On the 18th of November 2015 around 20 participants arrived in Krakau, Poland for ‘Streetwise’. An intensive 4-day seminar ran by Don Bosco Youth-Net. The seminar aimed at transforming an international voluntary experience of returning volunteers into active citizenship in local community.

​The programme of the seminar had a learner-centred approach, combining several non-formal methods like simulations games, methods from COMPASS, group discussions and active reviewing:
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First we focused on building a reference framework for the participants. We start-off with a mapping who is who in their voluntary service (pax, sending organisation, host organisation, DBYN). Next we introduced a Human rights framework (UDHR, CRC, CoE).  Further on we focused on how the participants can identify the HR dimension in their past voluntary service, and identifying similarities in their local communities. After that we saw the differences between volunteering and active citizenship, start-up a reflection on their own citizenship, starting from the question: “does voluntary service count as active citizenship?” In the end we had more than a day reserved for action planning. The participants got an introduction on the pilot projects of EYF. On the basis of this they did a simulation exercise on co-creating project concepts for local communities.  We finish the seminar with a session on evaluation and future planning. Apart from the non-formal learning programme, the participants received ample time to the informal and spiritual programme, in order to build personal networks and interiorize the learning process with their personal value-systems. The participants are hoping to utilise the information gained from this seminar in order to create a project in their local community.

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Project Partners

Please check the resource blogs for the outcomes, the training manual and more background information.

Objectives

1. To raise awareness on the HR dimension of voluntary work within a Don Bosco setting, both within the setting of an international voluntary service as well as within the local community.
2. To encourage returned volunteers and train their project management skills enabling them to take on an engagement in their local communities, catering and safeguarding the human dignity of (young) people.
3. To multiply the learning experience of the pax within their sending organisations, mainstreaming this approach for other returned and future international volunteers.
4. To encourage the networking in between volunteers from different European countries, and motivate them to stay also involved within DBYN.​

Training programme

Venue

The Salesian centre in Tyniecka is accommodating different organisations of the Salesians in Krakow.  The main building serves as a seminarie for young Salesians.  Next to this it accommodates the Salesian Centre of Education and Youth Ministry, the Salesian Missionary Voluntary Service, a Salesian film & documentary organisation, a Salesian oratorio, a Salesian sports club and an theme park for development education.  In weekends and during holidays the centre rents rooms to national and international groups.

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