Egea University Project By Vasilis Peppas

July 2009

EGEA

PLANNING THE EGEA TRAINING PLATFORM

www.egea.eu | EGEA University

I. Introduction Include whatever you deem appropriate to start our meeting with. It can include an EGEA mission statement, a description of EGEA Training’s target population, the coordination of other EGEA bodies within this project, and references to established training platforms of other student organizations.

The potential of youth organizations lies in providing ALTERNATIVE means of education, beyond formal means. EGEA’s mission statement should be extended: mission to promote non-formal learning of Geography in higher education students, and enlarged to include non-geographic mission scope for development of new skills and competencies. EGEA must deliver added value back to its members. An extended mission for personal development and leadership opportunities for its members The human factor development should become core value. Making a strategic decision to place members as the comparative advantage of our organization. We must be prepared to make a large investment in people, pilot programs, capacity development and training. A Human Resources Development (HRD) Committee should facilitate long-term learning capacity for individual members, groups within EGEA, and EGEA’s organizational levels. Take advantage of synergies between different existing Committees. A Training Platform should take in consideration the various background experiences and different abilities of EGEA member groups. Training customized on group segmentation.

TRAINING PLATFORMS in STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

AEGEE Academy: AEGEE has 23.000 members in Europe. The basic training arm is AEGEE Academy. The Academy is run by a 5-member committee, elected for 6 months. They offer Local Training Events and participate with 2 –day trainings in Regional Meetings. There are also two European-wide training events: a 7-day European School for young motivated AEGEE members, and a 10-day more advanced European School, which attracts youth leaders that work on specific assignments. AEGEE Academy organizes also thematic trainings on Public Relations, Information Technology, Fundraising, Board candidates training, and media. There is also a Summer University focused on cultural and language trainings, a Training for Trainers event.

AIESEC: With 35.000 members in 100 countries worldwide, AIESEC delivers annually more than 450 training conferences. Most of its activities rotate around trainings, learning circles and traineeships. Members are trained for internships and exchanges. There are local motivational conferences that train new members, leadership conferences for board candidates, transit conferences for incoming boards’ transition, international training programs.

BEST: Collecting 1800 active members, BEST has established 10 years

ago a Training Group that takes care of internal trainings. Trainings are delivered locally, and European-wide. The European events, called ‘TrainShops’, last one week, and offer trainings on specific subjects: leadership, marketing, project management and fundraising. BEST is open for collaboration on trainings.

EESTEC: EESTEC represents 1.700 members in 40 entities. It established an EESTEC Training system as early as 2008, after the General Assembly adopted the “Training system strategy.” They started with a “Training for Trainers – T4T” event and already produced the first Official EESTEC Trainers. They focused on soft skills and presentation skills. The goal is to have at least one trainer in every local entity.

ESTIEM: The organization of European Students of Industrial Engineering

and Management, represents more than 45,000 students, and through its “Knowledge Management” Committee creates trainings and best practices documents.

ESN: Organizes internal training events (e.g. a one-day national

communication training or 7-day training on non-formal education, training others, motivating volunteers, project management)

IFSA: It represents 10.000 Forestry students in 60 entities worldwide. They do not have a training system yet. It’s included in their strategy for 2010.

IFMSA: They have created a “Training Support Division” within their structure. Their goal is to prepare medical students for leadership and management roles. They have established the Training and Resourced Development Program (TRD) that provides training for: Conflict Prevention, Communication, Strategic Planning, Project Planning, Leading and Facilitating Meetings, Financial Management, Fundraising, Advocacy, Marketing, Writing and Presenting. International Training Programs are organized twice each year. They also organize initiativebuilding and capacity-building workshops on regional and subregional level.

IPSF: The International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) is the world’s oldest international student volunteer organization. Establishing a “training culture” is a flagship project for IPSF. With the collaboration of the International Federation of Medical Students’Associations (IFMSA), IPSF employs professional trainers to train identified IPSF leaders on leadership styles, presentation skills, group dynamics, project development etc in small group workshops.

II. Needs/Problems Identify the needs or problems to be addressed. Include the EGEA target population and any statistical information that you may have. Ideas for information to include here are: 

Reference to EGEA’s SWOT analysis

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Whether need/problem has ever been addressed before in EGEA’s past, and what the outcome was

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Impact of problem to EGEA’s target population

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Impact of problem to EGEA’s internal and external relations

NEEDS       

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Youth Leaders for EGEA, Leadership Opportunities Strategic Planning Training Communication Facilitation Public Relations, Promotion, Marketing Training Project Management Training Human Resources Development (New skills, competencies) Qualified EGEA staff: Trainers for Trainers (T4T), Facilitators, Peer Educators, Committee staff, Accredited EGEA trainers for external representation Need for initiative-building, motivation-building Career Support for Geographers Significance in activities, Sophisticated activities Intercultural Learning Training Conflict Management Training IT skills Fundraising Head-hunting Training/Recruitment practices Creation of Learning Environment within EGEA Organizational Knowledge Management

PROBLEMS  Insuffiecient Organizational leadership/Organizational management (poor work ethics, goal-setting, prioritizing)  Lack of motivation, self-knowledge, discipline, decisiveness  Lack of Capacity-Building Opportunities  Lack of experience in organizational finances’ management (entities, EGEA Europe)  Lack of incentive-based organizational development  Lack of Talent Management within EGEA  Lack of Activities’ Quality Management  Lack of variety in methods and working tools, Lack of methodological debate  Low innovation and creativity in favorable fields (GIS/geoinformatics, geographic education)  Lack of Interdisciplinary dimension, Monographic input (too local or European-focused, not too theoretical)  Low Visibility of scientific outcomes  Assessment practices, Feedback, Participant evaluation  Time management  Non-effective Group Dynamics, Cross-team capabilities  Low External Impact in Geography-related fields  Low collaboration with other stakeholders in Geography higher education (universities, institutes, journals)  Increased competition from rival student organizations, already having training platforms  Insufficient Networking processes internally and externally  Lack of branding, EGEA identity, unique EGEA experience  Insufficient competition among Geographers  Poor relations with the Media (traditional, social media, new media), Poor use of EGEA publications  Poor public perception about Geography

III. Goals/Objectives State the desired goals and objectives to address the needs/problems stated above. Also include key benefits of reaching goals/objectives through the Training Platform.

Introduction The Training Platform we intend to establish acquires the following characteristics: participant-centered, team-based and within the scope of non-formal learning. However, training is not solely an educational process; it is neither neutral nor generic. It is also utilitarian: EGEA as student association is served through it. Training skills are not inborn; they have to be learned.

Goals We acknowledge as our goals that:  EGEA can have a great potential in establishing a Training Platform and providing alternative means of education, mostly through non-formal learning;  EGEA can create and manage a human talent portfolio to serve the organizational management needs (develop leaders, develop capacity within its members);  EGEA can enrich the personal development opportunities through its Training platform, creating added value for its members, fostering a positive-sum game learning strategy and create a learning culture;

 EGEA can stimulate Knowledge Production through a Training Platform: Organizational Intuition, Best Practices, ‘Tacit Knowledge’, Geographic Research, Indicators;  EGEA can -through the Training Platform - enhance Network Management performance, promote volunteerism further, promote associative life to nonmember Geographers.

Training Objectives a) Translate individual learning outcomes into training objectives:  Enable participants to prepare, run and evaluate a project  Develop skills in Geography education, program development, management, leadership, project management, intercultural learning  Increase knowledge and awareness of non-formal learning  Use of innovative methods and tools  Increase competence and motivation for youth activities  Provide an overview of different concepts of training  Support participants assessing their own training needs  Re-valorization of volunteering (important asset for CV)

b) Create objectives that address the organizational improvements expected in EGEA

 Improve Leadership Opportunities  Enlarge existing group of organizationally experienced members  Facilitate intercultural/international group processes  Improve usage of existing resources of various EGEA stakeholders and create synergies among  Extend training capabilities horizontally (between EGEA groups) and vertically (on local/national/regional level)  Deal with realities in own local communities (versatility)  Improve communication within EGEA  Create a learning environment  Financial commitment through effective budgeting to support the learning process  Each training session is related to future action  Contribute to the quality and sustainability of EGEA youth activities  Training should not only benefit the person taking part in  Innovative activities  Broaden EGEA’s institutional framework with external collaborations in the European youth field

IV. Planning Stage Devise a workable scheme to accomplish the project’s goals. Provide detailed information about proposed procedures. Identify the project’s milestones, tasks, expected outcomes, and resources required to implement the project. Include information on recruiting, testing, training the trainers, fundraising, promotion and division of tasks.

Training Strategy Things to Consider:  The topics of the Training must clearly denote the reason why everybody is there  Recognize Participants’ needs and expectations (relevance of the training to their realities)  Training and Learning at different speeds (orientation sessions, advanced sessions)  Recognition of the participants’ prior knowledge (using the knowledge resources of participants, active involvement, participants with relevant knowledge or skills can contribute in specific ways in the training)  Responsibility for the learning process (participants take in what they want to learn or what they feel they need or is there a responsibility to discover needs they are not aware of?)  Group size  Use of local environment, training space, local resources  Program Structure or Flexibility?  Time planning (free time, social time, working time)

 Sophisticated Promotion and Individual approach  Open Recruitment and Open Training (involve nonparticipating EGEA members through blogging, social media)  Variety in learning styles (but not showmanship)  Competency in English language is crucial?

PHASE I Needs’ Assessment for EGEA - Organizational Analysis  Main areas of concentration of EGEA  EGEA’s Strategy  Ongoing developments in EGEA  Membership profiling  EGEA Staff continuity  Finances

- Task Analysis  Identify specific tasks within EGEA (BoE, Committees, Publications, Fundraising, Trainers, Facilitators, etc)  Create a pool of EGEA Work profiles & what skills, knowledge and competencies are needed

- Personnel Analysis  Current suitability of EGEA people for leadership, organizational management and activities  Who needs training then?  Readiness and willingness for training  Dynamic changes in youth organizations: a change in EGEA leadership could result in either a huge improvement or disaster; Training Platform as safety net

- Environmental Scan  Define Supply for the Training: Input (adequate training facilities, in-house experienced trainers, previous experience in organizing such events, etc) Lack (funds to implement the training, no appropriate training aids, etc)  Define Demand for the Training: Demand from inside and outside EGEA, volunteering members that have never received any training, low awareness among EGEA entities for the need of such training, high interest for specific training topics)  Possible collaborators in the youth field  Relevant competition from other student organizations  Key actors in the youth field

PHASE II Training Sessions’ Methodology & Design A. PLENARIES: Structured Training Program Orientation Lectures  Directing Coaching by keynote speakers on issues that learners have no or little background experience  Not interactive, but immediate

Interactive Lectures  Facilitating Coaching by keynote speakers with Open Questions  Learners identify solutions  Learners contribute in effective questioning

Moderated discussions  Panel discussions  Training focused on communication skills  Enhances performance at EGEA’s discussion meetings (General Assembly, regional meetings, e-meetings)  New discussion techniques

Simulation  Representation of a real-life situation with compressed time scale  Creation of artificial competition for learning purposes

Cases studies  Presentations from EGEA experience or external examples

B. PLENARIES: Training Program built on Group Experiences & Resources Group Experiential Learning  Participants decide their individual program from day to day, learn at their own speed  Reflection on own experiences is an essential element  Training is constantly evolving

Open Space Technology  Creating “open” units within the program where participants bring resources and interests  A whole day is needed for OST  Participants set the subjects of their choice  We must define time-slots for each session  Responsibility of the sessions on participants

Future Factory  Start with problems on one side, then ideal image on the other side  Try to bridge problems with ideal image through strategies, actions, developments  A whole day needed

C. GROUP DIVISIONS Mini-seminars  Deepen specific subject  Simultaneous training processes  Expertise on the subject needed

Workshops  Smaller hands-on working groups  Development of particular skills and competencies  Extend in one or maximum two training sessions (relatively little time)  Flexible  Targeted at specific interests  Work-intensive (not lectures) and well-coordinated

Task Forces  Simulating the process of creating a project  Simulating the process of making a project application for EU funding  Simulating the preparation of a workshop for others  Create an EGEA product and present it to other teams  Challenge between groups, creativity and innovation involved  Focus on how a non-formal educational process is created (e.g. a workshop), how a real project is developed, how group dynamics are experienced

PHASE III Training Funding  Establish various scenarios for funding  Applying for European Union’s YOUTH Programme Funding on Action 4.3 “Training and Networking” (Varying Deadlines for application submitting)  Council of Europe financing for International Youth NGOs activities (Deadline October 1st and April 1st)  Own resources, plus participant fees  Fundraising campaign  Cost-saving strategy through collaborations with other youth organizations

PHASE IV Trainers’ Recruitment  International composition of the trainers’ team  Balanced composition with regards to nationality, age and gender  The composition of trainers’ team should reflect the composition of the participants’ team  The knowledge and competencies’ portfolio of trainers should reflect the variety and knowledge needed to implement the training project  Prospective trainers should be willing to meet in a preparatory meeting  Ethical and financial incentives and rewards  Clear agreements between the training organizers, team of trainers and participants

Description of Work

Deadlines

NEEDS ASSESSMENT conducted at the Live Meeting in Poland

Late August 2009

Proposals on the Training TOPICS and Training SESSIONS’ DESIGN Phase One FINAL REPORT for the Training Platform Submitted for Public Consultation NEEDS ASSESSMENT conducted at the Open Space in AC’09

Phase Two

DECISIONS on Training Program Structure, DATES, HOSTING ORGANIZATION request, DEADLINES

Mid-September 2009 October 2009

Late November 2009

OPEN CALL placed for Hosting Organization Phase Two •A

Phase Three

Phase Three • A

DESIGNATION of Hosting Organization and Expected Support requests submitted

December 2009

Research for available FUNDING, according to Scenario for External Funding Writing the grant application

Till February 2010 max.

Selection of Training PREPARATORY TEAM

December 2009

Preparatory team MEETING at the Training Venue with the Hosting Organization

Spring 2010

Phase Four

Description of Work

Deadlines

Following External Funding Results, INVITATIONS to EGEA experts and external trainers start

Spring 2010

Phase Four •A

INVITATIONS to EGEA bodies, EGEA entities and other youth organizations, universities and sponsors are sent

Phase Five

Applications are SHORTLISTED ACCEPTANCE LETTERS are sent

Late Spring 2010

Phase Five •A

VISA requirements are resolved

Early Summer 2010

Phase Six

Payment of participation fee

Early Summer 2010

Phase Seven

Preparation of Training LOGISTICS (Training material, Documents, T-shirts, Certificates of Attendance)

Early Summer 2010

Spring 2010

V. Implementation Stage Describe which resources will be assigned to each specific task, namely: work resources (people), material resources (training materials, organization materials) and cost resources (organization costs, travel costs).

Training Program Flow 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Welcome, Introduction, Getting to know each other Group-building phase Sharing experiences from EGEA activities and other projects Main training: New Knowledge, New Skills, New Experiences Analysis and reflection, and Transfer (how to apply training knowledge to EGEA context, how to fit training experiences to participants’ realities) 6. Action Planning/Follow-up (Are they expected to implement actual projects? How do they incorporate what they have learned in EGEA or local entity projects? 7. Conclusions & closure (conclusions for the final report) 8. Evaluation (impact of the training course, where participants should focus)

Group sizes 3-6 people for Task Forces 7-10 people for Small Thematic Workshops 11-18 people for Workshops 19-30+ people for Plenary sessions

V. Implementation Stage (continued) A.

Timetable Provide detailed information on the expected timetable for the project. Break the project into phases, and provide a schedule for each phase.

Description of Work

Start and End Dates

Phase One

PREPARATORY TEAM meeting at the Venue

Two days before Training starts

Phase Two

ADMINISTRATIVE and LOGISTICAL tasks

During the Training

Phase Three

Daily REPORT and BLOG POSTING

Phase Four

In case of EU/CoE funding: signing the PARTICIPANTS LIST, Travel Costs REIMBURSEMENT CLAIM forms

B.

During the Training

End of the Training

Key Personnel List the key personnel (by name or position) who will be responsible for the completion of this EGEA project, along with other personnel indirectly involved in this project.

VI. Evaluation Stage Discuss how the progress of this EGEA project will be monitored throughout and at the end of it, how changes will be managed, and how the project information will be communicated and recorded at the end.

Evaluation 1. An ex-ante evaluation, when participants are firstly defined, to see if their expectations match the intended training program and make adjustments 2. Ongoing evaluation daily – thematic evaluation (oral/visual and written feedback) 3. Final evaluation on the last day (where methods appraised? Goals and objectives were attained? 4. Ex-post evaluation, at least 6 months after the training (impact on personal development of the participants, assessment of entire organization and new activities)

VII. Next Steps We should specify to readers of this document the immediate actions required, after our meeting is concluded. 

Final Report following the Live Meeting in Poland

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Public Consultation at the EGEA Forum

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Presentation and Evaluation at the Annual Congress

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Funding Research

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Research for Collaborations with other Youth Organizations