Kickoff Meeting WeActiveVol, Katowice

8^th and 9^th of December 2016

DAY 1

Opening the meeting, welcome from the Vice Director of the VLO in Katowice

Presenting the meeting goals and programme

Short round of introduction of the meeting participants

Meeting objectives: initiating the project; getting to know each other in person, learning about the activities held by participating organizations; presenting the group of local experts, getting familiar with their activities in the field of volunteering, good practice examples; discussing expectations toward the project, analyzing different experiences in the project management fields, establishing the cooperation rules.

Participants, representatives of partner organization:

- E-Seniors Association, France

- Initiatives Network Association (Asociacija "Iniciatyvu tinklas"), Lithuania

- National Volunteer Centre (Önkéntes Központ Alapítvány), Hungary

- Volunteer Centre (Centrum dobrovolníctva), Slovakia

- Volunteer Centre (Centrul de Voluntariat Cluj-Napoca), Romania

Representatives of the local expert group invited for the meeting:

- Gliwice Centre for non-governmental organizations,

- Social Welfare Centre in Katowice,

- Oligos Association in Rybnik

Staff of the VLO in Katowice

Introduction of the project

Main objectives & results:

- Strengthen volunteering among the over 50 people.

- Target group: trainers, educators, coaches active in adult education, volunteer coordinators, project managers, practitioners working in the field of volunteering and active ageing, advisors, decision-makers from the participating organisatons.

- Outputs: project website, 6 meeting minutes, PowerPoint presentations, thematic workshops for the meeting participants, leaflet, questionnaire for the assessment of predispositions to perform a voluntary work, 2 different questionnaires for opinion polls, set of recommendations about the scope of a comprehensive training course in the field of volunteering, dissemination activities aimed at promoting volunteering in partners’ countries (report from these activities), final project report, brochure

Presentation of partners

1) E-Seniors
Importance of new information and communication technologies
Provides digital access for seniors and handicapped persons by offering ICT trainings and by participating in local and European projects
Local Projects designed for all ages and encouraging solidarity

2) Volunteer Center in Hungary (OKA): 2002

5 staff members and around 20-25 people working as volunteers

Good collaboration with the government

International seniors programs

Volunteer Seniors Club founded in 2013

3) Cluj-Napoca Volunteer Center in Romania (CVCN): 2004

Volunteering in local communities

Solving community problems through volunteering

International Volunteer Day: 5^th of December

They’re participating in tools’ research for measuring volunteering

Involving volunteers with fewer opportunities, projects aimed at reducing delinquency among young people.

5000 volunteers + 147 volunteers sent abroad

4) Volunteer Center Dobrovolnictva in Slovakia

Services of volunteering: database of volunteering opportunities, consultations for people and for organizations

Promotion of volunteering

Use of online tools for volunteering

European Voluntary Service: hosting and sending volunteers

University and municipality are partners

5) Initiatives Network Association in Lithuania

Volunteers from young people to elderly people

Help citizens and organizations to pursue international dialogue, promote their initiatives, participating ant promoting volunteering and lifelong learning, and develop skills and competencies

Promotion of the employment of 54+

6) VLO in Poland (coordinator)

Implementation of the European Social Fund; Employment placements abroad (EURES); Promotion of entrepreneurship; Division of the Labour Fund resources; Provision of vocational guidance and vocational information; Obtaining funds and pursuing projects under European Union Programmes; Performing various analyses regarding the regional labour market

Representatives of the local expert group:

Oligos Association in Rybnik
- founded mainly by the parents of disabled people (both children and adults);
- major areas of activities: supporting the disabled in gaining qualification required on the labour market (trainings); assisting parents of the disabled; running the Environmental Self-Help Centre for people with disabilities;
- cooperating with volunteers, including international volunteering; Volunteer Friendly Organization certificate.

Gliwice NGO Centre

- 5 main branches: Social Activity Area, Social Economy Incubator, Voluntary Service Centre, Centre of Cultural Organizations, House of Active Youth;

- Voluntary Service Centre: organizing meetings and trainings for volunteers at any age, organizing trainings for voluntary service coordinators, volunteer placement services, International Volunteer Day gala;

- Examples of seniors volunteering: encouraging elderly ladies to become A Fairy-Tale Grandma in Gliwice nursery schools; Seniors’ Volunteering Academy (IT courses, information meetings about volunteering, integration meetings).

Social Welfare Center in Katowice

- Sunflower Programme: volunteers support the elderly and disabled people as well as children and youth (assistance in learning);

- Promoting volunteering, searching for volunteers actively;

- Workshops, trainings for volunteers

Workshop: Partners’ expectations towards the project, bad/good experiences in the project management fields

- Communication, listening, good relationships between partners etc.

- Respect of the deadlines and the tasks related to each partner

- Active participation in the project, equal tasks division

- Developing useful results

- Common understanding of the project aims and activities; clear working plan

- Following the agreed terms ad rules.