Monique Bournot-Trites

Key Strengths of an Innovative Volunteer Training Workshop

The study involved 14 volunteer facilitators, four UBC staff members, and the researcher as participant; the data collected were observation notes, questionnaires, results from focus groups, and interviews. The study revealed that the key strengths of the training workshop lay in its approach to training, its focus on confidence and capacity building, the appreciation and contribution of volunteers’ assets, and the support of the sponsoring university. The article concludes with a consideration of the implications for strategic planning for university-community engagement and replication of the program in other educational contexts.