Mentoring in EVS

Aims & objectives

The training course wanted to make the participants reflect on the importance of the role of the Mentor to improve the quality of EVS projects and to guarantee the learning of the volunteer using non formal methodologies and the Youthpass Certificate.

Specific objectives of the course were:

• to understand the difference between the role of the Mentor and the Supervisor and their specific competencies;
• how to support the learning process of the volunteers through the use of Non Formal Educational methodologies;
• to share tools available for Mentors;
• to exchange experiences, good practices and learn about practical issues.

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

• Target Group:
EVS mentors, former EVS volunteers, project managers

• Countries involved:
Italy, Turkey, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal and Poland.

• Language of the training:
English

• The team of trainers:
Mafalda Morganti (Italy), Alexandro Jan Lai (Italy).

Training methods used & main activities

During the course we used wide mix of non-formal educational methods and a combination of indoor and outdoor activities. There has been a strong focus on the Open Space technology as a tool to support peer-learning exchange, on the model of the Hero's Journey as a model for the EVS cycle and on experiential learning activities.

Outcomes of the activity

The training was very successful in creating a shared and solid ground of awareness around the role of the EVS mentor for the group of participants. By the end of the course, participants were familiar with a good number of informations, and way more confident about their approach as mentors. They identified their strenght and the areas of competences they needed/wished to develop further and, most of all, they had the chance to benefit from a rich peer-learning experience.

The feedbacks regarding the outcomes of the course were very positive and it lead to a reflection regarding the need of a more structured training system specifically designed to support EVS mentors.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

Together with my above mentioned colleague, we developed the methods used for the training.

My role was to facilitate the course (in a team of two) and to coordinate all the activities which took part in it.

I worked on this training for 5 days as a full time trainer.