VOLUNTEER NOW
ERASMUS+ YOUTH EXCHANGE
Dates: 20 29.10.2022
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Location: Poland, Lębork
The youth exchange "Volunteer Now" brought 36 participants from six countries: Poland, Ireland, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey.
The project's purpose was to encourage volunteerism and raise awareness of the importance and benefits of volunteering. The
project aimed to promote volunteering opportunities for youngsters from EU and non- EU countries
The main objectives of the project
1. To show the importance of volunteerism and the economic value of the work
volunteers;
2. To show the social and personal value people gain when they volunteer;
3. To increase public awareness of the benefit and contributions of volunteers.
4. To promote volunteerism and youth engagement in civic life;
5. To motivate people to make a commitment to volunteer work and to maintain or
increase their current level of involvement;
6. To develop participants' knowledge regarding different types of volunteering and
to increase their soft and social skills;
7. To promote Erasmus + opportunities
Volunteer Now Project Team
Participants from six countries, including Poland, Ireland, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey, were a part of the project team. There were five representatives from each national team, and individuals had to be 18 or older to participate in the youth exchange. The participants' backgrounds were primarily related to informal and non-formal education and youth work. Therefore, 36 participants gathered in Lębork, Poland, to exchange best practices and gain knowledge from one another's experiences. The team members were motivated by a desire to learn more about volunteerism and its positive benefits for individuals and societies.
As a sign of respect for diversity and equality, the gender balance was taken into account such that the national teams had approximately equal amounts of female and male participants. Their mutual interest in finding out more about volunteerism and volunteer opportunities brought the participants together. They were able to achieve this through topic-related activities, workshops, and casual talks. Most of the participants were eager to share their knowledge and demonstrate their skills and competencies to create effective youth exchange.
The participants were involved in both individual and group tasks which allowed them to develop their personal skills and social competencies as well. Even if the project activities were planned the participants had initiatives to implement during the youth exchange. They were actively engaged in sessions, workshops, and discussions to share their understanding of volunteering. The main method used during the youth exchange was informal and non-formal learning approaches which created a free and comfortable space for the participants to express their ideas without fear that they would not be heard.
The project sessions were diverse and provided the participants with a chance to be engaged in interactive activities. Every day they had daily reflections to discuss if there was something that they would have liked to change and make the sessions more flexible or related to their interests. Examples of the activities are the following: games, role-playing games, brainstorming, team building, energizers, presentations, evaluations, fish bow debates, individual work, social interaction, storytelling, and various digital tools.
The feedback of One of the Polish participants :
"Volunteer Now" was an amazing project that provoked me to search for more volunteering opportunities as I learned more about them and I was surprised how many chances are around us that we have no idea. I saw volunteering from a different perspective and I appreciate it more. I loved the activities we did and also exploring the areas during the city tour, locals and organization were so nice and I had so much fun there.”