TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Kathrin Hölscher
The training was anounced as a partner conference to evaluate the German voluntary service "worldwards" (a volunteering programme for youth and young adults, 17-28 of age) especially with regard on inclusion.
Those partner organisations in African, Asian and Latin American countries were invited to join, who already had hosted young volunteers with disabilities and those who were open to work with young volunteers with disabilities within the worldwards programme.
The guiding question was how the voluntary service as a managment process but also as a ministerial programme for youth and young adults need to be adapted to become inclusive.
The training components were about best and worst practices, their evaluation and improvements (alongside a proposed systematic scheme). South-South networking and peer counceling were also part of these working sessions.
The target group included members of volunteer receiving and sending organisations, especially their pedagogical staff and mentors that work with youth/ young adult volunteers.
The participants came from Germany, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Mexico, Ecuador, India. During one day youth and young adults with disabilities were invited to join. Two participants were deaf, that's why sign language interpreters from Ghana and Cameroon were involved too. Some participants used wheelchair or walking sticks, two participants were visually impaired, that's why the venue and the methods needed to be barrier-free.
The training team was composed by myself (at that time project coordinator at bezev) and two colleagues of mine (also working for bezev).
During the training we used several methods, e.g. presentation with computer and on posters, group discussions, peer councelling, group interviews, case studies, systematic schemes (based on Index for Inclusion)
The training achieved the following:
- participants share a common understanding of how processes work within the voluntary service programme worldwards and which steps need to be done for creating an inclusive sending and receiving practice.
- participants shared experiences and challenges with youth/young adult volunteers (with and without disabilities)
- best and worst experiences were evaluated
- guidelines how inclusion can be implemented were discussed
The guidelines can be ordered in English, French, Spanish, German here: https://www.bezev.de/de/home/beratung-zu-auslandsengagement-freiwilligendienst/info-fuer-organisationen/veroeffentlichungen/jetzt-einfach-machen/
The training was evaluated as a success by all members. The participants gave feed-back during the last day of the workshop (written form). Also the training team did evaluation after (group discussion).
As a member of 3 headed team, my role was to prepare, guide and document the following sessions:
- experiences with youth and young adults with disabilities and their volunteering (best and worst cases)
- networking market place
- requirements for an inclusive voluntary service