Volunteering makes your CV smile!
29 October – 5 November 2011
Plettenberg, Germany

Rural Youth Europe and Westfälisch-Lippische Landjugend e.V. co-operated together to organise the Autumn Seminar 2011 in the lovely region of North-West Germany. The seminar focussed on volunteering and how it can strengthen a young person’s CV and their employment potential. As part of the 2011 EU Year of Volunteering, the seminar explored the connection between volunteering and youth employment, particularly how volunteering can improve the employability of young people in rural and remote areas of Europe. The seminar focussed on how volunteering provides important learning opportunities, new skills and competences for young people, and how these benefits can be better recognised by both youth organisations and the business world.

The seminar was part of the Youth Employment Action (YEA) project of Rural Youth Europe which aims to improve the employability of rural young people. The YEA project issupporting European, national and local youth organisations in a positive and constructive way by exploring and developing youth-led solutions to youth unemployment. It is funded by the Youth in Action programme of the EuropeanUnion.

Aims of the Autumn Seminar:

• To explore how volunteering can improve the employability of rural young people
• To promote greater recognition of how the learning opportunities provided by volunteering can improve the skills and competences of rural young people

All working methods and activities of the seminar aimed at fostering intercultural learning and exchange between participants from different backgrounds. Participants met a range of experts and representatives from government andNGOs and were involved in workshops and different kinds of activities usingnon-formal education. The young people themselves were involved at all times in the exchange of experiences, ideas and opinions and their contributions were vital for the whole project. All sessions provided opportunities for participants to develop their skills and knowledge as well as to share their experiences. The free-time activities were also planned to give participants the chance to continue mutual communication and co-operation.

Seminar blog

See photos

Attachments:

AS 2011 programme.pdf

autumn seminar 2011 - participant's story.pdf

Autumn Seminar 2011 report.pdf