Training Senior Volunteers for international exchanges

Edited by Rory Daly and Davide Di Pietro

This handbook is aimed at sending and host organisations, coordinators, local authorities and educational institutions

Training Senior Volunteers for international exchanges Introduction An overview of the training sessions and how to use them

Session 3: Skills Audit

Session 2: Motivations, Expectations and Reflection

Session 1: Welcome and Introduction to Voluntary Service Abroad

Session 4: A learning Experience and How we Learn Session 7: Training Evaluation Handout 2: Skills Map Session 6: Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution

Session 5: Cultural Awareness and Intergenerational Learning

Handout 1: Introduction to Senior Volunteer European Exchanges Handout 3: Who am I talking about? Handout 4: Volunteering Compact Code of Good Practice Handout 5: Sample Training Evaluation Bibliography

Introduction

Session 1
What factors will shape the training sessions and their contents? The type of work: some types of activity require more intense training than others. The duration of the project: what is the realistic length/number of training sessions you can have if, for instance, the exchange lasts one week? Preparation time: after recruiting volunteers have you left enough time for an in depth training course? Targeted training: is it possible for your organisation to deliver tailor-made sessions that relate directly to a particular type of volunteering? Or should it be a generic training course suitable for all volunteering exchanges. Sustainability: exchange projects should aim to create a sustainable and permanent exchange programme for senior volunteers that includes follow-up activities - training may want to address these activities. Exchange programme for senior volunteers needs to be set up in such a way as to enable different aspects of lifelong learning. Senior exchanges are opportunities for intercultural as well as intergenerational learning. An exchange programme can and should be an educational tool for "doing good". As such, it should contribute to enhancing the social awareness of the individual, and of participating organisations, and should thus contribute to solidarity and social cohesion on a societal level. An exchange programme for senior volunteers should help to achieve awareness and broaden both the individuals and the participating organisations horizons. It should actively enable exchanging expertise, skills and knowledge on methods of actual volunteer activities. The training should be useful for the organisations as well as contributing to improving voluntary work and the conditions under which it takes place within the participating countries. Volunteering abroad starts a learning process not only for the seniors who go abroad and learn from the new environment. It is also a learning process for their hosts who have to deal with experienced people from different countries and backgrounds bringing in new and different ways of working and more generally conceive life. This mutual exchange fosters the dialogue between people from different generations and different countries, becoming a step towards a greater understanding in the entire European Community. Each exchange and destination will require slightly different preparation but we have devised a template which works for senior volunteers. An international senior volunteer will require many skills but we have identified the sessions that follow as those which sending organisations should include in their volunteers pre-departure training. Some groups of volunteers will not need all the training in the handbook. Some of the topics may have been covered in a previous session if they are experienced volunteers. This is why it is divided into separate bite sized sessions so that facilitators can use them appropriately for their group.

The experience of volunteering in another country can be a challenging one for many older people. Many of the volunteers may not have travelled to another country before and they will be concerned about the travelling, the language, the new culture, the voluntary work itself and how they will cope with being part of a group of volunteers. Of course, such concerns are not exclusive to older volunteers but it is essential that the volunteers are prepared properly for their trip. The experience of the SEVEN Network demonstrates that this preparation is crucial for a successful exchange. One of the main advantages of such exchanges is the valuable experience of living with people from other countries and having access to and knowledge of their normal working, cultural and social environments, enabling the volunteers to learn about the professional standards and skills of their hosts and their organisations. In our projects, both senior volunteers and host organisations have displayed a high degree of openmindedness and flexibility and this is essential for a successful trans-national exchange. Our experience is that most problems can be avoided by good preparation prior to the exchange and the readiness of both sides to communicate effectively. In a research report, commissioned by SEVEN - Long-term effects of trans-national exchange of senior volunteers on organisations and volunteers - there was clear evidence that training, and in particular pre departure training for individuals and organisations, was essential for the success of a senior volunteer exchange project. The feedback from senior volunteers was that the quality of the training they received was directly linked to the success of the exchange. Volunteering abroad is a full non-formal learning experience. Its main dimension is intercultural learning in the broadest sense of this term. There are, at least, three different types of learning taking place: Seniors learn by volunteering abroad, Seniors pass on knowledge to their host organisation, Seniors transfer the newly gained knowledge to their home organisation on return. Personal development is central to a senior volunteers exchange project. It includes discoveries of previously undeveloped skills, insights at political level and the revision of preconceived opinions. Not being a tourist in a foreign country but participating in "real life" is crucial for personal gain. The trans-national exchange of senior volunteers offers a broad spectrum of learning opportunities although the personal development can be complex. Intergenerational learning and acquiring foreign language skills are further aspects which can be enhanced by a trans-national exchange project. It is important that the abilities, competencies, knowledge and skills that seniors gained in their professional and private life, are recognized and integrated into the seniors volunteer work. Facilitators should respect seniors for what they have achieved, acknowledge their skills, interests and motivations and build on these.

An overview of the training sessions and how to use them

Session 1: Welcome and Introduction to Voluntary Service Abroad This session introduces the volunteers to the project, and to each other, and allows them to discuss any concerns or general questions they have about the project. Session 2: Motivations, Expectations and Reflection During this session the trainer is encouraged to explore the seniors motivations for volunteering for the project, to address the seniors expectations and to outline some practical suggestions for reflecting on these and the exchange itself. Session 3: Skills Audit This session enables the senior to analyse their own set of skills and, building on this analysis, to evaluate how they might be able to contribute as a volunteer Session 4: A learning experience and how we learn These exchanges are learning opportunities for seniors. If we expect people to learn and develop from these projects we must be aware that different people learn in different ways. This session helps the senior to reflect on how they learn and outlines some of the implications of having a preference for a particular style. Session 5: Cultural Awareness and Intergenerational Learning Stereotypes, arising from nationality, culture or race can have a negative impact on the success of an exchange. Session 5 encourages the volunteers to reflect on the stereotypes that they hold and addresses various ways to change or overcome them. Session 6: Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution This session gives the volunteers an opportunity to practice and develop the skills necessary to deal to deal with difficult situations while, at the same time, getting to know each others strengths and weaknesses in a group situation. Session 7: Training Evaluation This session enables the volunteers to reflect on the success of the training and to assess their own involvement. An effective evaluation session is crucial in determining if the volunteers are ready for their exchange.

SESSION

Welcome and Introduction to Voluntary Service Abroad

Outcome
The volunteers are introduced to the project, to each other and a supportive working environment is created. The facilitators may also use this session to work with the group to set up some basic house rules for how the training will proceed for instance they may wish to say that any fears and concerns expressed are for the senior volunteers only and not be shared outside the group. Volunteers should receive a general outline of the technical and practical information of the programme. It is important that volunteers are aware of the background to the international volunteer exchanges and why the EU believes these projects deserve EU funding. In particular, these senior volunteer exchanges are an ideal way for seniors to meet their peers from other countries. Given the history of Europe in the last sixty years, this might not have always been possible for them. Volunteers will have a better understanding of the background to the project and the wider importance of volunteering exchanges

Time
30 minutes

Content
Stage 1 Icebreaking exercise - Stranded on an Island. Give all the participants some time to think about the five things that they would want to have if they were stranded on a desert island. The only condition is that all the objects must be able to fit into one suitcase. Then get each participant to share their list with a partner and the partner then introduces them to the group. This is a revealing exercise and will help the group to get to know each other. The facilitator should facilitate discussion across the group and encourage them to ask questions of each other. Stage 2 This should focus on the history of volunteering exchanges using Handout 1 with integrations available on the SEVEN website: www.seven-network.eu/site/

Materials
Pen and paper for each volunteer. There are a number of project CDs available that can be used in this session. Suitable Room, Computer, DVD player, Handout 1

Remember
Do not make assumptions about peoples knowledge of Europe. Some older people, especially those with lower educational qualifications, may never have left their own country. Some members will be shy and reserved and may need to be encouraged in their discussions.

SESSION

Motivations, Expectations and Reflection

Outcome It is important for volunteers to understand exactly what they can expect when they go abroad and it is equally important for the sending and hosting organisations to understand the volunteers motivation for taking part in the exchange. By the end of this session, the participants will have had the opportunity to reflect on the implications of volunteering abroad. They will be reassured by having a clearer picture of what they will be expected to do. When one considers the possibility of volunteering abroad our mind tends to focus immediately on those who suffer, especially in the poorest parts of the world we want to help those that need our help. Some volunteers might wish to perform an exchange because they have recently experienced a separation or bereavement. While this should not exclude them, they need to be clear that volunteering abroad might not be the best way to recover from this. Therefore, one of the main goals of the training programme is to channel the volunteers expectations into a realistic perspective, making clear what volunteers should expect of this experience and what they should not expect to gain from it. Being very clear in this expectationbuilding exercise can be of a real benefit for the volunteer and the project and avoid a series of problems linked to misunderstandings and unrealistic expectations. Time 1 hour Content

Give a pen and a paper to all the participants, and then give them 5 minutes to list the most important 5 expectations that they have of the volunteering experience. After this, ask participants to work in pairs. Together they will have 10 different expectations but they should discuss and compromise in order to choose only 5 descriptions. Afterwards you should pair up couples so two couples will meet with 10 expectations but out of which they will choose only 5. In the end, there will be only two groups: You will highlight the 10 expectations ask all the participants to give them a priority, so we can understand what the main expectations in the group are. This exercise gives all the participants the chance to be involved in the discussion and clarify their doubts on the exchange.

C) Reflection:

An important part of SEVENs work has been to evaluate the success of the exchanges and to assess the personal development of the volunteers. This aspect is crucial if we wish to offer evidence of the effectiveness of the exchanges. To do this we need to be in a position to assess the volunteers personal journey we need to be able recall their expectations and motivations and to compare the skills and personal qualities that the volunteer had at the start of the experience with those they have at the end. This can be done using a range of methods but one very simple, but effective, method is to ask all the volunteers to keep a learning diary written, video or audio of their experiences from the beginning of training to the end of their exchange. Volunteers should put aside some time each day to evaluate their experience. Volunteers should be reminded that presentation is not crucial. The diary is for them to reflect how in a way that works for them. Each individual will have a different way of keeping a diary. The diary needs to be honest, reflective and as objective as possible. The list below is a set of prompt questions that could be used to assist volunteers in writing up their diary. What happened? How did I feel? How did it affect others? Why did I do what I did? What would I do differently the next time? Why did I choose that particular action? What was I trying to achieve? What did I do next? How successful was it? Could I have dealt with the situation differently? Has this changed the way I will do things in the future?

A) Motivations:

If the facilitator understand the groups motivations, it is easier to tailor the training sessions. Ask each member of the group to rank these motivations and see which get the most votes. Ask individuals to explain their motivations for volunteering for the project and to explain which didnt apply to them. I was curious I wanted to make new friends and meet new people I wanted to help to make the world a better place I wanted to stay in a country without being a tourist I wanted to do something for myself I wanted to help other people I wanted to transfer my experience to others I wanted to improve my language skills I needed a new challenge I wanted a change Because of other people who participated in the exchange Any other reason

Where appropriate the volunteers and their voluntary organisation could review the diary as part of the project evaluation. However, this should not be compulsory and the dairy should be viewed as private and personal unless the volunteer wishes to share. Materials Suitable room with plenty of space to move about, Pen and paper for each participant Remember Some volunteers might be shy and the facilitator should join each of the pairs to help encourage a conversation

B) Expectations:

In this section, we want to enable the volunteers to discuss their expectations with each other. Use the snowball method it is convenient to use it when you have groups of at least 16 participants but can be used with any group with at least 8 people.

SESSION

Stage 2:

Skills Audit
Outcome Senior volunteers will often be interested in volunteering in another country without being clear as to what tasks they could perform there. Sometimes this can be because volunteers are unclear about the possibilities, but it can also be because they are unsure what valuable skills they have to offer. They may never have had an opportunity to analyse their own skill-set before and may not actually realize all the skills they have. Participants may also only think about skills in terms of qualifications but skills can also cover competences, knowledge and qualifications. This can be particularly true of long term unemployed people and older women who have little experience of working outside the home. Also, as mentioned earlier, an important part of our work with SEVEN has been to evaluate the success of the exchanges and to assess the personal development of the volunteers. This aspect is crucial if we wish to offer evidence of the effectiveness of the exchanges. To do this we need to be in a position to assess the volunteers educational journey we need to be able to compare the skills and personal qualities that the volunteer had at the start of the experience with those they have at the end. At the end of this session, volunteers will be clearer about the skills they possess and what they might have to offer an organisation as a volunteer. Time 2 hours Content Start by getting the volunteers to consider their skills levels by completing this table. Skills Assessment
VERY EXPERIENCED PRACTICALSKILLS SKILLS PRACTICAL EXPERIENCED NO EXPERIENCE

Building on the volunteers answers above, this part of the session is based on the idea of Mindmapping which is a technique used to represent ideas and concepts can be used to help volunteers recall and reflect on the skills they have and possibly to make concrete some abstract ideas about other skills they may possess. It is very effective at encouraging informed, thoughtful discussions. Introduce the idea of a memory map by handing out an empty memory map to each participant see handout 2 - and give one example per area. The idea of the memory map is to refer to the important stages of life and remember which skills were acquired in that period. Encourage participants to fill out their own map individually. Go around the room and answer questions. Each participant should then present their memories and key skills in a small or larger group. During the discussion, participants highlight their most important skills which include skills they like and know well and want to keep on working with. The memory map has six predefined areas: working life, education, family life, volunteering, hobbies and other. Volunteers can add/delete one or more areas if necessary according to their interests. Some suggestions have been made as prompts. Some skills that might be highlighted by the participants include; Adapting to new surroundings Working with young people Living with different habits and cultures Making and maintaining friendships Speaking a foreign language Working in a team Working independently Managing difficult situations Using IT

MANAGING MY HOME GARDENING SPORTS DECORATING COOKING DRAMA SHOPPING ONLINE

ORGANISINGSKILLS SKILLS ORGANISING

Analysing their own skills will help the volunteers focus on the area of work in which they wish to volunteer and will be beneficial in their general personal development. Materials Suitable Room with chairs and large tables, A3 Paper, Coloured Pens, Handout 2 For an excellent example of a full working out of the mindmapping idea for seniors please visit www.slic-project.eu Remember Volunteers may not be comfortable talking about their skills because they do not want to appear to be boastful. Also, they may not be able to analyse the skills they have learned and used. To run effectively, this part will need a considerate, trained moderator. If participants feel they wish to concentrate their analysis on one aspect of their lives, they should do so.

skills audit

BUDGETING BOOKING HOLIDAYS MANAGING MEETINGS

COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATIONSKILLS SKILLS

LETTER WRITING EMAIL MOBILE PHONE FACE TO FACE

WORKRELATED RELATED WORK

MENTORING MANAGING PEOPLE DELEGATING PLANNING PROBLEM SOLVING ATTENTION TO DETAIL TIMEKEEPING

SESSION

A Learning Experience and How we Learn

Outcome These exchanges are funded by Grundtvig because they are part of informal learning to enable senior citizens to volunteer in another European country for any kind of non-profit activity, as a form of informal (and mutual) learning activity (learning / sharing knowledge) and to result in an increase of personal, linguistic, social and intercultural skills and competences, . Those members of SEVEN that have worked with senior international volunteers will agree that this occurs and have plenty of anecdotal evidence to back this up. However it is important to note that if we expect people to learn we must recognise that people do not all learn in the same way. How our volunteers learn should influence how the volunteers are trained, the resources that are used and the type of activities that take place as part of training. If the volunteers know how and why they do something, they can do it better, and they can transfer knowledge from one part of their life to another and they can share what they have learned with other seniors. By the end of this session the volunteers will have reviewed some positive and negative learning experiences from their past, explored how they learn best and discussed what this means for their volunteering exchange. Reflecting on the learning experience will also enable facilitators and volunteer managers to further evidence the increase in skills and other learning among the participants. Time 2 hours Content This session looks at four aspects of learning Why look at learning? A personal history of learning How do we learn? Reflecting on that learning

negative learning experiences. They might reflect on when they learned a new skill at work, when they learned to play an instrument or when they learned how to use a computer. Ask them to discuss these learning experiences in pairs and to consider What made the good ones good and the bad ones bad? Some of the possible responses /tutor prompts include: Fear of failure Fear of looking silly Fear of the new Fear of commitment Lack of time Money Location Ask each pair to feed back to the group and analyse the impact these good and bad experiences had on their lives.

c) How we learn

Ask the learners to remember the last time they bought something and had to put it together at home. Perhaps it was a piece of furniture from IKEA, a PC or a game for a child. Ask them to think about what they did. Did they open the box and start putting it together open the box, read instructions, then start building open the box, look at list of contents and count them out to make sure they were all there before starting open the box, read instructions, look at the pieces, think about how they would do it and then start

The Learning Cycle

Feel/Do

Do/Apply

Watch/Review

a) Why look at learning

Think/Learn The four methods of putting the furniture together refer approximately to the four aspects of the learning cycle. Some learners (feel) like to dive into any new activity and learn as they go along. Another group would prefer to watch demonstrations and read any instructions and then start. Others prefer to think things through first, work out how they would do it and then do it. This might indicate to the seniors how they might improve how they learn but also has implications for the facilitators and how they train their volunteers. Every learner has all elements of the cycle in their learning but to a greater or lesser extent. Ask the learners to consider where they are on the cycle. The table below gives some indicators as to how individuals might prefer to learn according to their learning style preferences.

Start a group discussion on why how we learn might be important. Some of the possible responses/tutor prompts might be If you know how and why you do something you can do it better You are more focused in what you do You learn from your successes and mistakes You improve your skills You can transfer knowledge from one part of your life another You can share what you have learned You are more comfortable with change

b) A personal history of learning

The volunteers will often have had negative experiences of, and attitudes to, learning. This may because they finished school without qualifications or they did not like the atmosphere or methods of teaching. Therefore, this section asks the volunteers to reflect on some positive and

SESSION

Style Learning Style Preference

Activities

Feel

learn by doing need to get their hands dirty have an open-minded approach to learning

Think like to understand the theory behind the actions they need models, concepts and facts prefer to analyse Do need to be able to see how to put learning into practice in everyday life abstract concepts and games are of limited use like to experiment, trying out new ideas

Watch learn by observing and thinking about what happened avoid leaping in and prefer to watch from the sidelines prefer to stand back and view experiences

problem solving group discussion puzzles role-play statistics stories lectures background information time to think about how to apply learning case studies problem solving discussion paired discussions personality questionnaires observing activities feedback from others

Emphasise that although there are now right or wrong answers. Explain that different people work in different ways but working in a particular way might not be good for a particular person as it does not work to their strengths. Ask them to say which of the four options applied to them and to look at whom else in the group it applied. Materials Coloured Pens, Large Sheets of paper Tables to work on Remember Learning presents challenges as well as positive outcomes. Be prepared to deal with negative stories relating to previous learning experiences.

learning experience

SESSION

Stage 2:

Cultural Awareness and Intergenerational Learning

Outcome The aim of this session is to equip seniors with the tools which will enable them to be aware of their own cultural values and viewpoints. One approach to this is to address the issue of stereotypes by getting volunteers to understand what stereotypes are, how they originate and how to deal with them during the exchange. The session addresses intercultural issues and can facilitate seniors developing a working knowledge of life in the country in which they are going to volunteer. It is likely that during the exchange the senior volunteer will find themselves working as part of a new team and often working with younger people. SEVEN believe this can create a different and better experience for the seniors and the younger volunteers. This session works best if arranged with a mixed generation group. Time 2 hours

Inter-generational learning can be viewed as the learning relationships and interactions between young and old. Each generation can be both teacher and student. By working together both groups can improve the relationships between young and old and come to realise that these relationships are mutually beneficial to both age groups and to society in general. Inter-generational learning does not occur when a senior works with a group of young people and teaches them something. This one way transfer of knowledge, while very important and valuable, is not intergenerational learning. The following activities can follow on from the previous sessions about stereotypes.

Timeline:

Ask the volunteers to arrange themselves, without speaking, into a line according to their age. When they have done this, ask each individual for their age and their thoughts on being that age. Then ask everyone to place himself or her in a line according to what age they would like to be. Ask everyone to discuss why they would want to be that age and what would be better about being that age than their current one. Then distribute Handout 3. Have participants mark on their sheets whether they think the subject is young people or older people. This can lead onto a discussion about age discrimination and the challenges people face when they are judged according to their age. Materials Handouts, pens, suitable space, large sheets of paper, coloured pens Remember Some volunteers might hold views of others partly based on stereotypes and partly based on their own experiences. Age can be a sensitive topic some people might prefer not to answer certain questions and the facilitator should ensure this is respected.

Stage 1:

Content

Start by getting students to draw a picture of a European country which demonstrates all the stereotypes of that country. France will normally produce garlic, Eiffel Tower, cheese and wine. Ireland will see Guinness, Leprechauns and music. The similar responses will illustrate that stereotypes are common and that they are rarely complimentary. Discuss the origin of these stereotypes. Possible responses/tutor prompts might be that it is a simple shorthand putting people in categories makes it easier to discuss them its only a bit of fun isnt there some truth in them? Then ask participants to list the stereotypes of their own region or country and ask how they feel about them. Go on to ask the participants to think about the country they are going to visit and any stereotypes they have about the people/country. Are any of these causing them concern and do they have practical implications? For instance, the stereotype of the Swiss being punctual might be a concern for someone who is going there and who is not punctual. Some practical strategies the seniors can adopt to avoid stereotyping while on exchange include: recognise the difference between the general (the stereotype) and the specific (the individual) resist the temptation to judge individual behaviour as typical of that country be aware that stereotypes are reinforced by discussion with other visitors to the country so remember this when talking to friends from your own country avoid 'funny' emails/phone calls home which involve stereotyping .

Cultural Awareness Intergenerational Learning

SESSION

Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution

Outcome Volunteers can face difficult situations during their exchange. Often they will need to be able to resolve these difficulties themselves particularly when it involves a clash amongst the volunteers. Communication skills and basic interpersonal skills can be very useful in reducing conflict. This session gives the volunteers an opportunity to practice and develop these skills while getting to know each others strengths and weaknesses in a group situation. Time: 1.5 hours

The volunteers can now talk to the rest of their team. As each team members drawing begins to meet that of the rest of their team they will face some issues and situations that need discussing, negotiating, agreeing, etc just like those of any growing community or team. . The trainer can suggest elements that need discussing to establish how their island operates health care, education, commerce, defence, food production, transport, infrastructure, government, decision-making process, etc - and what constitutes the 'island community.' As the island develops, each team member is asked to draft a list of five rules which they would like people to observe on the island. Some members must come up with five rules starting with it is allowed to/it is compulsory to....., while the others must develop five rules starting with it is not allowed/it is forbidden to... Each rule must be no longer than 20 words. Once all the team members are ready, the team must reduce all their individual rules down to five Island Rules. The teams should then introduce their Island and the Island Rules to the other teams For the last part of the session, the teams should review their performance, which should focus on certain headings such as leadership, decision-making, communications, planning, ethical and moral issues. Materials: large piece of paper or material 2m x1m for each team, suitable space, large sheets of paper, coloured pens Remember: This session can be become difficult to manage if individuals dominate the conversations. The trainer should be particular attention to the group dynamics and intervene if they think it appropriate.

Stage 1 The Triangle

Divide the teams into groups of three. Ask each volunteer to remember a difficult situation which he or she has had to deal with (it may be work, family or volunteering related) but which they have managed to solve. It needs to be one which they would be happy to discuss. Each person should take it in turns to describe their problem and then the other two people should talk about how they would have solved the problem. The owner of the problem should then explain how they managed the problem. After each person has shared their problem and the colleagues have discussed it they should consider: if there were any lessons they would take into their exchange if there were any differences in approach if, having listened to their colleagues, the owners would do anything different the next time they had a similar situation of there were any lessons they would take into their exchange

Content:

Stage 2: The Island

Each team should be given a large piece of paper or material 2m x1m to work with. Ask the volunteers to draw their own section of coast for one whole team island, with whatever features they wish, so that sections connect with those of the rest of the team colleagues to create one big island. The volunteers must do this in silence. Volunteers must also draw a place to live a house, or cave, or hut. Next, team members mark out the territory working inland from their own sections of coast giving the island whatever features they like - housing, industrial, transport, geographical and countryside features trying to keep to scale. Volunteers should be encouraged to be as artistic and creative as possible

problem solving conflict resolution

SESSION

Handout 1 Introduction to Senior Volunteer European Exchanges 1.1 The Background Take advantage of the demographic changes

Training Evaluation
Outcome The volunteers will have an opportunity to reflect on the training and on their participation. This will enable them to reflect on how prepared they feel for their exchange and what area they still need to work on. It also enables the trainers to establish any areas in which further training is needed before the volunteers go abroad and to improve the training for the next set of volunteers. It is also an effective means of monitoring whether the training has achieved the desired outcomes. Time: 20 minutes Content: We suggest a number of different ways of evaluating a training session. Each trainer should use at least one. a) Questionnaire: Handout 3 is an example of a formal questionnaire which leads the volunteers through a set of questions designed to establish their thoughts on all aspects of the training and to ask for suggestions for improvement to future training. This is ideal when all the training is complete b) 3 v 1: Distribute Post It notes to the group. Write a short sentence (such as the things I will remember most from the training will be) on a large sheet of paper. Ask the group to complete the sentence on four Post It notes with three positive comments and one constructive criticism and stick them on the sheet c) Group: Ask each volunteer to write down three positive things and three negative things about the training and then share them with the group. Ask the group to come up with three main positive comments and three main constructive criticisms d) Bulls-Eye: Draw a shape like the one below on a large sheet of paper and allocate a topic to each quarter see example below. Ask the volunteers to place a mark in each quadrant to demonstrate their satisfaction with each aspect of the training. The more satisfied they are, the closer the mark will be to the centre the Bulls-Eye
facilities contents

The experiment of exchanging senior volunteers between different countries came up after some broad and almost obvious considerations. The first and more striking one regards the current demographic features: in the past few years, Europe has seen a dramatic change of demographic trends and an important ageing of its population. People are living longer throughout Europe because of improved public health provision, medical progress, improved diet and housing. The expectation of a longer life caused a significant change in lifestyles and needs of seniors. The Charter of Rights of the European Union recognises these changes stating that the European Union acknowledges and respect the right of seniors to have an independent and respectable life and to take part to social and cultural life (art. 25). In Europe, the majority of seniors live in better conditions than in the past but there is still a certain degree of risk of permanent social exclusion due to ageing. We believe that the creation of a European society active at all ages needs a strategy that allows seniors to take part in social life also after their exit from the labour market. Seniors represent a richness not used enough in terms of experiences and acquired skills: specific actions at European level devoted to seniors, should develop schemes of social inclusion and active participation in order to upgrade seniors from passive beneficiaries of social provision to active citizens in the construction of a social oriented Europe.

Volunteering and lifelong learning: senior citizens as trainers

discussions

your input

Remember: A complete evaluation will ensure the trainer identifies any gaps in the training and may help to identify potential problems during the exchange. Evaluation is also a key part of the EUs monitoring of projects.

Racism, xenophobia, fear of differences, the break-through of the new technologies, and the management of social relations in a fast-changing world. These are some of the elements that puzzle the older generations, who are (whether they realise it or not) mentors and tutors for the younger generations. Do they have the tools to deal with this situation? Alternatively, do they need some further learning in the intercultural and intergenerational issues? This was another important consideration that led us to consider the idea of senior exchanges. It is becoming clearer that the concept of lifelong learning is a popular one. So we have tried to view this experience from a perspective that at first may seem rather unconventional: volunteering abroad is considered as a full learning experience not only for the volunteers but also for the whole community that hosts them. So the concept of volunteering widens from the usual helping the others to a more daring I learn new skills and pass on my competences through my volunteering.

ion t a u l a ev

A strategy to enhance active citizenship

The great success of the European Youth programme and more specifically of the European Voluntary Service Action that allow young people to volunteer in another country for a period ranging from few weeks to one year, showed how residential international voluntary service can represent an extraordinary experience of non formal learning. This is why international voluntary service can make an important contribution to the promotion of active citizenship among seniors

thanks to its social and cultural features of participation and solidarity. Senior citizens should be considered as potential volunteers in all the Member States of the European Union. In fact, they have always been the backbone of traditional civic organizations, running church groups, voluntary organizations and charitable fund-raising activities etc. Getting extra life from extra years implies the idea of active citizenship also after retirement. Seniors have a capacity and an appetite for being active that tends to be insufficiently recognized. Engaging in mentally stimulating activities is important for the development and preservation of capacities in later life. Such possibilities need to be greatly expanded. Preparing for longer, more active and better lives, and seizing opportunities for active contributions after retirement are important ways to secure a maximum degree of self-reliance and selfdetermination in old age. Indeed, seniors are already very active in nongovernmental organizations. Involving a larger number of able seniors in voluntary work could be a major tool in active ageing strategies.

nership that eventually gathered in a formal network, but it also widened the range of themes and the kind of activities carried out. Rather than a series of projects, what is described below could be regarded as a single process determined to merge the idea of transnational voluntary service and lifelong learning.

2000 -2003 The early experiences: volunteers as teachers and learners

Volunteering abroad, including its preparatory and follow-up stages, represents a complete non-formal educational experience. A wide, and varied, literature has been published on volunteering in different cultural contexts and on the intercultural impact on participants, but it focuses mainly on young people. Based on the pilot projects carried out so far, we believe that such exposure to another culture is important also for senior citizens because they can contribute, with their life experience, to socially useful initiatives and they are recognized as fully active and still able to contribute to society. The intercultural learning experience is a two-way process: not only is the volunteer introduced to another culture, but the hosts encounter different points of view, different ways to perform activities and deal directly with someone from another culture with less interferences caused by prejudices and stereotypes. The best experiences have seen senior and young volunteers working together and sharing daily life from the work to the meals and sometimes the same accommodation. Specific research would be needed in order to map the learning flows but it is clear that the process of mutual enrichment is there and it works well breaking down barriers between people of different generations and coming from different cultures.

The educational features: intergenerational and intercultural learning

In 2000 and 2001, the European Commission granted two mobility pilot projects in favour of older persons. They were both based on the principles of transnational voluntary service, active citizenship, intercultural education and cross-generation dialogue. In the year 2000, the first project of exchange of senior volunteers in the field of international voluntary service took place as a pilot project granted by the DG Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission. This project named European Exchange Programme of Older Volunteers involved 8 European countries and managed to move137 volunteers between 50 and 80 years old. The other project was granted in the year 2001 in the framework of SOCRATES - GRUNDTVIG. The project named Mobility 55 included, a survey on the attitude toward performing voluntary service activities by over 55s and a test phase where 30 senior volunteers from 5 different countries performed a period of 1 to 2 months voluntary service in community based projects abroad. During the test phase and its evaluation, we acknowledged that these activities were highly appreciated both by the volunteers and by the hosting organizations. Volunteers felt themselves needed, useful and active and learnt from the intercultural environment. At the same time hosting organizations not only benefited from their voluntary work but in many cases, they started a true mutual learning process. At the same time, we also raised interest among several local governments that saw these innovative and somehow unusual initiatives of exchange happening in the areas they manage.

2003 2004 Still Active! Training of volunteers and organizations as a key feature

Origins

At this point it was realized that in order to ensure for volunteers and organizations an effective learning process, we should have tackled the issue of preparation and training of volunteers and organization. So we designed another project that has been running since 2003, named Still Active! again supported by the Socrates Programme Action Grundtvig. This was engaged in drafting training modules for potential senior volunteers who would like to take part in projects abroad, and for community based hosting organizations of civil society interested in having volunteers from abroad involved in their activities on a short term basis. In 2007 the European Commission awarded this project the title of best Socrates project 2000-2006 in the category of Grundtvig Adult Learning.

We have to go back to after the end of World War I, 1920, to a village called Verdun on the French- German border. A group of international volunteers organized by a Swiss Conscientious Objector named Pierre Ceresole arrived there to help in the reconstruction of some destroyed houses. The group of international volunteers included also some German volunteers. The enemies now worked together for a common goal. This was so absurd that the French authorities became suspicious and rumours started that they probably were spies, so after 6 weeks the experience was brought to a halt. However the idea of international voluntary service that encourages solidarity and helps people from different nationalities, background and lifestyle to come closer by working on a common goal, lived on. Ceresole was involved later the same year in the foundation of Service Civil International, the mother of many similar national organizations and worldwide networks.

2004-2005 Teaming Up! The involvement of local governments

We wanted to explore the idea of involving local governments in the transnational senior exchanges in an active way as promoters of exchange project in their areas and test their attitude to networking with citizens and organizations from the civil society. Thats why in the year 2004, another project was carried out co-granted by the European Commission (DG Employment and Social Affairs) named Teaming up! It forecast the exchange of 120 volunteers among 6 European countries that in groups of 5 persons performed transnational voluntary service for a period of three weeks. The project was based on bilateral partnership between local governments who were also co-funders of the project.

What follows is a description of the various projects that led us to the construction of a network that advised the European Commission during the process of building up a senior volunteers exchange programme. Each project has built on the previous one, enlarging every time the part-

1.2 Past projects a pathway from transnational voluntary service to lifelong learning

Is it possible to see junior and senior volunteers working together and sharing the same project with the same goals and objectives? We started with this question when we designed Fifty Fifty! This project, co-funded by the Active Citizenship programme of the European Commission, aimed at promoting intergenerational co-operation and learning as a medium to enhance active European citizenship and international volunteering. We trained small teams of volunteers, composed

2005 -2006 Fifty, Fifty! The intergenerational concept

of seniors and juniors, previously involved in the activities of the national partnership. These mixed age teams took part in different volunteering activities and helped in disseminating them in meetings organised by four Italian local Governments. Not as easy as it may seem, but definitely possible and worthwhile when looking at the results.

2009-2010 ACTIVE Active Training Initiative for Volunteers in Europe - A training Scheme for organizations of the Civil Society

2006 A European Conference to discuss the future of senior exchange projects

It was time to gather all the experiences and to optimise them in order not to waste all the work done and build on it. The ECLOS conference (a GRUNDTVIG Accompanying Measure) took place in Tallinn, Estonia, in December 2006, in order to bring together the experiences of actors from the previous pilot projects. A broad spectrum of representatives of civil society organisations attended, including institutions for adult education with trans-national work approaches, local and regional governments, local initiatives, NGOs, international voluntary service associations and individual senior volunteers. As a result, a handbook was published that focused on four themes which have proven to be decisive for a successful trans-national exchange: selection and preparation of volunteers and host organisations, foreign language skills, work contents and other framework conditions such as accommodation, meals and leisure time. Additionally, guidelines were developed by senior volunteers, and by host organisations. From this conference the idea of the SEVEN network was born.

In order to share the expertise of the SEVEN network, we organized two editions of a training course aimed at staff and volunteers of adult learning institutions, voluntary service organizations and local governments dealing with social issues who were curious and wanted to learn how setting up and managing transnational senior volunteers exchanges throughout Europe. The course was based on the daily practical experience of the organizations belonging to the SEVEN network and all the trainers belonged to it. The training courses are supported by the European Commission - Grundtvig program on adult learning.

2009 Twin and Go! A good practice to empower senior citizens and enhance their cooperation with their local governments

2007 2010 SEVEN Senior European Volunteers Exchange Network. - Time for networking and the Senior Volunteering Programme
SEVEN is an international network of 29 organisations promoting senior volunteer exchanges financed by the Grundtvig programme. SEVEN's member organisations include NGOs, local governments, universities and research centres with at least 5 years' experience in the co-ordination and management of senior volunteer programs. SEVEN gathered the experiences of all the partners who took part in the previous project. The network worked as a consultant for the European Commission for the setting up of the new Grundtvig actions, namely the one on Senior Volunteering that was launched at the end of 2008. Other achievements are a website full of information, research on the impact of volunteering activities on individuals and organisations, the production of this booklet and of a training course. The Network represents a good platform for organisations to meet and set up common projects and further activities.

One of the aims of the SEVEN network is to act as a platform of discussion in order to discuss further piloting actions in the field of senior exchanges. The preparation phase of exchange projects is crucial and requires thorough attention: who would be the best project-organisers than the senior volunteers themselves? In an empowerment perspective, a bilateral exchange of senior volunteers between twinned towns in Hessen and Emilia Romagna was piloted in 2009 within the scope of the Twin and Go! pilot project, funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme. In the participating municipalities, groups of three to five experienced senior volunteers were formed to develop the basics for a regular exchange of senior volunteers. This included mutual visits in order to get to know the volunteering opportunities in the twinned town, outline the work to be performed by the volunteers, as well as the skills sought (including language requirements) and regulate the conditions for a stay, in terms of accommodation, lodging, exchange of experiences, leisure time, costs, etc. The potential placements were published on internet, and impressions gained from the work and further information are documented in videos, organisational tools and handbooks

Handout 2 Skills Audit

Please write down at least three skills which you have developed in the various aspects of your life. You have been given an example in each category. This should take approximately 15 minutes.

Handout 3 Who am I talking about?

Comment they always stick together they are bad drivers they are always taking and never giving they are very opinionated they are always complaining they are not dependable they just hang around on the streets they are always so forgetful? they dont act their age? they do not work hard they wear horrible clothes they listen to dull music Younger Older Both Neither

Working Life 1. 2. 3. 4. Planning ---------------------------------------------------------------1. 2. 3. 4.

Education Report writing ----------------------------------------------------------------

Volunteering 1. 2. 3. 4. Listening ----------------------------------------------------------------

Family

YOU

1. 2. 3. 4.

Budgeting ----------------------------------------------------------------

Handout 4 Volunteering Compact Code of Good Practice http://www.thecompact.org.uk/

Volunteering 1. 2. 3. 4. Listening ---------------------------------------------------------------1. 2. 3. 4. Family Budgeting ----------------------------------------------------------------

Volunteering is an important expression of citizenship and fundamental to democracy. It is the commitment of time and energy for the benefit of society and the community, and can take many forms. It is freely undertaken and not for financial gain. The principle of non-payment of volunteers is central to this Code and to the wider sector and societys understanding of volunteering. We understand the term volunteering to include formal activity undertaken through public, private and voluntary organisations as well as informal community participation and campaigning. For the purpose of this Code, volunteering is defined as an activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than (or in addition to) close relatives. People volunteer for many different reasons. They may choose to volunteer to develop skills or gain experience, to socialise or to give something back to society. They may also volunteer because they feel a moral duty or compelling reasons to take part in voluntary action or support a particular cause. The key element is that it is freely undertaken.

Understanding Volunteering

Principles of Volunteering
Choice Diversity Mutual Benefit Recognition

There are four principles fundamental to volunteering:

Choice:

Volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual. Freedom to volunteer implies freedom not to become involved.

Diversity:

Volunteering should be open to all, no matter what their background, race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic or national origins, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation or disability.

4.2 I was able to contribute from my own expertise to the training. strongly agree agree undecided 4.3 I was able to express my doubts and uncertainties. agree undecided strongly agree 4.4 I was able to express my disagreements. strongly agree agree undecided
5. General impression and further comments

disagree disagree disagree

strongly disagree strongly disagree strongly disagree

Mutual Benefit:

Volunteers offer their contribution and skills unwaged but should benefit in other ways in return for their contribution. Giving time voluntarily must be recognised as establishing a reciprocal relationship in which the volunteer also benefits and feels that his or her contribution is personally fulfilling.

5.1 My general impression of this training is very good good 5.2 What I liked especially about this training:

average

poor

very poor

5.3 The following topics of the training were particularly relevant, interesting and motivating: 5.4 Too much time was spent on: 5.5 Too little time was spent on: 5.6 What was missing completely in this training was:
6. Personal background

Recognition:

An explicit recognition that, valuing the contribution of volunteers is fundamental to a fair relationship between volunteers, voluntary and community organisations and Governments. This includes recognising their contribution to the organisation, the community, the social economy and wider social objectives.

Handout 5 Sample Training Evaluation (Place), (date)

My age and gender: under 50 female My ethnic background: My last paid job:

50 - 59 male

60 - 69

70 - 79

80+

At the end of this training, we would like to know whether you were satisfied with the organisation and the contents of the training. Please take 10 minutes to help improve the quality of future training!
1. Organisation of the training

My experiences as a volunteer: I am presently a volunteer. I was a volunteer in the past. My participation in adult education courses in the last few years: I attended several courses. I attended one course.

none I did not volunteer before. I didnt attend courses.

1.1 I found the information which I received before the training ... very good good average 1.2 The duration and timing of the different parts of the training were ... very good good average 1.3 The rooms and equipment for training were ... very good good average
2. Contents and methods

poor poor poor poor poor poor disagree disagree disagree disagree

very poor very poor very poor very poor very poor very poor strongly disagree strongly disagree strongly disagree strongly disagree

2.1 I found the discussions with the other participants... very good good average 2.2 I found the methods used in the training ... very good good average 2.3 I found the learning aids (pin wall, handouts etc.) in this training ... very good good average
3. Outcomes

3.1 The modules helped me to understand my present position. strongly agree agree undecided 3.2 The training has answered all my concerns strongly agree agree undecided 3.3 I feel fully prepared for my exchange strongly agree agree undecided
4. Own involvement

4.1 I felt involved in this training. strongly agree agree

undecided

Bibliography 1. Allin, L and Turnock, C (2007) Reflection On and In the Workplace. Making Practice-Based Learning Work www.practicebasedlearning.org/home , accessed 1/07/2010 2. Coleman, James A. 2005, in, Coleman, James A and Klapper, John eds. , Effective learning and teaching in higher education. Routledge/Falmer, Oxford 3. Daly, R et al, 2006, Learning opportunities for senior volunteers Managing trans-national exchanges, www.seven-network.eu/site/?q=node/179 accessed 1/07/2010 4. Davis Smith, J, Gay, P, 2005, "Active ageing in active communities: Volunteering and the transition to retirement" , Policy Press, Bristol 5. Di Pietro, Davide, 2003, Still Active Handbook, www.seven-network.eu/site/?q=node/93 , accessed 01/07/2010 6. Falikowski, A, 2002, Mastering Human Relations, 3rd Ed, Pearson Education , New Jersey 7. Fischer, L, et al, 1993, Older Volunteers: A guide to research and practice", Sage, London 8. Kaplan M, Hanhardt , L, 2003, Intergenerational Activities Sourcebook, The Pennsylvania State University, 9. Kolland, F, 2008, The ADD LIFE European Tool Kit for Developing Inter-generational Learning in Higher Education, Graz 10. Mathou, C, 2010, Volunteering in the European Union, GHK, Brussels, 11. Stiehr, K, Ohms C, Kaucher, M, Kaukal, M, Rohl, S, 2010, Impact of trans-national exchange experiences on senior volunteers on organisations and volunteers, ISIS, Frankfurt, 12. Strumpel, C et al, 2010, Sustainable Learning in the Community, SLIC project, www.slic-project.eu/outcomes/handbook/handbook_E.pdf accessed 22/07/2010 13. Tilkin, G et al, Self Evaluation in Adult Lifelong Learning, www.sealll.eu/docs/manual/Sealll01_UK_web.pdf , accessed 01/07/2010 14. www.cedefop.europa.eu 15. www.seven-network.eu/site/ 16. www.senempower.eu/project/