Volunteer Training Pack: The volunteer training pack is currently unavailable.

Development in Action has been working with volunteers for over ten years. In response to feedback from our partner organisations in India , returned volunteers and research by our UK volunteers, we have developed a structured approach for preparing volunteers for their time abroad.

Our training pack is suitable for any group preparing to live and volunteer abroad. Instructions are given for trainers as well as handouts and links to sources of useful information. We recommend that you contact your local Development Education Centre if you are considering producing a project to bring back to the UK .

We feel that the training pack can be used with all volunteers, irrespective of their destination, however it may be necessary to adjust certain aspects of some of the sessions to suit the particular requirements of travel to countries other than India .

The pack comprises:

• 9 training sessions with trainer’s guidance
• 24 pages of photocopiable handouts
• information sheets on being a teaching assistant
• a sample log frame for planning a development education project
• a quiz
• role plays
• guides to useful internet sites

Each session lasts around 1.5 hours; realistically you will not be able to use all of the sessions in the space of weekend as you will need time to answer volunteer questions, allow volunteers to get to know each other and so on, however the order of the sessions given below is the order we have found most successful in terms of prioritising information and building on learning throughout the weekend.

Please use the discussion form for input & comments on the Pack + link

Development in Action does not charge a fee for this pack but we ask that you cover the costs of production, postage and packaging (£4.00 if posting within the UK , costs as per September 2004 and may be subject to change). The pack contains 39 black and white pages plus plastic wallet. All donations to DiA’s work are greatly appreciated.

Summary of Sessions:

1) Icebreakers

A few ideas for getting people to relax and enjoy the sessions!

2) Motivations Workshop and Logistics

Volunteers will need to make an ‘emotional and intellectual commitment’ to the organisation sending them abroad and its aims; this will make managing their expectations and helping them to overcome challenges much easier.

3) ‘Volunteer Action India ’ Workshop

The main aim of this workshop is to give the volunteers a fuller understanding of the work of the sending organisation and the challenges it faces.

4) ‘Introduction to Development’

Understanding development and some of the issues involved can be vital to ensuring volunteers are open to learning from their placement. Poverty and its impact are very complex issues; this session helps volunteers understand the context of poverty.  

5) Creating a resource: the Development in Action project

Development cannot be a one-way, ‘West’-‘South’, ‘Rich’-‘Poor’, process. Volunteers will learn a great deal whilst on their placements and this session encourages them to make use of what they learn upon their return. Creating a resource to be used by schools, youth groups or other organisations can be one way of doing this.

6) India and Development Role Play: Genetically Modified Cotton

Aim/ background

Volunteers are encouraged to consider the link between global and local groups, between life in the UK and life in India by learning more about one aspect of development and exploring the viewpoint of someone other than themselves.

7) ‘Cultural Sensitivity Workshop’

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to living and volunteering in a culture that may be quite different from UK culture. The main aim of this session is to question the assumption that cultural sensitivity is an innate characteristic or one that can be easily acquired. A broad view of the issue is taken, allowing facilitators to challenge some of the expectations/ assumptions volunteers are likely to make about their own ability to ‘fit in’ in a new culture.

The second section of the session encourages volunteers to consider issues they may face when staying in a ‘developing’ country.

8) ‘Dealing with problems on your placement’

Empowering volunteers to seek to resolve problems themselves can avoid a lot of misunderstanding between UK and overseas organisations – a local solution tends to be best even in this situation. Volunteers are encouraged to consider potential problems they may encounter, how they might deal with them and prepare them for these circumstances.

9) ‘The importance of education in development’

Volunteers are encouraged to see the value of education in development and the wider impact good quality education can have on society. It is hoped this will help volunteers to value the time they may spend teaching or working with children. Includes an education factfile and ideas for teaching in a non-formal context.