On the 14th, 21st and 28th of June at Casa del Mar, FCV implemented the first, 12-hour-long series of workshops “Toolbox fro Active Volunteering” dedicated to Catalan non-profit and volunteering organizations.
The program was adapted to the small number of participants, who got to know the methodological and educational tools which FCV uses to meet the needs and expectations of the volunteers (and the organization itself) in order to transform voluntary actions and programs into non-formal educational activities. 
By doing so, on one hand we the volunteers themselves to set up and develop specific learning objectives, to keep a long term commitment; on the other, we supported the organizations in achieving outstanding results in their actions and programs.
FCV shared some of the methods and educational strategies it uses, highlighting their simplicity and adaptability, while encouraging a constructive dialogue and debate about the (big) challenges and (small) changes all entities can perform in managing volunteers’ efforts in a more sustainable way.
The workshops focused on the elements that define any Active Volunteering program or activity: a civic, inclusive, participatory, educational, empowering and result-focused voluntary action carried out by young people. These included the explanations of various tools, such as the list of key competences for lifelong learning, which are helpful in applying non formal learning methodology in volunteering management.
Active members of organizations with volunteers’ mentoring tasks representing “Associació Benestar i Desenvolupament -ABD“, “Associació per a la rehabilitació de persones amb malaltia mental -AREP“, “Medicus Mundi-Catalunya“, “Fundació Acció contra la Fam“, or “FISC -Catalunya” participated in the workshops and contributed with their experience. They positively valued the contents, the methodology and the work of the trainer/facilitator (coordinator of the program “Active Volunteers” in FCV).
The workshops are designed to help supervisors, mentors and volunteering managers to take on a greater role in volunteers’ empowerment and in offering young people new and meaningful opportunities that can become space for action and reflection, that fit with the needs and the capacities of the organizations themselves.
FCV is planning to create a virtual toolkit, accessible online, free of charge and in Catalan, where everyone who is interested can find innovative tools, exercises and lessons learned by organizations that, just like FCV, are carrying out Active Volunteering programs.
The training program ‘Toolkit for Active Volunteering’ relies on the support of the General Administration for Civic Action and Community Affairs of the Family and Welfare Department of the Catalan Government (“Active Volunteering -Europe 2020 Strategy”) and of the Municipality of Barcelona.
The next series of workshops, in which it’s still possible to participate, will take place on the 6th, 8th and 13th of September, from 16:00 to 20:00 at Casa del Mar. You can register for free at the following link, sending an email to projectes@catalunyavoluntaria.cat or calling us at 93 412 44 93.
We remain at your disposal for any questions or for any further information about the workshops.