“Workcamp studies – Quality education for trainers of youth leaders in the field of International Voluntary Service” is one-year long training course for trainers of workcamp leaders, implemented by the Alliance through its Pool of Trainers and with the financial support of the Council of Europe through the European Youth Foundation
Why this Long Term Training Course?
Workcamps, apart from being volunteering activities primarily addressing local communities’ needs since 1924, are also tools for building up social and organisational skills of young people. However, it is not enough to bring 15 people from different countries together to call the activity a workcamp. A workcamp as a methodological tool implies that the workcamp leader needs to structure the project so it is more likely for learning to happen. For example, the leader needs to think about:
Participants in a workcamp to be from different countries, gender balanced; to be well prepared for what they are coming to;
For work in the local community to have meaning, to include study part, meating with local experts for the problem the volunteers are trying to solve;
To have well organised after-work, including teambuilding activities, task division among volunteers, educative excursions, intercultural evenings etc;
To allow enough quality contacts with the local community, so to meet the local culture in a non-touristic way, with respect to local realities: meeting with local organisations, groups, young people and enterpreneurs, speaking with the locals about their problems, organising common events etc;
To facilitate discussions about the culture of peace, about environmental awareness and other topics of interest to the member organisation and the Alliance, etc.
The main aim of this LTTC is to increase the quality of education of members’ trainers of workcamp leaders – understanding, designing, implementing and evaluating workcamps as structured methodological and pedagogical tools of non formal education.
Who implements it?
“Workcamp Studies – Quality education for trainers of youth leaders in the field of International Voluntary Service” is addressed to 25 young trainers of workcamp leaders, who are involved in preparing and mentoring camp leaders in Alliance member organisations during 2015.
The training course is delivered by six members of Alliance Pool of Trainers with the overall coordination of the Course Director. Each event is hosted by a different member organisation and the Executive Committee together with the Training Needs Working Group provide the needed support to the organizers.
What are its phases?
Induction seminar, February 21-26th; venue: Clermont-Ferrand, France (hosted by UNAREC); the first step within LTTC, aims at providing young trainees with information and resources on how to design IVS projects as structured methodological and pedagogical tools.
Training of Trainers, April 20-27th; venue: Monte Barro, Italy (hosted by LEGAMBIENTE); will be about how to train youth leaders in short term IVS projects – workcamps in their countries on how to implement IVS projects as well structured methodological and pedagogical tools.
The trainees then will be invited to put in practice their learning achievements in their respective organizations during the summer 2015, the practice phase, on national trainings of youth leaders, and to follow up the educational process of their trainees (the workcamp leaders).
Along the entire process, there will be developed an online learning and exchange platform for trainees to attend courses, take self-assessment tests, discuss in forums about the ongoing processes, challenges, needs, so to assure the flow between the residential events.
Practice Critical Evaluation meeting, August 29th – September 3rd; venue: Vienna, Austria (hosted by GRENZENLOS); during the evaluation phase and the PC, the trainees will share their experiences and reflect on the pedagogical impact of IVS. Their gained skills would be recognized through an organized assessment and the selection in the Pool of trainers.
Recent updates about the LTTC
The full application and reporting documents of this project can be consulted by member organisations in the private area of the website.
At the final evaluation meeting in Vienna (September 2015), participants agreed to develop a e-book with trainers’ profiles to promote the first graduate trainers of Alliance LTTC among all members of the network. You can download here the document.
The first event Induction seminar “How to learn – workcamps as structured methodological and pedagogical tools” successfully took place in France on 21-26 February with the support of the host organisation Unarec.
A call for web designer/developer of the e-learning platform was launched on 9th February. The selected developer is Iker Audicana from the member organisation Xchange Scotland.
The Team of Trainers and the Course Director had a first preparatory meeting in Greece on 30/01-01/02/2015: the team co-organized all the LTTC, agreed on a division of tasks and made the final selection of participants. Overall, 25 participants and 7 trainers will represent 23 Alliance organisations from 15 countries!