Esc-2-Learn

Since October 2018, the volunteering activities managed by the Erasmus+ programme have been transferred to the European Solidarity Corps, encouraging young people to become active citizens and agents of solidarity and positive change for communities.

Today, e-learning has evolved to become an ideal tool for disseminating knowledge effectively and promoting universally and socially constructed understanding. E-learning helps to ensure equal opportunities for young volunteers and to develop their skills throughout their ESC project. It is also a way to involve them in an accessible process of continuous learning to optimise their role in the host community and find a career path. Furthermore, e-learning can be an effective and sustainable educational tool supporting volunteer tutors and supervisors. E-learning is thus an effective and cost-efficient complementary means of providing training and support to volunteers.

This strategic project will adapt and structure the platform’s content and services, modernise and simplify learning methods and facilitate the networking of young volunteers. Access to dynamic online training will also be facilitated by involving partners with experience in volunteering and in the creation of tools for volunteers. Our target group is primarily young ESC volunteers from the partner countries and those who are considering becoming ESC volunteers. Secondly, our project is aimed at youth workers in order to develop their skills to support volunteers and carry out their projects. The main objective of our project is to foster the adoption of innovative practices by youth workers linked to ESC volunteers, by developing collaborative and accessible learning approaches for all young beneficiaries of the European Solidarity Corps projects.

The ESC-2-Learn project (n° 2020-1-FR02-KA205-017477) is based on several objectives:

  • To improve the structuring, adapt, update and promote the content of our e-esc.eu platform and ensure its sustainability so that it can better respond to the evolving needs of beneficiaries
  • (European & local volunteers and host organisations) and facilitate access to mobility and non-formal learning for young people.
    To develop the ICT and pedagogical skills of 15 e-tutors in support of the distance learning of European and non-European volunteers, beneficiaries of our platform, including those with fewer opportunities.
  • Develop and recognise the skills of European and non-European volunteers, including those with fewer opportunities, to ensure quality ESC projects and encourage their civic initiatives.
  • Promote the dialogue of volunteers with their peers, youth workers, host organisations and resource persons from different countries to improve volunteering initiatives, their impact and visibility.
  • To make the exchange of experiences and practices between volunteers and promoters of volunteering projects easier and more fruitful.

Our consortium has pooled its knowledge and experience and mobilised its network of partners to develop new pedagogical tools to strengthen and develop the skills of young volunteers, but also the methodological means of youth workers. The project is in line with the objectives of the “Key Action 2” programme, youth sector, to strengthen skills and employability, promote inclusion and develop transnational mobility.

1.The first phase allowed to determine the needs of the current beneficiaries of the platform and future beneficiaries (ESC volunteers) in terms of training & distance assistance.
2.The second phase was aimed at volunteer host organisations, in order to identify their needs in terms of support, training, coaching and mentoring of volunteers.

In this way, we were able to better identify innovative ways to facilitate the implementation and increase the quality of the results and impact of volunteering projects.