The origins of "Learn to Care" - learning despite distance

The idea for "Learn to Care" was created in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
During this challenging time, the Time cushion - an Austrian social enterprise for voluntary care services - was clear: the nationwide spread of volunteer groups made it almost impossible to organise traditional training meetings.

Many volunteers were no longer able to take part in personal training programmes. The need for a flexible, location-independent and digital learning solution was suddenly more pressing than ever.

The goal was clear:
One Online platformThe website offers volunteers the opportunity to learn important information about care and nursing at any time - free of charge and easily accessible.

In search of strong partners - a European network is being created

In order to realise this vision, the Time cushion to look for partners who pursue similar goals.
There were three organisations from Europe:

the Citizens' co-operative b*coop from Italy, followed the District community Vinschgau
the Asociación Iberoamericana de Bancos de Tiempo from Spain,
and the Innovation in Learning Institute (ILI) the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany.

Together, they submitted an application to the Erasmus+ programme.
Particularly important was the Linking practical knowledge from volunteer work in various countries with the scientific expertise in online learning of the university.

With bundled expertise and a clear shared vision, a convincing project concept was created - the application was approved!

The road to success - from a difficult start to a flagship project

The start of the project was not easy. Different ways of working, different experiences with digital media, personnel changes and the challenges of the pandemic initially slowed down development.

However, thanks to the high level of motivation of everyone involved, the project quickly developed into a success story:

100 free online courses were developed
Contents in four languages (German, English, Italian, Spanish) made available
A flexible learning platform was created that enables individual learning speeds
32 volunteer podcasts were produced for volunteers by volunteers who authentically pass on their personal experiences
Special Podcast workshops helped volunteers to record their stories themselves

Today: great interest and diverse utilisation options

Today - at the end of the official project term - the great success of Learn to Care:

Several large volunteer organisations have already expressed an interest in using the learning platform.
The result is Different utilisation variantsfrom open courses for individuals to specific training programmes for volunteer projects.

And the success story continues:
From 1 March 2025 becomes Time cushion continue to run the platform independently, develop it further and open it up to new user groups - and of course continue to free of charge!

Conclusion: An idea that unites Europe

Learn to Care shows impressively how an idea born in the Corona era can become a sustainable contribution to European volunteering.
The combination of practical commitment and digital innovation has created a platform that not only meets current needs, but also opens up future prospects.

👉 Discover the learning platform now and become part of the community and Discover courses

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