Would you like your students to have an incredible chance
to experience the culture of an other country?
Would you like your students to be able to practice their English
in meaningful activities?
Would you like your students' families, your coworkers, your entire school
to live an amazing and enriching experience?
No, you do not have to buy an expensive plane ticket for everybody.
No, you do not need to travel anywhere.
This is an experience that your students, their families and the entire school community can do and live without having to leave their homes. They might need to leave something, and that means their comfort zone, but it will be really worth it.
This experience goes by the name of AIESEC EDUCHANGE PROJECT.
The school where I work joined this project in 2016 and for these two school years we have had the chance to live this wonderful experience. I am going to write different posts, one with the general information on how the project works and then two more posts focusing on the single projects with details about what was done and the material that was used.
Here is how it works:
1. CONTACT THE ASSOCIATION
The school contacts the association through the contact numbers/details that are shown on the web page. A general request of interest will have to be written. The AIESEC association will then forward your request to the local representative of your area. Italy has been divided into different areas and the volunteer in charge of your area will get in touch with you. Aiesec volunteers are university students and some of them may seem very young and inexperienced, but they are motivated and willing to do their best to help you and meet your requirements.
2. THE CONTRACT
A standard agreement will be sent to you and you will be asked to fill in different parts and to agree to specific terms. The contract specifies the responsibilities of the school and of the volunteer ( the school has to provide a place to stay and food for the whole time and also pay an enrolment fee) and explains the details of the project. The contract has to be signed by the legal representative of the school.
3. THE PROJECT
One of the things that need to be specified on the contract is what the project is going to be about. Aiesec suggests a few main themes from which the school can choose. The themes that we chose in these two years are: environment ( and natural disasters) and children's rights. The volunteer that comes to our school is a university student and has a general knowledge over the topic chosen so we cannot think or expect him/her to master the topic, be able to teach it and also prepare the material for it. The volunteers are often young and therefore we cannot expect them to work through the whole project alone. In my school, we nominated an Aisec commision of teachers ( not only ESL teachers) that would work together and cooperate to plan the project and prepare all the material. All this work has to be done before the Volunteer's arrival and therefore online sharing and collaborating with the volunteers is essential to a good start of the project.
4. THE HOSTING FAMILY AND THE PRACTICAL ORGANISATION
One side of the project is the didactic part, the other side is the practical organization. The school needs to find a hosting family willing to host the volunteer for six weeks. We had different families that wanted to do this so we met all of them and tried to find a solution that would make all the families happy. A person from the school needs to be put in charge of all the "small little things" that could really make a difference in the volunteer's stay in the foreign country ( find welcome gifts, prepare the welcome package, organise picking up from station, organise welcome and farewell party, organise social events). These moments are very important because communication in English does not only happen in class and during school hours.
5. THE VOLUNTEER
The choice of the volunteer is made by AIESEC and sometimes it can also be a last minute choice because plans can change at the last minute ( they had chosen a volunteer for us but she changed her mind) and therefore all parts involved need to be very flexible. The hosting families and the school responsible are in charge of picking up the Volunteer at the train station together with the Aiesec representative.
6. THE REALIZATION OF THE PROJECT
The project needs to start from day one, that is why it is important to have previously agreed on the topic, the ideas and the material to use. We have always tried to prepare everything in advance and I have to say that this has made the project run smoothly. It is important to set regular meetings during the project ( with teachers and volunteers) so as to monitor the situation and make the changes that are necessary. If the project is well planned... I can assure you that you will have the chance to enjoy the experience in full without feeling the strees of not knowing what to do or how to do it. Planning is the key to a successful project!
These are the steps of an AIESEC educhange project based on our experience. It is a valuable experience which I would recommend to anyone.
Thank you,
Miss Alex
