How to train the staff and students to understanding of societal challenges and the work that the local CSO’s do when facing those? ENtRANCE project has challenged this in several countries within the project. In Lahti UAS, Finland, the approach has been a multiple and colorful choice of tasks and events with the CSO’s, as well as introducing the project to varied groups of personnel in different combinations, with the help of variety of learning methods and tools.

A puzzle and a quiz for personnel

For personnel action-training, for example a puzzle and a quiz were introduced to work with in understanding the connection between societal challenges and the everyday work of CSO’s. Nobody got the quiz quite right, as the challenges and the work field of CSO’s can be quite demanding and often not widely known. An interest was indeed raised, when the staff of business  faculty realized the scope of work of CSO’s. Besides, all learning was rewarded in the spirit of positive psychology, all in the personnel brunch where the quiz took place, were rewarded with the lyrics of a popular song that reminds one of the importance of ‘taking care’.

Mobile app game for students

A really interesting approach to familiarizing the students with the voluntary work associations was to guide them through the city with a mobile app game in city-orienteering. The students were happy doing this exercise, and the voluntary work organisations’ representatives were very appreciative of the enthusiastic and appreciative approach of the students to their work.