11 / 14
8
Work with volunteers involves:
Recruitment and selection of suitable volunteers
Matching the tasks with the abilities and personalities of the
volunteers
Instructing the volunteers so that they perform their tasks to the
best of their abilities
Giving special attention and incentives to volunteers
Developing independence whilst defining limits.
Encouraging the adoption of appropriate behavior (including dress
code)
Volunteers with Special Needs
The volunteers with special needs are recruited by the trainers from
amongst the graduates of the Sport and Recreation Center. These
volunteers must take pleasure in giving, and must be prepared to adapt
to the position of giving to others rather than receiving from others.
Volunteers with special needs require the same training and incentives
as other volunteers. However they require extra support and
encouragement throughout the project. This requires careful planning
and attention on the part of the trainers.
Feedback:
After meeting with parents it became apparent that the project
succeeds in giving children and youth with special needs the ability to
enjoy physical activity in the community, and not only in the protected
confines of the Beit Issie Shapiro Sport and Movement Center. Most of
the children experience increased motivation and improved motor skills.
The encouragement of trainers and volunteers is vital to the success of
the program, and the experience of being an individual amongst equals
was comfortable for the youth and the parents. The parents recognized
that the project gave them an opportunity to bring their children into
the community in a way they could not have accomplished on their own