THE VALE COURSE 2021
The Value-driven Advanced LEadership (VALE) Course was a 2021 training course for 24 youth workers and leaders aged 18-30 in the nonprofit sector, organised exclusively by youth for youth. The course was made possible with support from the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union through the Finnish National Agency for Education (Opetushallitus).
The course was conducted using non-formal education methodology as well as various activities and methods specifically developed by the VALE trainer team.
The Idea
Advanced leadership training -
By Youth for Youth
The project sought to move beyond the classical leadership training book by prioritising depth and impact to help participants grow their leadership competencies and understand the personal values that guide them – empowering them in their everyday leadership and youth work. The project was initiated as a response to an identified need of advanced training for experienced youth leaders within organisations lacking the resources to specialised programming. In doing this, the course provided the participants with the context, the tools, and the support ensuring a profound and long-lasting impact that strengthened the participants’ role as leaders, innovators, and shapers of best practices in our partner organisations.
The Activities
Two in-person training courses with an interim period for remote and self-paced content
The training course stretching the duration of 3 months. It consisted of three main educational activities: two on-site training weekends and, between those, an interim distance learning program consisting of self-paced individual tasks, webinars, scheduled online classes, and group assignments. The two extended weekends with the participants took place on September 29, 2021 - October 3, 2021, in Denmark and November 10, 2021 - November 14, 2021, in Estonia.
The training weekends allowed us to use a wide range of methodologies within a compact educational program and the interim period provided a space for new theories to be applied in practice and evaluated. This was supported through the distance learning program from October 3, 2021 - November 9, 2021. For the participants, the distance learning program held up equal weight to the physical training weekends.
The Participants
24 young leaders
from 11 countries
The target group of the VALE Course was young volunteer leaders, working in capacities such as regional volunteer coordinators, youth support persons, or educational leaders. The applications we received were of high quality providing a selection pool of motivated youth workers with leadership experience within a variety of groups or settings, both in their volunteer work and often within other communities or jobs.
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In total, the course had 24 participants. We had initially planned for 18 participants. However, once the project started, we received a large interest from both project partner organisations and other youth organisations to have some additional participants. Thus, in the end, we created six additional participant slots.
The Evaluations
Over 90% of participants reported an increased likelihood of taking on a leadership role in teams after having completed the course.
The participant, partner, and trainer evaluations reflect that the project exceeded expectations of providing advanced leadership tools and knowledge and developing the skill set of everyone involved.
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According to a comparative analysis from The VALE Team pre-course formative and post-course summative assessment, the project succeeded in cultivating the attitudes and mindsets that will empower participants to become self-reflective learners and value-driven leaders for the future.
Over 90% of participants reported an increased likelihood of taking on a leadership role in teams after having participated and completed the course. All participants have reported a positive change regarding the sustainability of their own self-leadership, meaning they now have better tools to lead themselves while avoiding burn-out and being more aware to notice it in others.
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In addition, they have added to the pool of knowledge amongst other youth workers. Some of that was done through the follow-up workshops but in addition: 95% of the participants reported that they have formally or informally taught others in topics related to the course (outside of the official post-course workshops).
"With the tools I have now, I would like to improve my own leadership and create a more sustainable and empowering environment within my local organisation's community and inspire my colleagues and our volunteers."
"For me, the best thing about the course was that I have found my inner strength and realized more of my own potential as a leader and as a human being, and I can't think of anything that is cooler than that.
The second best thing was seeing the progress and growth of everyone else, especially because we didn't even know each other at all a few weeks ago, but the development was so obvious."
"I think... we, as a group, sort of grew together. It's pretty unique to grab 20 people, somewhat unknown to each other, and observe us mature in just 5 weeks. Regardless of where we were on the spectrum of 'adulthood' when we started the course, I think all of us took new steps towards it – some took a step, some took a leap – but a step nonetheless."