TL;DR
We were in Romania alongside volunteers from Salesforce, DocuSign, Apple, and Netflix who collaborated with HHC Romania to enhance job prospects and self-esteem for children and young adults in Romanian state care. They conducted a two-week training program focusing on English, IT skills, workforce development, and soft skills.
We sent out a survey to all participants to gather feedback, and this is what we heard:
- 100% of respondents who did not express advanced prior knowledge of the subject matter gained a deeper understanding of the basic English 101 comprehension skills after the first lesson
- 86-100% reported confidence in IT, computer, and workforce development skills
- 100% of young adult respondents reported that they felt the activities were useful in increasing their chances of finding a job
- 100% of volunteers reported satisfaction or extreme satisfaction with the overall volunteer experience
- 100% of volunteers were extremely satisfied with the assistance provided by V2I staff
THE CHALLENGE
How might we enhance job prospects and self-esteem for children and young adults in Romanian state care through comprehensive education in English, workforce development, professional development and IT & Computers?
- Enhance the Transit Centre Young Adults (TYCA) and Small Group Home’s (SGH) job prospects by improving their soft skills, basic English skills and general IT knowledge and computer skills
- Support the TCYA and SGH to increase budgeting and money management skills
- Support the TCYA and SGH in their academic programs and areas of employment by improving their time management and workforce development skills
- Increase the TCYA and SGH feelings of being seen, valued, and affirmed so that relationships and social interactions will be better
PARTNER CONTEXT
In 2017, 2018 and 2019 Venture 2 Impact (V2I) partnered with Hope and Homes for Children (HHC) in Baia Mare, Romania. In supporting both HHC and their beneficiaries, V2I volunteers provided training and mentorship to young adults who have experienced life in the institutionalized orphanage system and children who currently live in small family homes, under state care. Based on past experiences with successful projects implemented alongside Hope and Homes Romania, V2I learned that the skills the children and young adults benefited from learning the most included:
- Soft skills like resiliency training that help young people build their self-confidence
- Workforce development training
- English; and
- General computing
Due to the success of these previous projects and the positive relationship that V2I created with their partner, Hope and Homes Romania, Venture 2 Impact facilitated an additional in-person volunteer opportunity from June-July of 2023.
THE INNOVATION
Two groups of 9-10 skills-based volunteers from Salesforce, DocuSign, Apple and Netflix, traveled to Baia Mare, Romania in order to facilitate two weeks of training and development sessions for children and young adults in state care. The collaboration to develop the curriculum with HHC Romania was facilitated virtually as the employees who volunteered spanned multiple regions across the country.
The objectives of the curriculum included:
- Enhance the Transit Centre Young Adults (TYCA) and Small Group Home’s (SGH) job prospects by improving their soft skills, basic English skills and general IT knowledge and computer skills
- Support the TCYA and SGH to increase budgeting and money management skills
- Support the TCYA and SGH in their academic programs and areas of employment by improving their time management and workforce development skills
- Increase the TCYA and SGH feelings of being seen, valued, and affirmed so that relationships and social interactions will be better
THE IMPACT
-
100% of respondents who did not express advanced prior knowledge of the subject matter gained a deeper understanding of the basic English 101 comprehension skills after the first lesson - 100% of young adult respondents reported that they felt the activities were useful in increasing their chances of finding a job
- 93% of respondents who did not express advanced prior knowledge of the subject matter gained a deeper understanding of the basic IT & computer comprehension skills after the first lesson
- After two weeks, 86% of respondents reported a sufficient or higher level of confidence in their new knowledge of IT & computer and workforce development skills.
- 91% of respondents expressed a sufficient or higher level of knowledge of workforce development skills after the first lesson
- 100% of respondents who did not express advanced prior knowledge of the subject matter gained a deeper understanding of the basic professional development skills after the first lesson
- After two weeks, 100% of respondents reported a high or extremely high level of confidence in their new knowledge of professional development skills
From our Partner
VOLUNTEER FEEDBACK
Previous
Next