Once the Volunteering for Peace seminar was over, and from a certain distance, we are now able to trace the conclusions of this international meeting, organized by the Fundació Catalunya Voluntària. And, after analyzing the evaluation sheets that the participants filled in on the last day of the activity, we can say that, thanks to the collaboration of the whole group, all the objectives of the seminar have been met, without exception.
In fact, the evaluations that have been drawn about the objectives of the seminar are so positive that we have decided to share them as a sample of how useful the methodology of non-formal education can be to develop new knowledge, skills, attitudes and interests.
Specifically, and according to the evaluations, the two objectives of the seminar that have been fulfilled the most have been “to learn / understand the basic concepts of culture of peace and education for peace and to reflect on how to implement them in each entity” (with a 9 out of 10), and “improve the support given to young volunteers to take greater leadership in the promotion and construction of peace in their communities” (with an 8.6). On the other hand, the objective with worse results -although equally well scored- has been “to promote cooperation and networking among youth workers and NGOs working in the field of non-formal education, intercultural learning and volunteering at the European level “(with an 8).
Although the activities contained difficult and complex challenges, the participants performed them with a great team spirit, which has allowed a unique learning process. In this way, on the last day of the seminar, at the César Hotel in Vilanova i la Geltrú, there was a mixture of tiredness along with a pleasant feeling of shared success and positivity: “the connection has been amazing; we are like a big family”.
The international seminar Volunteering for Peace was hosted by the Fundació Catalunya Voluntària from April 1st to 7th in Vilanova i a Geltrú and was attended by leaders of entities from 8 European countries.
