. Therefore, they might
need the extra support in identifying the learning points and filling
in the learning plan (non-formal education methods can be used to
stimulate the self-reflection process).
Appendix
Learning plan
The 12 months of your project is a considerable amount of time that will give you all kind of
challenges and experience. Please think of what you would like to learn in these 12 months
and include all in the table below.
What
(learning objective)
Learning to be able to
survive in Italy; speak
basic Italian allowing
me to express myself
How
With whom
When
- Language course
which will start in my
second week
- Speaking Italian in
the organization
- Speaking Italian
(not English) at home
with my two house
mates (EVS from
Estonia and the
Netherlands)
- the other course
participants and
teachers
- ask colleagues to
have patience
- trying to make
agreements with
housemates
- Start in second week and
will last 8 moths
- in the first days I am in
the organization
- During our first house
meeting
After six weeks I want to
feel able to express myself
in basic simple situations