About the project

Project number: 2021-1-CZ01-KA220-ADU-000035109
Duration: 01.11.2021 – 31.10.2024
Funding program: Erasmus+ KA220-ADU – Cooperation partnerships in adult education

Voluntary work is important both for our society and for individuals. Participation in such can enrich a life through social integration and the development of personal skills, but people with disabilities have often been excluded from this. The IMProVE project stands for inclusion and equality and is intended to enable people with disabilities to enter voluntary work. To implement the goal of inclusive volunteering, support structures are being developed to enable people with disabilities to access advice and training. Information events and counseling for parents and caregivers will improve skills and thus facilitate the path to volunteerism. Another goal is to change the public perception of people with disabilities. Everyone, regardless of age, culture, gender, sexual orientation, origin, religion or disability can make a contribution to our society and play an active role.

Through our comprehensive European model Improve 2.0. we want to overcome existing barriers and increase thenumber of people with disabilities volunteering and becoming active citizens in their local communities. We want to showcase: Inclusive volunteering can be normal across Europe. The result of IMProVE 2.0. will be a comprehensive approach to promote and support volunteering of pwd and increasetheir participation rate in volunteering.

 

Project results

Acquisition, training and support of voluntary “Inclusion Buddies”

Inclusion buddies are volunteers who accompany people with disabilities  in their volunteering well and safely, that people with disabilities feel taken care of, recognized and valued because they can make a meaningful contribution to society. For the acquisition, training and support of the inclusion buddies, several materials are available:

Job Description "Inclusion Buddies" 

The job description outlines the inclusion buddies' goals, responsibilities and prerequisites. It helps volunteers understand their roles and enables volunteer involvign organizations to set realistic expectations. It is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Concept "Info Session for Inclusion Buddies" 

It is a good idea to organize an informational event for all interested Inclusion Buddies before the start of the training series, so that any questions and uncertainties can be clarified in advance. The project partners combined their experiences and drafted a concept for individual face-to-face consultations or joint info sessions for interested volunteers. It is available in five languages: 

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Training for Inclusion Buddies 

The training for inclusion buddies consists of 10 modules: 

  1. Introduction to Inclusive Volunteering
  2. Why and when is my volunteering meaningful and important? Reflection for future
    inclusion buddies
  3. Empowerment
  4. Expectations of the inclusion buddies
  5. Organizational matters
  6. Basic knowledge about the types of disabilities
  7. The right wording: What can I say or address in what way?
  8. Communication skills
  9. Boundaries
  10. Liberties 

In this document, you will find session plans and materials for all sessions:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

 

Promotion of inclusive volunteering in volunteers involving organisations

Volunteering can't exist without organisations! We developed and implemented inclusive strategies within volunteer invovling organisations (ViOs), offering recommendations and practical advice to create more inclusive volunteer programs and environments, and to increase opportunities for people with disabilities.

Evaluation: Summary of results of existing situation in NGOs 

The summary report presents responses from 80 organizations across four countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Lithuania). The questions covered topics such as the focus of their activities, organizational barriers, volunteer numbers, and the involvement of volunteers with disabilities or disadvantages. It is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Concept for contacting and convincing potential hosting organizations

The concept provides strategies for contacting and convincing volunteer involving organizations to employ volunteers with disabilities.

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Curriculum for training on inclusive volunteering for volunteer coordinators

The training covers topics such as volunteer empowerment, managing different types of disabilities , conflict resolution, and communication strategies like simplified language. The curriculum is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Pool of volunteer positions on local level

Partners identified  inclusive volunteer positions at the local level, ensuring accessible information about these opportunities and making them available to people with disabilities through adapted platforms or dedicated websites.

In Italy and the Czech Republic, host organizations preferred not to offer specific positions in advance. Instead, they want to match volunteers individually with activities based on the volunteer's disability, personality, and the availability of inclusion buddies.

Interested volunteers can contact the Czech organisation (Dobrovolnické centrum, z.s.)  here, and the Italian organisation (Associazione Uniamoci)  here.

In Lithuania, there is a map with inclusive volunteer positions in Panevėžys-

In Germany, there is a platform with inclusive volunteer positions in Passau.

Policy Recommendations

The Policy recommendations on how to promote and support inclusive volunteering are suggestions for volunteer centers and organizations welcoming open volunteering to promote and facilitate volunteer opportunities that are accessible and welcoming to
diverse groups of participants. The recommendations are available in five languages:

In English    In Czech    In German    In Italian    In Lithuanian

Guideline "Setup of local networks on inclusive volunteering" 

For inclusive volunteering to succeed, particularly at the local level, it is essential to establish a strong network of organizations—including both volunteer and host organizations—that collaborate effectively. This guideline suggests activities and tools for building such a network. It is available in five languages:

In English    In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Photobook "Everyone can volunteer!"

The photobook presents good practices of inclusive volunteering. It is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Promotional material for volunteer involving organisations

The promotional video is intended to convince organisations that volunteering is possible for everyone.

Youtube video (Subtitles are available in English, Czech, German, Italian and Lithuanian.)

Leaflet in English  Leaflet in Czech  Leaflet in German   Leaflet in Italian  Leaflet in Lithuanian

Promotion tools, trainings and support structure for disability facilities, caretakers and parents of people with disabilities

Concept for an info sesssion for caretakers

The aim of this document is to share a model for organizing an information session for caretakers of people with disabilities to promote volunteering. It presents the timetable for the information session and a set of tools that are necessary for the tasks, training, etc. It is available in five languages:

 In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Manual and policy recommendations for supporting volunteers with disabilities and mental health issues 

The objective of the manual for the caregivers is to create a tool for caregivers to enable people with disabilities to volunteer and take an active part in the volunteering system.

 In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Counselling services for parents and staff: Overcoming fears and prejudices

Counselling services for parents and staff on overcoming fears and prejudices is an important area for creating a positive environment both at home and in the workplace. In order to effectively address the fears, prejudices and misconceptions about volunteering experienced by people with disabilities, we have developed a comprehensive and coherent programme of counselling services for both parents and employees. This programme is designed not only to educate but also to empower stakeholders by providing them with the information they need about local and international volunteering opportunities and their benefits for persons with disabilities. It is available in five languages:

 In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Training and support structure for enhancing volunteering of people with disabilities

Manual for coordinators 

This manuals helps volunteer coordinators to organize volunteering activities about accessibility. It is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Training course for volunteers with disabilities

This manual helps to organize a training course for volunteers with disabilities. It is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Concept for info session

This publication aims at sharing a model for the delivery of an info session for people with disability where to promote volunteering. It is available in five languages:

In English    In Czech    In German    In Italian    In Lithuanian 

Presentation "Volunteer's rights and responsibilities"

This presentation gives an overview of the rights and responsibilities in easy language. It can be used for training of volunteers with disabilities and is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Matching strategy

Our matching strategy explains how to match volunteers with disabilities and inclusion buddies. It is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Questionnaire for potential volunteers

With this questionnaire, you can match a volunteer with a volunteer position based on their strengths, interests, and availability. It is available in five languages:

In English   In English (easy to understand)   In Czech (easy to understand)    In Italian (easy to understand) 

In German In German (easy to understand)    In Lithuanian (easy to understand) 

Photobook "Everyone can volunteer!" in easy language

The photobook will present good practices of inclusive volunteering in easy language to promote volunteering among people with cognitive disabilties. It is available in five languages:

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Promotional Video 

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Promotion tools for inclusive volunteering

The perception of pwd just being receiver needs to be changed, and therefore it is important to showcase, that they can be not only receivers of help but helping themselves and being active citizens. To achieve this, we have developed the following materials:

Exhibition "Everyone can volunteer!"

In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian   In Lithuanian

Stakeholder breakfast

Each partner organized several stakeholder breakfasts  in order to gain the support and expertise of important stakeholders in our local communities. We have summarised our experiences and tips in the concept for stakeholder breakfasts. It is available in five languages:

In English    In Czech    In German    In Italian    In Lithuanian

Inclusive Volunteering Conference

To present our project results, we organised an international conference in Prague on 25 September 2024. In short, interactive ‘taster sessions’, participants learnt how volunteering can become more inclusive. Here you can find inspiration on how to organise such a conference:

Conference Program  Taster Sessions 

Policy recommendations for local, regional, national, and international stakeholders and policy makers on how to promote and support the implementation of inclusive volunteering

Based on the insights, achievements, and tools developed in the IMProVE 2.0 project, here are key policy recommendations for enhancing inclusive volunteering. By removing barriers and promoting accessibility, these guidelines help build a culture where everyone can contribute meaningfully to their communities, fostering a more equitable society. The recommendations are available in five languages:

In English   In Czech    In German    In Italian   In Lithuanan 

Promotional video "Everyone can volunteer" for the general public

 In English   In Czech   In German   In Italian (subtitles available)  In Lithuanian  (subtitles available)  

Promotional video for experts

 

Video

Pictures 

About the partnership

“IMProVE 2.0.” is the follow-up project of IMProVe 1.0 and is coordinated by the volunteer center in Ústí nad Labem (Czech Republic). “IMProVE 2.0.” is funded through the Erasmus+ programme as a transnational project between the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania and Italy via the National Agency of the Czech Republic.

Dobrovolnické centrum

Prokopa Diviše 1605/5
400 01 Ústí nad Labem
Czech Republic
+420 606 512 905
https://www.dcul.cz/

Gemeinsam leben & lernen in Europa e.V. 

Leopoldstraße 9
D- 94032 Passau
+49-851-2132740
info(at)gemeinsam-in-europa.de
https://gemeinsam-in-europa.de/

Jaunuoliu dienos centras 

Kranto g. 18,
LT-35173, Panevėžys
(+370) 45 582 598
info(at)pjdc.lt
https://pjdc.lt

Uniamoci Onlus

Via Emiro Giafar n°36 Palermo 90124, Sicilia – Italia
(+39) 0919765893
info(at)uniamoci.eu
https://www.uniamoci.eu/