GLOCAL RECOGNITION: Study VISIT on good practices in the field of volunteering in Instanbul

CONTENT OF THE STUDY VISIT:

The detailed programme of the visit is still to be defined.

The Study Visit will last for 7 days (including 1 arrival day and 1 departure day). At the beginning of the Study Visit, participants and staff will introduce themselves, sharing their expectations, fears and possible contributions towards the project and will take part in various “ice-breaking” activities to create a cooperative and proactive group environment.

Participants will see first-hand examples of good practices in the field of Volunteering and in the field of recognition and validation of soft skills.

The meeting, managed by the project partner Antalya EU Center in collaboration with the Learning Designs company, will allow to visit the major Turkish organizations and institutions in the third sector, including:

Need Map: www.ihtiyacharitasi.org

HABİTAT: www.habitatdernegi.org

Turkish Education Volunteers Foundation (TEGV): www.tegv.org

Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG): www.tog.org.tr/en/

The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA): www.tema.org.tr

Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association (TURMEPA): www.turmepa.org.tr

MAYA Foundation: http://www.mayavakfi.org/

These meetings will be an opportunity to network and exchange good practices on volunteering and on the certification of volunteers' skills, which is the main objective of our project, which develops a system to recognize the skills acquired in volunteer experiences.

The institutions to be visited have been selected taking into consideration the possibility to involve them in the next steps of the project, given that Study Visits can represent powerful networking opportunities, too.

Both the participants and the visited organizations will get an explanation of the GloCal System and will be asked to contribute and participate in the process.

PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY VISIT

The call is open to 9 participants from Italy.

We are looking for people with a significant role within the organization, interested in getting involved and who speak at least an intermediate level of English.

The Study Visit is cross-sectoral and is addressed to a variety of  youth organizations and institutions, or their representants with a keen interest in the recognition and certification of soft-skills at different levels, in particular trought volunteering activities and with young people. The activity is therefore open not only to NGOs or youth associations, but, for example, also to employment offices, companies, education institutions and/or other stakeholders that might be able to bridge the world of volunteering with the professional one. This Study Visit represents also the first step towards the creation of a network of associations bonded by the confidence in the value of volunteering and its expendability in the job market.

GloCal Recognition will develop a system for the recognition of soft skills acquired during volunteering activities carried out at the local level. The system is going to be adapted from “Global Recognition”, a platform previously created by Joint in collaboration with organizations from South America and Europe, aimed at the certification of international volunteering experiences. This project will, therefore, foster long-lasting cooperation between Turkish and European NGOs and will allow youngsters and local organizations to give an added value to their work.

The main concrete output of GloCal Recognition will be the creation of an online platform translated in Italian, English, and Turkish that will include:

•    An assessment framework for the soft skills and a system for the emission of the certificate;

•    A number of E-learning modules designed for the comprehension and awareness of users’ soft skills;

•    A guidebook presenting examples of non-formal education methodologies for both youngsters and non-profit organizations, that will support them in the evaluation process of the acquired skills.

The project foresees also the promotion and dissemination of the platform through the web and various social media channels.

"GloCal Recognition” (ref num. TR2015/DG/01/A5-02/397) is one among the 12 projects selected within the framework of the Program “Supporting Civil Society Dialogue Between EU and Turkey Grant Scheme (CSD-V) ” funded by the Turkish Ministry of EU Affairs and by the European Union itself. The aim of the Program is to foster cooperation between Turkish and European Civil Society.

PRACTICAL OUTPUTS:

-visit and networking in at least 10 good practice venues;

-study visit report;

-photos and videos and general social media promotion.

OUTCOMES:

- local and international network of participants reinforced;

-good practices collected;

-partners and stakeholders involved in the definition of GloCal System;

-participants, staff and experts informed of the cultural aspects and the variety of volunteering activities/environments to take into account when developing the Certification System.

If you are interested and would like to participate in this study visit, you can fill out this form https://forms.gle/W8shgrEq2R8kjgi56.

Only the candidates with the profile in line with the call will be contacted.