Nowadays, E-learning has evolved into an ideal tool to disseminate knowledge effectively and to promote a universally and socially constructed understanding. E-learning ensures equal opportunities for young volunteers and further development of their skills throughout their ESC project. It is also the way to involve them in an accessible process of continuous learning to improve their skills, to optimize their role in the host community and to find a career path. In addition, online learning can be an effective and sustainable educational tool supporting volunteer tutors and supervisors. For these reasons, in 2018, we created an online platform (https://e-esc.eu/) in the context of KA1 Erasmus+ (3 mobility for youth educators). This platform attracted the interest of more than 800 volunteers who benefited from this tool. It continues to be co-managed by us and our Greek and Romanian partners. In order to continue to meet the needs of young volunteers of different capacities in terms of training, assistance, E-tutoring & networking, as well as the priorities of the European Solidarity Corps program, we wanted to update this platform. This strategic project has improved and further structured the content of the platform, modernised and simplified the learning methods and facilitated the networking of young volunteers. Access to dynamic e-learning has also been facilitated by involving partners experienced in volunteering and creating tools for volunteers. Several activities were carried out during this project and several tools were created: 1- A 2-day kick-off meeting was organized in Strasbourg, where the project manager and the co-administrator of each partner organisation met to determine the modalities and methods of implementation of the project, as well as the role to be assigned to each. 2- Two research surveys were prepared and launched: one aimed at detecting the specific needs of the beneficiaries of our online platform and future beneficiaries: ESC volunteers, for their preparation to volunteering. The other survey was launched among host organisations to identify their needs in terms of support, training, coaching and mentoring of volunteers. This allowed us to better identify innovative methods to facilitate the implementation and improve the quality of the results and impact of their projects. 3- Existing e-learning courses were improved and new ones were created on the basis of the survey results. We have introduced the concept of 3M learning (Moodle using Micro-learning content) which is a new way of designing interactive and dynamic courses in modules. We have also developed Competence Based Learning (CBL), which means that e-learning courses have been built with the aim of developing skills rather than just knowledge. In this sense, volunteers can choose the e-learning courses that correspond to the skills they wish to develop. 4- 30 e-tutorials video have been created, one per e-module, to guide the beneficiaries for the E-courses of the platform. An e-tutorial was also created for a general presentation of the platform. All e-tutorials are available on the homepage of the ESC-2-Learn platform : https://www.esc2learn.org/tutos/. 5- Interactive map (GIS - Geographic Information System) has also been created, it allows to locate the volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps, beneficiaries of the platform and to strengthen the link between the volunteers, to follow their activities and to allow the e-services tutors to better understand the context of the activity of each volunteer and to provide the most appropriate support : https://www.esc2learn.org/carte-interactive/. 6- Training for 15 e-mentors (5 per partner organisation) was organised in Strasbourg, France, in order to consolidate the skills of our current platform e-tutors, to modernise their methods & to train new e-tutors from our 3 organisations. 7- A mid-term evaluation meeting was also held in Strasbourg over 2 days with the project manager from each partner. 8- Guide has been created for the users of the platform, in order to facilitate access and use of the platform. This guide has been translated into English, French, Greek and Romanian : https://www.esc2learn.org/ressources/. 9- Guide for e-tutors on the platform has also been created. In order to facilitate the role and place of these e-tutors. The Guide has also been translated into English, French, Greek and Romanian : https://www.esc2learn.org/ressources/. 10- A large-scale experimentation of the e-learning courses and the platform was carried out with the volunteers and future volunteers, with the support of the e-tutors, in order to collect their opinion and the modifications to be made if necessary. 11- Training was conducted in Greece for e-tutors in order to promote the platform and for them to become multiplied e-tutors (mentors of e-tutors). 12- Dissemination events were organized by each partner at the national level to promote the platform (https://www.esc2learn.org/) 13- Final survey was carried out to measure the impact of the project on the host organizations and the volunteers, to analyze the benefits and the points to improve : https://www.esc2learn.org/ressources/. 14- Evaluation meeting was organized in Romania, it involved the project manager, the co-administrator and an e-tutor from each partner. A cooperation plan was designed with the partners to ensure the sustainability of the platform.
E-learning helps to ensure equal opportunities for volunteers, develop their skills throughout their ESC project, optimise their role in the community and find their way. It is also an effective and sustainable educational tool to support volunteers' tutors. In order to continue to provide the best possible support to volunteers with different needs, abilities and experiences, we have embarked on a process of restructuring and updating the platform. We have worked to improve our services in terms of training, accessibility, e-tutoring, improving and structuring the platform's content and services, modernising and simplifying the learning methods and facilitating the networking of volunteers, while following the priorities of the ESC programme. Free access to e-learning is facilitated by the involvement of experienced partners in volunteering actions and the creation of tools for volunteers.
The partners of the "ESC-2-Learn" project - AMSED (France), Solidarity Tracks (Greece) and ATA (Romania) - have been hosting young volunteers for a long time and have been confronted with various difficult situations (lack of initiative of the volunteer to set up an activity, lack of specific skills to carry out the missions or to manage conflict situations during the missions, stressful situations in front of the uncertainty after the volunteering period...) In this sense, the response to these needs upstream has arisen, through preparation. In this context, e-learning has emerged as an effective and economical way of providing volunteers with training and support. It is an ideal tool for the dissemination of knowledge and the promotion of a commonly and socially constructed understanding. For these reasons, the partners decided to create an e-learning platform to support and empower volunteers at a distance. Through this project and its e-learning platform composed of 30 e-modules, we wanted to improve and continue to meet the needs of future volunteers and the priorities of the ESC programme.