Super volunteer-intercultural voluntary mission

Aims & objectives

− Promote awareness of the importance that influence of culture has on person’s behavior and identity, especially in international voluntary activities.
− Develop knowledge and competence in key concepts of international voluntary activities: mentoring system in sending and hosting organizations and share good practices on this topic.
− Develop knowledge and competence in key concepts of intercultural learning and life long learning with young people.
− Pointing out the importance of international voluntarism and cultural issues in YIA Programme.
− Developing tools, activities, strategies for improvement of youth work on local level focused on international voluntarism and cultural diversity.
− Promoting multiplying effect of youth workers in local participation.

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

22 Youth workers or Youth Leaders dealing with voluntarism and intercultural issues interested in using alternative approach in these fields coming Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Spain, Turkey, Poland

Composition of the team:
Rodrigo Vilarinho , Portugal/Sweden
Milena Lazic, Serbia
Panayotis Theodorou, Cyprus
Saro Rossi, Italy

Training methods used & main activities

The methodology used was based on experiential learning and alternative approaches towards voluntary work and intercultural learning. A Specific feature of the training was practical focus on tools and exchange of tools among youth practitioners.
Also, another specific quality of this training course was the focus on tools and concrete use of learning products, therefore participants will be supported and guided on development, implementation and evaluation of their own tools for intercultural learning and dialogue and promotion of voluntarism at local and international level.

Outcomes of the activity

6 different international project ideas (mainly youth exchanges) were developed by participants during the training course.
At the same time 3 new educational tools for intercultural learning, sharing of voluntary experiences and for reinforcing visibility of voluntarism have been developed by participants during the training course. There was also the possibility to test those tools with some local italian young volunteers.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

Programme designer and member of the training team.

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