EVS on-arrival training for volunteers and mentors

Aims & objectives

- To prepare volunteers for the EVS experience in Latvia according to EVS TEC standards;
- To prepare and to inspire volunteers to realize their initiatives during their service in Latvia by providing adequate info and training on project cycle and helping to understand importance of self-initiative and sense of entrepreneurship;
- To improve and increase meaningful communication between volunteer and mentor by building trust among them;
- To ensure understanding of Youthpass concept and to inspire to use it as learning tool during EVS.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

13 participants from Armenia, Italy, Portugal, Ukraine and Latvia.
Team of trainers: Stanislavs Babins, Santa Krastina

Training methods used & main activities

EVS on-arrival training is based on non-formal education methods where experiential learning is at the core of every activity. In this training volunteers work in big and small groups, doing G2K each other activities, preparing interactive presentations of the project, reflecting about their learning path, building trust through blindfolded walk in pairs with their mentors, designing and implementing small scale personal projects in local community, cooking together and evaluating all the outcomes.

Outcomes of the activity

Participants have got much clearer picture about EVS project and different actors involved in it. As well they have improved their relationship and communication in Volunteer-Mentor couples (or trios) and they got more familiar with Youthpass concept and idea that learning in EVS could be planed and recognized.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I was co-trainer responsible for co-designing, c0- implementing and co-evaluating this TC.

I worked on this training for 4 days as a full time trainer.