Arrived in Togo on the 18th of July the UK ICS volunteers and their counterparts from Togo started a two-day mid-term evaluation workshop this morning in Bagbé. Fifteen (15) International Citizen Service (ICS) volunteers from UK and Togo have being working together on several activities under YMCA supervision for some weeks now. Time has come to go through an evaluation of the journey and adjust what needs to be so and make some decisions to move forward accordingly.
Workshop will focus on topics such as host family experience, logistics, group work vs programme action plan etc.
This morning the first session on home stay experience allowed participants to discuss in groups and share in plenary on communications, food, participation in home works with the families, relations with family members etc Tomorrow, YMCA programme officers will come to participate in the planning session before the end of the workshop.
For Kevin Fiashinou, ICS programme Manager, This workshop is very important because “it allows participants to discuss progress made so far and adjust what can be adjusted and also to prepare to improve the planning for the next cohort of volunteers”.
This is a space to find out “what the group has learnt, consider how to make best of the remaining time in Togo, and consider how to help next group to settle quickly and continue the work, said Heather Rice, UK volunteers’ Team Leaders.
It is reminded that ICS programme is funded by the UK government through its department for International Development (DFID) to support young UK citizens aged from 18 to 25 to work with Y Care International partners for 10 to 12 weeks, on one to one basis with in-country volunteers.
Y Care International and its YMCA partners are part of a bigger vision that wants to bring together 14 000 young people (50% from UK and 50% from other countries) in a learning process that leads to youth leadership through volunteerism in order to develop quality and active citizens both in UK and in partner countries in the developing world. ICS program set three equal and interdependent outcomes: (1) personal and social development of young people, (2) project impact and (3) promotion of active citizen.
The current intake of volunteers will finish their placement on the 25th of September, and the next group will come in from October 6t 2014.
Franck Gafan
