Development and recognition of skills learned through Guiding & Scouting

Claude Frantzen

Session Outline:
1. General introduction to the skills acquired through Scouting and their importance for employability 1. Practical example of self-assessment of skills and competences for scout leaders and other volunteers (by using Valorise-toi tool) 2. Personal development planning through 10 steps for recognition 1. Scout program based on competencies discussion 2. Exploring how to measure impact/non-economic value of volunteering

Session Outline: 1.General introduction to the skills acquired through Scouting and their importance for employability
1. Practical example of self-assessment of skills and competences for scout leaders and other volunteers (by using Valorise-toi tool)

2. Personal development planning through 10 steps for recognition

1. Scout program based on competencies discussion 2. Exploring how to measure impact/non-economic value of volunteering

Towards Recognition: Internal Value

In basic economic and social theory human beings would only work if they get see some kind of benefit from the work they do:

Financial/Material gain (to survive and strive) Social gain (better place on the social leader) Individual gain (knowledge, personal satisfaction) Spiritual gain (feel better, place in the after-life)

As guides and scouts we do not get financial gain from our volunteering. So social gain, knowledge, satisfaction, etc. must play to keep us going.

Towards Recognition: Show the Gains

The learning gains of volunteering are often not very visible. We get a lot of satisfaction from of our work as volunteers without paying attention to the why? and without identifying what we have learned and what skills and competences we earned For somebody outside the association who needs to value volunteering we need to be able to show what personal development takes place during volunteering

Towards Recognition: Mechanisms

We would like to highlight a selection of internal mechanisms which are strong motivators and learning grounds. Here NSO/MOs can improve the way they market or manage these effect: 1. Social Skills (Integration into something bigger) 2. Competencies (Personality and learning effects) 3. Recognize achievement: Feeling of success

1. Social Skills: Integration into something bigger

Human beings are (generally) a social species, trying to be part of something bigger than just themselves and their near relatives Especially young adults Links with family and the school network loosens They often havent started their own family yet A strong wish to establish their own network Here voluntary organizations (clubs) fill the gap

1. Social Skills: Integration into something bigger

Social contact is usually very strong within organizations such as guides and scouts, and valued by employers in most jobs They provide a strong integration effect into society. Volunteers in organizations get a recognition feeling:
From achieving a "good course" together with people that they admire An a social benefit in form of a network A "good time - feeling valued and belonging to something bigger

1. Social Skills: Integration into something bigger

Guides & Scouts need to make sure that they:

Are perceived as an interesting network opportunity That there are clear social benefits from joining scouting increase in social capital That they create a strong sense of us

2. Competencies: Personality and Learning Effects

More and more people feel a lack of social contact as neighborhoods and workplaces get colder and more competitive. Schools and work training only satisfy parts of the natural curiosity of human beings and lack social skills Identification with the cause of a volunteer association can: fill the lack of social contact (in a less competitive environment than work) have a lighting up effect on a personality encourages discovery of values

2. Competencies: Personality and Learning Effects

Volunteers can get an indirect learning effect through:

A challenging program that is different from their daily life and tasks A learning effect from learning by doing (new things) The training offered by an association
This helps them to develop a personality that stands out of the common and satisfies their natural need to understand themselves and their surrounding

2. Competencies: Personality and Learning Effects

Guides & Scouts need to send a clear message in terms of: Values, that help people identify themselves personally with the guide & scout cause Show the learning opportunities, as Learning by doing Doing things out of the common Interesting training schemes Building strong personalities (leading by example)

3. Recognize Achievements: Feeling of success

As the informal learning is only a positive side effect from the activities and projects undertaken, the feeling of success and achievement is a main driver in the informal learning concept. Voluntary actions are rewarded only by the common feeling of achievement and success, which needs to be shared equally and be recognized fully for the volunteer to go and move on to the next step. This feeling of success is even more important for adolescence or adults that have little or no feeling of success at their professional life or school, it will be their main driver toward informal learning.

3. Recognize Achievements: Feeling of success

Guides & Scouts need to make sure that after hard work: The non-financial rewards (especially. learning) from activities/achievements are felt by all participants Progression and achievement is documented and shared Create culture that celebrates and certifies success and achievement

External Recognition
Non-formal and informal learning play a major role when it comes to opportunities for citizens to gain: skills and competences needed in our so called knowledge society and to contribute to personal development. Volunteering as a key non-formal and informal learning experience makes learning opportunities available for all. How can we make sure that the learning gained in guiding and scouting gets recognized outside of scouting?

External Recognition: KSC

Informal Learning: Proficiency, facility or ability to effectively apply knowledge to complete tasks, solve problems and perform a practical activity Competence: The proven ability to use of knowledge and skill that enables effective and creative performance. Skills: Proficiency, facility or ability to effectively apply knowledge to complete tasks, solve problems and perform a practical activity

Knowledge, Skills and Competence = KSC

External Recognition: Social Capital

Guide & Scout: Activities Leader Training Leader Experience Life-Long Learning Volunteering Projects Management of Volunteers
Informal Learning Skills Competence

Personal Development

Social Capital

External Recognition: Social Capital

Social Capital: While definitions of social capital vary, the
main aspects are citizenship, neighborliness, trust and shared values, community involvement, volunteering, social networks and civic participation. On the personal level it describes a persons social characteristics, including social skills, and his/her network, which helps that person obtain business, formal and nonformal benefits from interaction with others. At the macro level, social capital can affect the economic performance and the processes of economic growth and development.

External Recognition: Portfolio

Recognition Portfolio: A tool that allows volunteers to track the process of informal learning and document the gained knowledge, skills and competencies (KSC). It can be used as a resume of the social capital of the volunteer in order to establish a certification of his KSC.

External Recognition: Portfolio

The portfolio should: Be easy to use, yet able to track all major achievements Include KSC gained within as well as outside of the volunteers association Allow the volunteer to better overview his gained KSC and the areas with needs of improvement Help outsiders to better identify the KSCs of a person Work towards a certification and the official recognition of the social capital of the volunteer

External Recognition: Portfolio

Ways towards the recognition of a competency portfolio
1. See what portfolios already exist from on the official side and other organizations check for synergies, the more you are the easier it gets recognition 2. Identify the skills and competencies that you want to track and documents with the portfolio, make a draft 3. Identify and discuss with the stakeholders, review if needed(employers, governments, educational sector) 4. Identify who could give it an official recognition (youth ministry, national youth agency, volunteering agency) and present your portfolio for validation

External Recognition: Stages

Recognition of informal learning: A process in which different stakeholders (government, educational sector, employers,) give an acknowledgment and approval of knowledge, skills and competences (KSC) acquired through non-formal and informal learning.
Different stages towards recognition: Validation of informal learning (by the association) Accreditation of informal learning (by different bodies) Recognition of informal learning (by the government)

External Recognition: Process

Personal Development Informal Learning: Skills Competence = Social Capital

Portfolio of skills and competences

Official Recognition

Job market
Higher Education Internships

CV
Social
-skills -competence

Official

Certificate

Session Outline:
1. General introduction to the skills acquired through Scouting and their importance for employability

1.Practical example of self-assessment of skills and competences for scout leaders and other volunteers (by using Valorise-toi tool)
2. Personal development planning through 10 steps for recognition 1. Scout program based on competencies discussion 2. Exploring how to measure impact/non-economic value of volunteering

Session Outline:
1. General introduction to the skills acquired through Scouting and their importance for employability 1. Practical example of self-assessment of skills and competences for scout leaders and other volunteers (by using Valorise-toi tool)

2.Personal development planning through 10 steps for recognition

1. Scout program based on competencies discussion 2. Exploring how to measure impact/non-economic value of volunteering

Session Outline:
1. General introduction to the skills acquired through Scouting and their importance for employability 1. Practical example of self-assessment of skills and competences for scout leaders and other volunteers (by using Valorise-toi tool) 2. Personal development planning through 10 steps for recognition

1.Scout program based on competencies discussion

2. Exploring how to measure impact/non-economic value of volunteering

Session Outline:
1. General introduction to the skills acquired through Scouting and their importance for employability 1. Practical example of self-assessment of skills and competences for scout leaders and other volunteers (by using Valorise-toi tool) 2. Personal development planning through 10 steps for recognition 1. Scout program based on competencies discussion

2.Exploring how to measure impact/non-economic value of volunteering