Senior European Volunteers Exchange Network 3rd Network Meeting Vienna November 30 – December 3, 2009 Charlotte Strümpel Status quo of the on-going evaluation of the SEVEN-Network

The ongoing evaluation… is an integral part of the work throughout the whole duration of the network. The aim is to monitor and to evaluate the process, content and the results of the network.

Evaluation questions Have the annual meetings been organised in a useful way? Which activities have partners in the network carried out? How did participants perceive the networking activities and products of the network? Did they find them useful for running exchanges for older volunteers? Which aspects will they be able to apply to exchanging older volunteers in the future? Are organisations using the material developed within the network? What are the longer term effects of the network?

Evaluation tools The open part of the annual conferences are evaluated by all participants through a meeting checklist. Partners are asked to list their activities regularly using a prepared form. This form also contains questions on the strengths and weaknesses of the network. The website is being monitored via user statistics and an on-line questionnaire for visitors. Evaluation results are discussed in core group meetings.

Evaluation steps 1.Checklist for network meetings / evaluation excercise 2.List of activities carried out by partners 3.Web statistics will be collected and evaluated 4.On-line questionnaire 5.Checklist for training sessions or other activities possible: follow-up questionnaire

Evaluation of last meeting Keep up active team work Keep up involving all partners actively Keep up involving representatives of National Agencies More conceptual input and discussions Better organisation of some sessions Creating opportunities for getting to know each others’ organizations Provide water, fresh fruits and vegetables and cater to vegetarians More spare time, less program Adequate and early information about meeting arrangements and travel

Last evaluation Keep up the good work of the coordination, the core group and the partners. Ways should be explored to motivate partners who have not been active in the network so far. Focus should be put on getting partners involved in exchange programmes. Possibilities of improving the communication of network partners between network meetings should be explored. A strong effort should be made, to make sure the website is also accessible for older people and to make sure that enough information is available on the website in national languages.

Next steps 1.Evaluation report Vienna meeting 2.Questionnaire for partners for activities carried out until – Report March Analyse web statistics On-line questionnaire – Report March Checklist for Active Training in January

Exchange projects/activities SVP proposals submitted: SVP proposals accepted: SVP projects already carried out: Other proposals accepted: Other exchanges carried out: