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Training, Innovation and Networking

“For it is not enough to have a good mind, rather the main thing is to apply it well. The greatest souls are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues, and those who go forward only very slowly can progress much further if they always keep to the right path, than those who run and wander off it.” René Descartes


The focus of the Alliance projects is on providing quality measures and standards towards youth democratic participation, inclusion-accessibility, mobility of young people, non-formal education, environmental sustainability, capacity building and networking of member organisations along the volunteering policies and approaches decided and adopted on the network’s level with a view to have a substantial and durable impact on national, regional and local level.

In order to align the diverse and various activities the Alliance Training and Education Policy paper aims to provide a guideline for the network itself as well as its member organisations to run a project or a training for multipliers and facilitators on basic and specific topics and actions.

The Alliance provides capacity building for its members from IVS technical placement procedures to training and social skills development, external relations, social inclusion/participation, environmental and general sustainability in IVS projects and networking events, quality management, volunteering trends research and policy development on various issues representing the network.

The activities of the Alliance are arranged to support and develop the programmes and interests of members. There are three regular meetings/events each year:

Technical Meeting

In March every year; enables the members and invited partner and guest organisations to exchange annual workcamp programmes and discuss relevant issues, principally through bi-lateral discussions.

General Assembly

In November every year; provides opportunities for the decision makers, staff and volunteers of member organisations to evaluate the work and to exchange ideas and experiences about subjects of common and current interest.

Long Term Training Course

It takes place during a longer period of time and consists of several educational activities. It aims to link several Alliance (training) events in order to foster the development of Alliance trainers who are able to facilitate preassigned priorities of the network and to address current needs of its members. LTTC targets capable active members of Alliance’ member organizations in order to ensure quality and sustainability of Alliance (training) events.

Staff Meeting

Usually takes place just before the General Assembly. It provides space for the placement officers to exchange ideas and evaluate the previous season, suggest innovative approaches in the volunteers exchange placement.

Other events are organized every two years or whenever decided by the members:

General Conference

It is a biannual event, which aims to create a space for different actors from different voluntary service organisations to work on specific topic(s). Within this wider context, the purpose is to make participants aware of possibilities and opportunities of active participation in International Voluntary Service experiences (IVS).

Advanced training Course

It addresses specific needs of Alliance working groups or Alliance members as well as educational needs of Alliance Pool of Trainers and its development. Those International training courses take place on situational basis. The Advanced Training Courses target participants who are already involved in Alliance activities and thus are already committed to develop their skills as well as the performance of the network itself.

Training of Camp Leaders

It is an international training for future workcamp leaders, which is supposed to meet the minimum standards for the youth leaders who are going to multiply key values by leading an Alliance workcamp.

Other events organized by the Alliance on a yearly basis or every two years, are the Study Session (implemented in cooperation with the European Youth Centres of the Council of Europe, and the Post Camp Event. Since the adoption of the Alliance Training and Educational Policy paper by the GA 2013, both events are included as part of the Alliance Long Term Training Course.

In this presentation you can view the training and networking activities organized by the Alliance in 2017.

Working Principles of Alliance educational activities

When talking of principles of Alliance’ educational approach every Alliance educational activity should:

  1. Have a clearly defined structure – aims, objectives, methodology, target group(s);
  2. Use a diversity of methods by taking in consideration diversity of learning styles;
  3. Incorporate principles of experiential learning and non-formal education;
  4. Be well balanced between theoretical and practical approach;
  5. Create equal opportunities for participation of all participants;
  6. Encourage interaction and exchange (trainers-participants, trainers-trainers, participants-participants);
  7. Be flexible and oriented towards participants’ needs;
  8. Support both professional and personal development;
  9. Be supportive and sensitive towards people with fewer opportunities;
  10. Use best practices and know-how from the rich experience of Alliance and its achievements, outcomes and results of former commitments;
  11.  Promote sustainable development during work as well as sustainability of work done.

Ethical Principles

Every educational event/training should be based on following ethical principles:

  1. ensure fundamental rights and freedoms to participants and colleagues that all people are entitled to take part in an Alliance educational activity regardless of nationality, national or ethnic origin, sex/gender, age, race, religion, language or other status;
  2. promote the vision and mission of Alliance;
  3. promote professional and methodological development in the field;
  4. ensure/assure a good reputation of Alliance;
  5. promote positive values in society;
  6. promote the 4 principles of Sustainability Campaign during realization of activity.

Code of Professional Conduct

Code of professional conduct for all stakeholders of Alliance educational activities is based on a few essential principles: responsibility, independence, integrity and public interest. Everybody should respect and act according to the following:

  1. To implement activity on high professional level;
  2. To follow Alliance educational approach as defined by this document;
  3. To actively participate in design, implementation and evaluation of activities;
  4. To actively support follow-ups of activities within the bounds of possibility;
  5. To be responsible for self-development and own improvement in the field;
  6. To protect participant’s and colleague’s personal data;
  7. To ensure safety of participants and colleagues during implementation of the activities;
  8. To lead by example.

  • Alliance is supported by:

    The European Union and the Council of Europe

  • Erasmus+
  • Council Of Europe