ICON - Capacity building for the IVS movement in impact assessment, communication, and community building

ongoing

This project is focused to increase the quality, impact and reach of the volunteering activities (incl. their inclusivity and environmental sustainability) through increasing the organisations’ capacity in impact assessment, outside communication and community building. Its results will ensure long-term sustainability of the activities by setting up a new strategic approach for effective gain and use of financial and human resources and strengthen international cooperation and transfer of experience to other organisations working with international volunteering. Objectives: - To strengthen competences of the employees of the involved organisations in impact monitoring, external communication and community building. - To increase the quality and impact of involved organisations’ activities, especially in the areas such as: active citizenship, competence development, inclusivity, environmental sustainability. - To raise the efficiency of promotional activities towards new young volunteers (with special attention towards volunteers with fewer opportunities). - To establish new, functional strategies to assure greater financial sustainability of the volunteering activities. - To inspire other international voluntary service (IVS) organisations to improve their impact assessment, communication and community building practices. The project includes staff trainings, preparation, pilot testing and evaluation of new strategies and tools in practice, and creation of instructions for other organisations that plan to start a similar process. As a result, the young volunteers will: - Become more active in their communities (they will enlarge their positive impact on the local communities); - Develop more in-depth competences they need for personal and professional lives; - Be more sensitive towards inclusivity and environmental sustainability. Significant impact will be also on local communities, where voluntary projects take place, but also on other organisations.