Topic: Volunteering without borders

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

8th grade primary school student

Core curriculum:

IX. Participation of citizens in public life – civil society.

The student:

3) presents the goals and examples of the activities of social organizations gathering young people in Poland; explains the idea of volunteering and presents the forms of activity of volunteers.

The general aim of education:

The student cooperates with others - he shares tasks and fulfils his obligations.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• explains the benefits of voluntary work – not only to those who are being helped, but also to the volunteer himself.

• identifies a couple of international organizations organizing voluntary work and describes their main scope of interest.

• finds possibilities of voluntary work abroad for young people like himself.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences,

• sense of initiative and entrepreneurship,

• cultural awareness and expression.

Teaching methods:

• discussion,

• teaching conversation using scheme, interactive exercises,

• mind map,

• WebQuest.

Forms of work:

• self‑learning,

• group work,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access,

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook,

• interactive whiteboard/blackboard, felt‑tip pen/a piece of chalk.

Lesson plan overview (Process):

Introduction:

1. The teacher presents the goal of the lesson: You will find out, what voluntary work is all about in an international non‑governmental organization and how to find voluntary service suitable for yourselves.

2. The teacher asks the students if they already have any holiday plans. Then he asks if they were considering volunteering abroad during summer and whether they know about such opportunities. He informs the students that during the lesson they will get acquainted with several verified international organizations that organize volunteering for teenagers.

Implementation:

1. The teacher divides the class into four groups. The task of each of them is to prepare a mind map, for example on the platform coggle.it on the basis of information about one of the four international non‑governmental organizations organizing voluntary activities for teenagers using the text from the abstract „Volunteering without borders”, photos and logos they can find there and in other internet sources (WebQuest). On the main site of coggle.it a short screencast may be found which explains briefly in English, how mind maps can be created using the website. The teacher may use it as an instruction.

2. After the group work is finished the group leaders present the organization's activities to the rest class. The rest of the students may ask questions about a given organization. If necessary the teacher verifies and supplements the information.

3. The teacher asks the students to familiarize themselves with the interactive scheme “Volunteer code of ethics”. The scheme presents the rules that should apply to any volunteer in his activity. Then the teacher asks the students, if they agree with the rules. The students present their arguments. Afterwards the teacher initiates a short discussion on the benefits from voluntary work for the volunteer himself. When the debate is finished, a willing/selected student sums it up.

4. In the next stage of the lesson the students do exercise 1 and answer the question of how old you have to be in order to become a volunteer under the European Voluntary Service.

Summary:

1. At the end of the class, the teacher asks the students questions:

• What did you find important and interesting in class?

• What was easy and what was difficult?

• How can you use the knowledge and skills you have gained today?

Willing/selected students summarize the lesson.

2. Homework proposal:

a. Look up online some information on voluntary work abroad for teenagers or adults you would like to become part of in the future. Describe the problem, the organization is trying to address, the actions its volunteers undertake and the effects of these actions.

b. Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise at the end of the chapter.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Volunteering without borders

Thanks to voluntary work you can not only help others, but also meet new people, visit new places around the world, and gain professional experience. Employers value such activity a lot. Remember, your community work might be appreciated much sooner – students, who worked as volunteers, receive extra points when applying to high schools! If you decide to become a volunteer you have to follow certain rules. These rules are not stated in any laws or regulations. They are a set of informal principles of conduct, every volunteer should respect.

Workcamps is a long‑term project coordinated in Poland by Volunteerism Promotion Association (Stowarzyszenie Promocji Wolontariatu) and the FIYE Poland International Youth Exchange and Voluntary Service Centre (Centrum Międzynarodowej Wymiany Młodzieży i Wolontariatu). The purpose of the project is to integrate people from different countries through working together for the benefit of the local community. For example in 2013, a dozen or so people from seven countries came to Wieliszew to clean up rubbish from the shores of the Zegrze Reservoir and to carry out an information campaign on recycling and various forms of creative waste processing.

Polish youth can participate in similar projects around the world. All you have to do is go to the Workcamps website, choose the country you would like to go to, find your nearest interests in the form of volunteering (you can look after children or people with disabilities, organize various events, help with archaeological work) and sign up to one of the camps. You can participate in some of the camps already once you are 14 years old.

European Voluntary Service (EVS) is one of the Erasmus+ programmes created and financed by the European Commission. The aim of EVS is to develop a sense of solidarity in young people, promoting the idea of tolerance for cultural diversity, which should facilitate social cohesion in the European Union in the future. EVS achieves this through the joint work of volunteers outside their own country. Young people work with children, seniors, join various projects aimed at protecting cultural heritage or combating racism. People aged 18 to 30 can spend from 2 to 12 months abroad, assisting free of charge the implementation of various projects for local communities. You can find more information on the programme on the Erasmus website, and read more about specific projects on the European Youth Portal website (English version, tab: Volunteering).

World Wildlife Fund is an international foundation, whose mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment. The dream of WWF employees is a world where people live in harmony with nature. In Poland, the organization contributed to, among others, the creation of the Biebrza National Park. Another interesting WWF action is the possibility of virtual adoption of animals threatened with extinction: wolves, porpoises, bears, seals, but also tigers and elephants. Virtual adoption increases the chances of these species to survive. WWF alerts – every fourth species of mammals, every eighth species of birds and every third species of amphibians can soon disappear from the face of the Earth. See more on the website.

Amnesty International is an international non‑governmental organization, whose aim is to prevent violations of human rights. Amnesty, on the one hand, organizes peaceful civic campaigns, and on the other – provides financial and legal assistance to persecuted persons. The organization received the Nobel Prize in 1977 for its contribution to strengthening the foundations of freedom, justice, and thus peace throughout the world. Amnesty International Poland organizes the Letter Writing Marathon. Every year, volunteers write hundreds of thousands of letters to defend people whose rights are violated. It is the largest action in Poland involving such a large number of people in the defense of human rights. This event, invented by the Polish section of Amnesty International, has become an inspiration for other countries and is now an international event – we read on the AI website.