European Voluntary Service Mid Term Training

Aims & objectives

EVS MTT is aimed at long term volunteers who are spending at least 6 months living and working on various projects in the UK and are half way through their project. It is an opportunity for them to evaluate their experience so far and discuss opportunities for changes, with specific outcomes detailed below:

 Be able to reflect on the experiences you have had so far in your European Voluntary Service

 Have the chance to consider your learning achievements & general progression made as a volunteer and the impact of EVS on your future

 Know what further opportunities you may have through ERASMUS+ and how to access them

 Meet with other volunteers who are undertaking EVS projects

 Have the opportunity to evaluate all aspects of your project partners (your sending organisation, hosting organisation & if applicable your coordinating organisation)

 Evaluate the practical aspects of your time abroad so far - accommodation, food, health insurance, documents and the whole experience etc.

 Considered what qualities, skills and knowledge you have brought to your project, and what you will leave with them

 Have discussed any worries, concerns or questions you have about your EVS experience

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

Participants are aged 17-32 and over the years I have been delivering I have trained people from:
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Slovenia
Spain
Ukraine
Russia
Turkey
Mexico
Canada
South Africa
Serbia
Kosovo
Moldova
Georgia
Belarus

Training methods used & main activities

1.Welcome and getting to know you
Name market - buy/sell letters with interesting information, fill in your name badge / Name game - alliteration and action

2.Your EVS journey
EVS River - two circles go round draw one thing about their project on the river, using items as metafors, something you have learnt (whirlpool), something you have found difficult and overcome (bridge), something you need help with (rock), something you want to change (branch of river)
Present River and say 1 high 1 low (culture shock revisited) - few present back depending on numbers

3.Your EVS Journey:
Step Forward on rights and respnsibilities - are you accessing them? World Cafe evaluating SO, RO (including role), CO and your EVS experience as a whole (food, accommodation) [challenges and shared advice]

4.Revisiting culture and stereotypes
What was or wasn't true? New stereotypes? Questions? Confusion? How to deal with it? Small group discussion and feedback with role play

5. Youthpass
Pizza - what you have done/ what you will do / what you want to do - revist goals from OAT... have you achieved them? Plan SMART - advice from others.

6. Future Opportunities after EVS
Collective Brainstorm/ public reseach - work, study, volunteer, travel - ways to do this...

7. EVALUATION
Web of learning and written evaluation

Outcomes of the activity

Evaluation has been consistently high throughout all of the EVS MTT I have delivered with a 90%+ success rate on all learning objectives and evaluation questions. I have had EVS volunteers get in touch with me afterwards to find out more information about things they can do / where they can go and they have always expressed a deep gratitude for the information and preparation they received.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

Design the training (tools, methods, timetable) either alone or with co-trainer (depending on size of group) utilising input from past evaluations and feedback when applicable - collecting resources and setting up the room. Coordinating food and accommodation logistics on arrival and collecting all relevant paperwork, signatures, taking photos and videos and writing a final report for each training delivered to be sent back to the national agency.

I worked on this training for 2 days as a full time trainer.