Training course “Empowering youth and their participation through service: Volunteering in youth work organisations”

The benefits of volunteering are enormous to an individual volunteer, their family and community. Aside from helping with college applications and resumes, volunteering can also have a life-changing effect on their personal life. One fantastic thing that volunteering can offer is a new understanding of volunteers’ own abilities. Whether they are planning a huge event or making flyers for a small gathering, every task can help them understand how to accomplish something new. Volunteers can learn important skills like how to plan a budget or how to supervise and manage. Or, they can take time to enhance skills they already have by spending more time actively using them. An added side effect of volunteering is that it gives volunteers an opportunity to try out possible careers and opportunities, depending in which department they volunteer: fundraising, PR, project management, youth clubs, event management, etc. 

Volunteering and volunteering activities can be an important factor in engaging young people to take more active role on local level and ensure their everyday participation. This is one aspect of volunteering that will be explored during the program, and which will be topic of discussion for developing new local and international activities as a follow-up of the training course.

This training course is continuation of the previous educational events and trainings for youth workers organised by Youth Power Germany, focusing on raising skills and knowledge of participants on development and management of volunteering projects and activities – both on local and international level (through ESC and other similar programs). 

Training course is focused on comprehending volunteering and volunteering projects and programs, and understanding on how to develop and manage programs for volunteering. Participants will develop their understanding and knowledge on volunteering and existing volunteering opportunities in their local communities and as part of Erasmus+ programme and ESC. Furthermore, they will develop knowledge and skills for developing volunteering activities based on the real needs of the local communities, will learn how to recruit, educate and support volunteers; and how to evaluate and further improve programs and activities for volunteers. Last days of the program will provide participants with space and support for developing joint programs for volunteering, as well as follow-up activities for their local communities with aim of attracting volunteers to become part of the partner organisations and join their current and future volunteering-based projects and programs.