Global Recognition

The long-term objective of Global Recognition (Glo.Re) was to develop a global platform for the recognition of quality non-formal learning experiences through medium/long-term volunteering. The idea of the project has come from the need to increase volunteering opportunities outside of the EVS framework, often leaving all stakeholders in an EVS project (COs, SOs, HOs and volunteers) without any form of quality control, nor recognition (EVS has the Youthpass).The partners involved acquired the skills and know-hows in order to host volunteers, to provide them day to day support, as well as moments of reflection their learning experience. Every partner taked part into the kick-off meeting and initial training, sent staff members to the Training Seminar on International Volunteering Standards and Support and hosted an EVS volunteer allowing him/her to have a hands on experience. In addition, the partners were involved in creating the content of a global platform aimed at volunteering recognition.The platform is in the form of a website. It has allowed volunteers to participate in projects designed for the creation of their own certification, similar to the Youthpass, with the support of the HO. All stakeholders involved in the project have contributed to the development of the different aspects of the website and the toolkit, as well as to the hosting of mobilities.On the other hand, the EVS volunteers, besides having had the opportunity to live an experience abroad (for some this was the first time), were also the first to test the certification tool and, thus, were able to give feedbacks to further improve the website as well as the certificate itself, allowing the organizations to raise the quality level of the system. In addition to the creation and the launch of the website, the project seeked to enhance the hosting capacities of the volunteers, through the creation of a toolkit equipped with a variety of non-formal education activities intended at supporting the volunteer throughout his/her learning process, and at the evaluation of the gained competences,too.The project included the following Key ActivitiesA1 - Partnership Building Activity (Genoa, Italy, 27 November - 06 December 2016) A2 - Training Seminar EU (Passignano sul Trasimeno, Italy, 6-16 February 2017)A3 - EVS in EU (EU, 5 months, starting 1 May - 30 September 2017)A4 – Training Seminar LA (Peru, 30 March - 9 April 2017)A5 - EVS in LA (LA, 5 months, 1 May - 30 September 2017)A8 – Output Seminar – (Belgium, 22- 29 October 2017)A9 – Evaluation Seminar (Mexico, 9 - 19 May 2018)This whole process, starting from the kick off meeting and eventually completed with the final evaluation in Mexico, enhanced the cooperation among the various partners and ensured that every meeting would lead to the creation of solid foundations for the planned outcomes. Moreover, the EVS volunteers have represented an added value for the project: on the one hand, in fact, they learned to live in a foreign country, with a different language and culture; on the other, they also provided to the partners associations the chance to experiment with the certification system and to benefit from their feedbacks, thus further improving the system. Finally, the dissemination events embodied the pivotal moment for the involved organizations to show to a young audience and to other stakeholders the achieved results other than the soft skills that can be acquired through a volunteering experience and that are valuable to the labour market: again, the EVS volunteers played a crucial role as they gave first hand evidence of their experience and the certificate. This project symbolized the beginning of a long path towards the actual recognition of international volunteering and to the creation of a network of organizations willing to highlight the skills that can be developed in virtue of a volunteering period.