R.I.V.E.R.
Recognition of Intergenerational Volunteering Experiences and Results
During 2012 and 2013 the Alliance participated in the Grundtvig Multilateral project RIVER together with other volunteering organisations and adult education providers from Austria, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Italy.
The project aimed at making the learning benefits of senior volunteering activities visible, by developing and testing a planning and validation system for senior volunteers. The RIVER methodology intends to improve the learning opportunities available for senior citizens in Europe and to motivate them to engage in voluntary projects that promote intergenerational learning.
The project has been implemented with the support from the European Union through the Lifelong Learning Programme.
For more information and updates, the website of the project www.river-project.eu contains useful information and the downloadable final products of the project:
- Read the special thematic Alliance RIVER newsletter
- Download the flyer and the final RIVER Brochure
- contact the Secretariat of the Alliance (alliance@alliance-network.eu)
The concrete results of the project also include:
- A groundwork survey “Validation of informal learning in senior volunteering projects”
- RIVER Metholodogy Users’ Manual: detailed instructions on the principles and use of RIVER methodology for facilitators/mentors of volunteers)
- Coaching guidelines: to help the volunteering facilitators to provide the volunteers with necessary information on the assessment by clearly explaining the approach
- RIVER Training material: to train staff in applying RIVER methodology with volunteers
- User guide for the certification software through LEVEL5
These results and the learning outcomes of the partnership were presented to the European Conference “Recognition of Learning in Volunteering” that took place in Vienna on 12th November 2013, co-organized by the consortium leader Die Berater and the partner Research Institute of the Austrian Redcross.
