Youth Star Volunteer Cohort 23 have successfully completed two recall training sessions. The training was undertaken from Monday 9th to Friday 13th of January and supported by our partners ‘Aide et Action Cambodia (AEA).
The first session ran for three days, and considered five core focuses: reflection, work plan development, data collection, training skills, and the sustainable development goals. There was also a review of the volunteer handbook to re-familiarize everyone with Youth Star expectations and mission statement. The second session over Thursday and Friday took the form of a focus group discussion and training on interpersonal communication skills.
The recall session began with volunteers reflecting on their first five months in the field. This session linked to the following days ‘developing a work plan’ activity, by identifying strengths, weaknesses and requirements. The volunteers worked to develop a plan of action for the next three months, followed by a presentation and constructive feedback session from Youth Stars Program Director and Officers.
Given the importance of tangible outcome measurement, Tuesdays session covered the best means of data collection and reporting. To develop the quality of volunteer service delivery, Wednesday focused building the capabilities required: namely, preparing session plans, conducting effective youth training, and setting example as a positive role model.
To close session one, Cohort 23 discussed the lessons learned from International Volunteers Day 2016, and the role of the Sustainable Development Goals. Finally, volunteers reviewed the Youth Star volunteer handbook and their requirements in relation to the code of conduct, financial policies, and report submission responsibilities.
The second session across Thursday and Friday was a focus group discussion for the identification and discussion of issues faced during community placement. The ability to develop interpersonal communications and identify problems is crucial to the formation of successful solutions. The Program Team discussed the tools Youth Star have in place to solve problems in the communities. With these in mind, the volunteers worked on roleplay activities that presented problems and a requirement to solve them. This was followed by a consideration of potential methods to solve the earlier identified community problems for individual volunteers.