SMART Volunteering_Learner Pack- NGOs

UNIT 1 – What is SMART Volunteering? Description Unit 1 focuses on explaining the importance of SMART volunteering for the smooth integration of third country national women. Moreover, the unit highlights the important role of NGOs in supporting migrant women to find Smart volunteering opportunities. As identified in the research study, there is a shortage of information and lack of awareness about ‘formal’ volunteering and advantages it might bring among civil society organisations. Based on this finding, Unit 1 helps NGOs look at volunteering from the perspective of developing competences and to stimulate migrant women to think about skills they can develop through volunteering and use in the labour market or in finding an educational programme. Unit 1 addresses specific needs of migrant women and potential challenges most of them need to cope with in their lives. Accordingly, the unit informs NGOs about how they can develop strategies to attract migrant women to their volunteering programmes and ensure sustainability by minimising these women’s challenges in other life domains (for example, providing child-care, flexible volunteering hours). The unit is divided into Sections: Section 1: Introduction about the Project and the training Section 2: Defining Volunteering and its Importance for migrant women Section 3: Raising awareness about the needs/challenges of migrant women Section 4: Working with migrant women: (not) to do list for NGOs Section 5: Conclusion Learning Outcomes After the completion of Unit 1, you will be capable of: - Identifying the importance of Smart volunteering for migrant women - Discovering the needs and challenges of migrant women - Relating volunteering with competences and skills - Organizing volunteering programmes accessible for migrant women - Developing strategies to minimise challenges of migrant women in volunteering