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Solidarity Academy
Solidarity Academy
Content
Across the programme you’ll build confidence, learn new skills and get a better sense of what you want for your future. Through training, mentoring and hands-on experience, Solidarity Academy helps you grow as a person, make a real difference in your community, and take steps towards whatever comes next - be it work, further education or more volunteering adventures.
Watch this video to discover more about the European Solidarity Corps initiative.
This video will tell you more about the European Solidarity Corps experience as well as the impact that ESC projects can have on both the participants and the community at large.
The Solidarity Academy badges are here to celebrate everything you’ve been doing during your journey with Solidarity Academy.This programme is all about getting you ready for your volunteering adventure abroad. Over the past weeks, you’ve been gaining hands-on experience here in Ireland, building confidence and picking up the skills you’ll need on the next step of your journey.
By completing the associated activities, you’re showing that you’ve:
- Taken part fully in the Solidarity Academy.
- Reflected on your own journey.
- Practiced real-life skills like teamwork, problem-solving, resilience, and adapting to new cultures/communities.
- Started getting yourself ready to live, work and thrive abroad.
The badge tasks are your chance to look back on what you’ve done, share your highlights, and show how you’ve grown. It's about celebrating your progress and recognising the strengths you’ll bring with you on your ESC adventure. As you complete these tasks, you’ll have a record of your journey so far and a story that might just inspire someone else to take the leap too!
Learn more here ...
Activities to complete
Complete the following activities, earn badges and you will see your playlist progress updated
Content
Similar to the On Arrival training, Léargas provides a second session called Mid-Way training. However, this is only available to participants who are engaged in long-term volunteering. (Typically longer than 6 months.)
Even though Solidarity Academy placements don’t include an official Mid-Way Training, there’s still a lot we can learn from volunteers who have participated. Nadine, a volunteer from Germany, shared her experience of Mid-Way Training while doing her one-year placement in Ireland with Friends of the Elderly.
What stands out in her story isn't just the training itself, but the space it created to pause, look back, and recognise how far she’d come. She talks about the joy of reconnecting with fellow volunteers, sharing experiences, and realising how much had changed since the very beginning. It wasn’t only about skills or formal sessions, it was about celebrating growth, community, and the simple act of taking time to reflect.
Nadine’s experience is a reminder that we don’t need a formal event to create our own “mid-way moment.” Halfway through the programme is the perfect time to check in with yourself: What’s different now compared to when you started? What challenges have you faced and overcome? Which connections or moments have meant the most to you?
Get activity badge
Solidarity Academy: Mid-Journey Get this badge
This badge celebrates the progress you’ve made halfway through the programme. By now, you’ve started settling into your placement, learning more about yourself, and testing out new skills in real situations. It’s a chance to pause, reflect on your journey so far, and recognise the skills and abilities you’ve already developed. It’s also about the connections you’re building and how those experiences are shaping the way you see volunteering.
You have to finish all tasks to get the badge
Tasks
Task no.1
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Challenge check-in.
Reflect on one challenge you’ve faced and how you dealt with it.
Task no.2
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Confidence is key!
Share a time you felt proud of yourself during the programme so far.
Task no.3
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Teamwork in action.
Describe a time you worked with others on your placement. What was your role and what did you learn from it?
Task no.4
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Skill spotlight.
Choose one skill you’ve improved and give an example of using it.
Task no.5
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Game plan.
What’s one thing you would like to do differently or focus on in the following weeks?
Skills
ETS-TR
#Empower learners to act in solidarity with each other and in the community
ETS-TR
#Conveys the importance of a life-long commitment to solidarity - beyond the training environment
ESCO
#advocate youth work in the local community
Activities: 3
Started: 2
Completed playlist: 0
Time to complete: 55 minutes
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Organisers
Youth Work Ireland Midlands
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