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'En Route - Don Bosco Volunteers for Human Rights' was a project consisting of 3 training activities:
The project fitted into the long-term strategy of Don Bosco Youth-Net of integrating the methodology of Human Rights Education into our own educational methodology. |
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In 2015 we started with mainstreaming our new educational policy throughout our network: During our study session 'A Preventive Approach in Human Rights Education' at the Eurpean Youth Centre in Strasbourg (15-20/02/2015) we rewrote our publication ‘Few words and a lot of Action’, which is our educational policy. The activities in this work plan were targeted at 3 different categories of volunteers in our network. Each category reached different target groups of young people on international, European or local level. Hence they were the ideal multipliers to mainstream the new educational policy throughout the network. The 3 objectives of the work plan targeted each one of the categories of volunteers.
The first objective was to train new trainers in delivering Human Rights Education in the style of Don Bosco: after the first activity its participants (pax) were added to our Pool of Trainers (PoT). In this way we replenished the PoT with trainers bringing a new expertise. They were active on the future activities of DBYN annual work plan, but as well on multilateral activities of our member organisations, on local activities of their home organisation and had access to PoTs of other platforms (European Youth Forum, SALTO, CoE, ...).
The second objective was to train local volunteers in working with young people facing fewer opportunities and encourage them to further develop their voluntary engagement on local and European level within DBYN: all pax of the second activity were active in local youth work organisations, where they were working with young people facing fewer opportunities. This TC works focused on Intercultural learning (ICL) and Human Rights Education (HRE), taking refugees as thematic red line. By exploring the Human Rights dimension of refugees in international group, we developed training methods and tools to work on this theme in their local organisations. At the same time they were introduced into European youth work and encouraged to also pursue further engagement in this field.
The third objective is to train volunteers returning from a voluntary service abroad to continue their voluntary commitment in their local communities, especially focussed on safeguarding Human rights and children’s rights of young people: the pax of the third activity all have an experience working as volunteer with children and young people facing intrusions on their human rights abroad. Even though this is a strong learning experience, it is difficult for them to translate it into a new voluntary commitment in their local communities after returning. The seminar lets them explore ways how to make this transfer. Most of the pax after returning will also be involved in the selection, preparation and follow-up of new volunteers abroad. If they have a better understanding how they are translating their experience back to their local communities, they can also better prepare the new volunteers for when they return.
Being able to approach all 3 these activities and objectives through 1 project, allowed us to create synergies between the different approaches. It also increased the visibility within the network, that the Human Rights approach was very complementary to our work. This was the ideal step forward to mainstream our updated educational methodology.
The first objective was to train new trainers in delivering Human Rights Education in the style of Don Bosco: after the first activity its participants (pax) were added to our Pool of Trainers (PoT). In this way we replenished the PoT with trainers bringing a new expertise. They were active on the future activities of DBYN annual work plan, but as well on multilateral activities of our member organisations, on local activities of their home organisation and had access to PoTs of other platforms (European Youth Forum, SALTO, CoE, ...).
The second objective was to train local volunteers in working with young people facing fewer opportunities and encourage them to further develop their voluntary engagement on local and European level within DBYN: all pax of the second activity were active in local youth work organisations, where they were working with young people facing fewer opportunities. This TC works focused on Intercultural learning (ICL) and Human Rights Education (HRE), taking refugees as thematic red line. By exploring the Human Rights dimension of refugees in international group, we developed training methods and tools to work on this theme in their local organisations. At the same time they were introduced into European youth work and encouraged to also pursue further engagement in this field.
The third objective is to train volunteers returning from a voluntary service abroad to continue their voluntary commitment in their local communities, especially focussed on safeguarding Human rights and children’s rights of young people: the pax of the third activity all have an experience working as volunteer with children and young people facing intrusions on their human rights abroad. Even though this is a strong learning experience, it is difficult for them to translate it into a new voluntary commitment in their local communities after returning. The seminar lets them explore ways how to make this transfer. Most of the pax after returning will also be involved in the selection, preparation and follow-up of new volunteers abroad. If they have a better understanding how they are translating their experience back to their local communities, they can also better prepare the new volunteers for when they return.
Being able to approach all 3 these activities and objectives through 1 project, allowed us to create synergies between the different approaches. It also increased the visibility within the network, that the Human Rights approach was very complementary to our work. This was the ideal step forward to mainstream our updated educational methodology.
