Grow to Dream Web Forum European Volunteering in the moment of COVID-19

We wish to create a space for a dialogue among practitioners (experts, youth workers, social activists, volunteers) from around Europe involved in ESC-Volunteering projects, for:

• exploring how to support solidarity and mutual learning among volunteers and local community in the time of COVID19, with a special focus on young people with fewer opportunities
• sharing best practices, which could be directly adapted in the project facing a crisis with isolation and virus.
• as a result finding solutions to deal with ESC volunteering projects in the present situation
• harvesting impulses how to work constructively with the present situation, how to monitor it, take lessons, evaluate it, and plan future steps
• creating a networking space for mutual support among the different actors (coordinators, mentors, volunteers, stakeholders)
• sharing good practice examples on how to continue the implementation of ESC volunteering project during pandemic times
• developing strategic solutions for our organisations, collecting recommendations for stakeholder (NA and SALTO), empowering volunteers for networking

We aim with the forum to: 

• develop a common ground of quality for future network activities within the European Solidarity Program
• raise awareness of how to foster the inclusion dimension and accessibility of our activities with young people
• develop better understanding of how to increase the impact of our activities on local and international level
• create a space for sharing good practices, and exchange our experience to grow together within future partnerships

Topics/Questions:

• how could we use resources, skills and knowledge from the project to deal with the new curcumstances: dealing with uncertainty, fear and motivation of the volunteers – how to support?
• how to restructure project activities according to the circumstances, remaining the solidarity dimension, digital solutions, local community support
• formal aspects of the project implementation (finances, changed duration, recrutation…)
• how to keep the volunteers learning process going on in times of Corona-crisis
• change of activities/ space for reflection/recognition of learning/ digital learning
• vision for the time after the Corona-Pandemia – how ESC can support the restart

Program Elements:

• solidarity – inclusion dimension
• best practices from the projects which could be relevant in present situation (using appreciative inquiry method and the Art of Hostig Approach )
• developing support structures (for Voluneters, Organsitions, Local Communtiy)
• innovation and flexibility in project implementation
• non-formal learning ONLINE (explore tools and methods)
• project management in an uncertain perspective of the future
• visioning and design thinking for project development and future partnerships

Practical Info:

dates: 24./25. of April 2020

place: WEB-CONFERENCE