Re-inclusion is important

Background Our analysis showed that volunteers of ESC projects have different needs and sometimes problems upon returning home. During the project, they undergo changes, live in a new society, and their personality changes. In fact, the volunteer returns home with a "new integrity," meaning that they often have new values. However, they return to their family and environment where they came from. Often, these values differ from the values of their environment, and participants do not always know how to talk about the changes they experienced during their ESC volunteering. Sometimes, they lack the courage to initiate changes and implement projects they dreamed of during their volunteering, and they lack support. This causes some participants to not continue working on themselves and return to the same level as before. The lack of understanding and support also leads to further exclusion. Therefore, the project addressed the need of volunteers to "close" their experience upon project completion, reflect on what happened, and how the volunteer has changed. Objectives The project had the following objectives: 1. Deepening knowledge about the needs, problems, and challenges of volunteers returning from their projects, 2. Adapting existing tools and creating new additional tools for youth workers to help them identify the needs of returning volunteers and support them. 3. Facilitating the process of adaptation and reintegration into society for returning volunteers. 4. Increasing awareness of the role of partner organizations in improving the quality of ESC projects. Implementation During the project, we conducted a needs and challenges assessment for volunteers returning from their projects. At the beginning of achieving goal 1 (deepening knowledge about the needs, problems, and challenges of volunteers returning from their projects), we planned to carry out a mixed mobility of young people. However, the participating organizations also decided to conduct a study in this area, and its results were presented during the mixed mobility of young people and confronted with the participants. In the framework of the project, we also carried out a mixed mobility of young people and an international training course for youth workers. The results of the mixed mobility allowed us to create an e-learning tool based on the needs of volunteers. As part of the project, two intellectual outputs were also created: a guidebook and an e-learning tool. After the training course, the participants learned about the guidebook and were able to learn how to work with young people returning from their projects. Achievements In mixed mobility, 19 people took part. 20 employees completed the training course. 1 e-learning tool was partly created. 1 guide was prepared.