The project was held in Nagyvázsony, during 24 months we hosted 7-7-16 volunteers for 3 weeks in 3 rounds, altogether 30 volunteers from 11 partners in 10 countries ( Austria, UK, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Estonia, France, Latvia, Slovakia, and Spain).
Start: 15-08-2018 – End: 14-08-2020
Project Reference: 2018-1-HU01-KA125-047590
EU Grant: 46920.2 EUR
Programme: Erasmus+
Key Action: Learning Mobility of Individuals
Action Type: Volunteering Projects
Summary
The project was located in Nagyvázsony, during 24 months we hosted 7-7-16 volunteers for 3 weeks in 3 rounds, altogether 30 volunteers from 11 partners in 10 countries ( Austria, UK, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Estonia, France, Latvia, Slovakia, and Spain).
In the first and third round, volunteers helped to organise and realize music workshops, playhouses, handcraft workshops, and other activities with children and young people in the advent period of the year 2018 and 2019. In the second round, we renovated and repainted a small lodge at a resting place in a park. Therefore not only the volunteers benefitted from the project, but the local community as well. Besides its symbolic value, it was a true contribution to the village.
As part of the documentation, we involved the volunteers to work with us on multiple short films. With this opportunity, volunteers were able to gain experience in photo shooting and film making and then able to realize a film project on their own. This film project had something to do with the young volunteers and with the community of the small village of Nagyvázsony therefore both parties, the community and the volunteers gained from the film.
The Ruckenwind methodology for engaging with young people from backgrounds of severely restricted opportunity in international work. The ‘Tittle Tattle’ project has a proven potential opportunity to give a small group of young people facing significant challenges the chance to learn some new, practical skills at the same time as developing their appreciation of being citizens in a wider Europe.
We are applying without identified names of potential volunteers because from our experience in working with youngsters with fewer opportunities it mostly, that they decide about their participation within the last 4 weeks before the project starts. So it is important for us that we don´t have to name the volunteers in advance but we have a very strong partnership who can guarantee to find youngsters with fewer opportunities.
All of the volunteers were drawn from backgrounds of very restricted opportunity and came to learn a variety of practical ‘shipwright-type’ skills as well as the softer skills of team playing, team leadership, and cross-cultural communication which will serve them well as they progress through the rest of their lives. The Youthpass was used, not only as a recognition of the volunteer’s non-formal learning outcomes but also to structure and frame their individual learning plans.
The lodge and the grandstand were tangible, touchable objects, they are a symbol or metaphor of the approach and objectives of this project and on the other hand the film – are symbols of:
– The volunteers’ life journies (e.g their experience of rough conditions/stormy weather through to successful new beginnings)
– The lodge and grandstand can connect the different generations while they are sitting together on them and telling stories
– It also helps the community to have a space for themselves where they can share their thoughts, stories, ideas
– From filming to cutting and editing the volunteers will be involved in the whole process and will get the chance to face different tasks in the development of a film.
Since the end of the project, the whole village can use the outcome of the volunteers’ hard work. It can be used by the local youth, future groups of volunteers, and other community organizations. The same is meant for the film the finished product was screened in the village as well in all of the partner organizations’ countries. They also used music as a tool of communication. They learned some music from the music teacher after they were teaching to children.
At the beginning of the project, we hosted an Advance planning visit and after immediately of APV, we organized an International Volunteer Conference with our partners for 1-1 mentor/partner. We advertised the volunteering in international level EVS; ESC and life after EVS and ESC.
We supported the volunteers with reinforced mentoring. We also organized 3 times On-Arrival Training Course for volunteers – to give them the same opportunity as long term volunteers – with 2 Volunteer Trainer expert from Fekete Sereg and Autonomia e Descoberta.