Guidelines - Responsible Exchange and Volunteering 2018

It is not only returning participants that require support, but their families and communities too. The expectations on returnees can be unreasonably high! The perception that an exchange experience will result in a job is widely held. Families and communities may have the expectation that the “privilege” of having been a participant entitles the senders (family/community) to shared benefits on r eturn. Managing Family and Community Expectations One of the greatest pressures on returnees is that of “false or unrealistic” expectations held by family and communities. Too often, returnees are expected to be able to secure good jobs, access the market place more effectively and turn the volunteer or exchange experience into specific income related benefits. This may be as a result of exchange and volunteering not being clearly understood by family and communities and the expectation that time abroad equates to skills that are immediately of value on return. While most would agree that new skills, both hard and soft, are acquired by participants, these do not necessarily manifest themselves through immediate job acquisition on return. • It is suggested that sending organisations engage families throughout the selection, placement time and on return. These engagements will enhance understanding of exchange and volunteering and assist in expectation management as well as encourage a more shared ownership of the experience. • The engagements will provide an opportunity for the organisations and the families and communities to learn about the exchange process as being bigger than the individual, raise awareness about alumni networks and change-action-projects which bring direct benefit to community as a result of the time abroad. • Prepare communities/families for youth’s return – one to one visits; talk at a community meeting; write a letter etc are mechanisms that can be used • Facilitate a home-coming and presentation by the participant to share the experience with their community

This guideline recognizes that this responsibility on the sending organisation is costly, timeous and adds to their existing pressures in running their organisations. None the less, this guideline strongly encourages family and community engagement as part of the holistic exchange experience.

African German Youth Initiative Page 52 of 67

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