Rise In Quality highlights the need to incorporate practical experiences with evidence-based practice, bringing about useful tools. Organizations across the European Union are continually under stress to meet deadlines, implement projects, and conduct workshops in the community. In promoting the EU values, a lot of work can add up for NGO’s and Youth Associations with limited time, staff and resources. This can be especially true for newer organizations involved with mobility projects. Perhaps they have less experience in volunteer support or fewer capacities in general. A big part of this entire process are international volunteers and their work in each respective organization. International volunteers bring a unique perspective, creative thinking, and energy into organizations. International volunteers are also hoping to personally grow during their experience. International volunteering promotes new skills, innovation, and European values. In order to best facilitate this growth, organizations need to be equipped with tools that are practical and simple to implement. Rise in Quality recognizes that with the limitations faced, staff cannot always spend the time they desire on training, workshops, or reading best practices for supporting volunteers. In establishing basic standards, organizations can find an increase in volunteer satisfaction, therefore contributing to an increase in project quality. The two main outputs of this project are a volunteer support guidebook and template for an online induction training. Both outputs will be created through an inclusive, collaborative effort and available for youth workers to utilize transnationally. Through strategic partnership, the hope of this project is to: · Strengthen organizations’ capacity to support international volunteers · Improve support for hosting international volunteers; · Ease the stress of volunteer management · Increase solidarity throughout partner organizations and all hosting organizations; · Promote active citizenship and volunteering; · To achieve these results, Rise in Quality will work on these objectives: Support capacity building of youth workers and participating organizations; Develop innovative practices in working with international volunteers; Increase quality of youth work in participating organizations by applying developed intellectual outputs; Promote active citizenship, volunteering and solidarity The specific activities involved are: 1. The short staff mobility: a training course on coordinating and supporting volunteers in crisis situations; 2. The short staff mobility: a training course on how to prepare on arrival induction for volunteers in host organizations through online training; 3. Job shadowing and exchange of experiences and good practices; 4. Developing a volunteer support guidebook and on line induction training for international volunteers; 5. Multiplier event and dissemination activities
Objectives of the project were: Support capacity building of youth workers and participating organizations; Develop innovative practices in working with international volunteers; Increase quality of youth work in participating organizations by applying developed intellectual outputs; Promote active citizenship, volunteering and solidarity
Association IKS is working in the field of coordinating international volunteers since 2011, we noticed that the quality of project results and support provided is decreasing when organizations have less experience or are working with not enough equipped personnel. Main target groups of this project are organizations working on hosting international volunteers and youth workers. We recognize that limited resources and staff time can hinder effective and consistent volunteer support. In establishing basic standards, organizations can find an increase in volunteer satisfaction, therefore contributing to an increase in project quality. Rise in quality project aimed to support the organizations working with international volunteers as well as volunteers by providing easy to use tools.