AYUDA 2013 Volunteer Training Program (VTP) Summit Overview & Travel Guide March 22nd-24th, 2013 Washington, DC

OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM Pre-program training is well established at AYUDA. Every volunteer participates in the AYUDA Volunteer Training Program (VTP) that includes two main elements: (1) VTP E-Course, a 10-week online training course with weekly group calls, and (2) VTP Summit, an in-person weekend retreat at AYUDA’s headquarter offices in the Washington DC metropolitan area. And, of course, we continue our training in-country (Dominican Republic) throughout our summer programs.

The purpose of the AYUDA 2013 Volunteer Training Program (VTP) is to prepare AYUDA volunteers to serve as agents of change in the diabetes communities in which they will volunteer. The program core value and focus areas include:

1. AYUDA Background & Principles: You learn about AYUDA’s mission, objectives, philosophy, and history, as well as about the diverse volunteer programs and opportunities.

2. Fundraising & Social Entrepreneurship: You learn to be effective advocates, fundraisers, and social entrepreneurs. Additionally, volunteers will exchange fundraising strategies as you share best practices and technological tools.

3. Cultural Training & Country Program: You learn about the local program’s history and needs, host country culture, prepare outreach strategies, and discuss safety issues. This training includes and is partly facilitated by AYUDA local partners so that volunteers understand locally defined priorities and objectives.

4. Living with Diabetes: You learn the fundamentals of diabetes management, train in hands-on peer-based practicum sessions, practice medical Spanish communication, explore the psychosocial issues surrounding diabetes, and understand the diabetes lifestyle.

5. Team Building & Mentorship: Volunteers strengthen the team bonds, get to know each other, and prepare to work effectively as a team. You prepare for your roles of mentorship in the variety of contexts that you will encounter in your respective programs. Though your learning at the VTP, we prepare you to become invested in social change.

The VTP Summit in Washington, DC is an essential, exciting and fun component of the preparation process, and we are excited for you to be a part of it!

1 of 6- AYUDA 2013 VTP Overview & Travel Guide for Volunteers

LOGISTICS & KEY LOCATIONS

The 2013 AYUDA VTP will be hosted at the AYUDA and Ashoka Global Headquarters in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Ashoka is a leader in social entrepreneurship of the citizen sector. Ashoka’s Youth Venture once helped empower AYUDA in its infancy, and it is now an important partner of the organization. The program and location will provide you the opportunity to be exposed to leading social entrepreneurs, and further inspire you to serve as agents of social change.

AYUDA Volunteers will stay at a hotel in close proximity to the AYUDA offices. Volunteers are not responsible for reserving room and board while in D.C., as AYUDA will be making all hotel reservations for Friday and Saturday evenings, and all food and accommodations during the VTP are covered directly by AYUDA (however, you are responsible for any incidental charges on your room). Breakfast is included each morning at the hotel. We do recommend bringing about $100 for personal spending. AYUDA will be assigning rooms to volunteers (2 volunteers per rooms). If you have a request for a roommate, we need to know by February 25, and will do our best to accommodate the request.

• The AYUDA Office is located in the Rosslyn Metro Building and is housed in the Ashoka Global Headquarter Offices:

AYUDA 1700 N Moore St, Suite 2000 (20th Floor) Arlington VA 22209 www.ayudainc.net

• The hotel is located across from the AYUDA office and is within walking distance.

Courtyard Marriott (Rosslyn, Virginia) 1533 Clarendon Blvd Arlington, VA 22209 www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/wasar-courtyard-arlington-rosslyn/

2 of 6- AYUDA 2013 VTP Overview & Travel Guide for Volunteers

SAMPLE VTP SCHEDULE Below is the schedule from LAST YEARS’s VTP Summit. There will be some new speakers, updated topics, and slight scheduling changes, but this should give you a good idea of our general Volunteer Training Program format:

3 of 6- AYUDA 2013 VTP Overview & Travel Guide for Volunteers

TRAVEL RECOMMENDATIONS

In order to ensure safe and hassle free travel, please take into consideration the following recommendations:

• Start now! Begin looking for tickets as soon as possible  Arrival on Friday, March 22nd (Anytime before dinner)- There will be an informal welcome dinner at 7.30pm near the hotel. Hotel check-in begins at 3pm but the hotel will try to accommodate early check-ins. AYUDA will make the reservation under your name so all you need to do is a call a few days before to request early check-in. All volunteers will be sharing a room with someone on their team (and of the same gender)  Departure on Sunday March 24th (After 2pm or EST)- The VTP will conclude at 1pm. Depending on where you are departing from, give yourself enough time to get there. We don’t recommend purchasing flights that leave before 4.00pm.

• One-way flights. If flying nationally, there usually isn’t much price saving in booking round-trip tickets vs. one-way tickets any more. The advantage of one-way tickets is that it is easier and less expensive to modify if a change needs to be made.

• Connecting flights. Try to avoid layovers/connecting flights if possible, but if connecting try to book the same airline for all legs (this means you should get taken better care of if there’s a delay or cancellation).

• Trust your choice. Make sure that you recognize the airline and feel comfortable using it.

• Travel together. Find out who else is flying and/or driving from your area (post a message on the facebook group); try to travel or carpool together if possible.

• Reimbursement reminders. Keep your receipts (required for reimbursement) and please note AYUDA will refund fares for buses/trains/flights, but not for taxi’s (unless the use of one has been pre-approved by AYUDA) and not for first/business class tickets (sorry, not even with approval!). All eligible reimbursements will occur in November (along with international flights) upon completion of the core competencies. If you are flying from outside the US, you may discuss reimbursement options with AYUDA prior to purchasing flights as we recognize that prices may be much higher.

4 of 6- AYUDA 2013 VTP Overview & Travel Guide for Volunteers

TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

1. Planes. Airport to travel to/from: • Washington Reagan Airport*, (DCA)- We recommend you arrive into DCA since it is the closest to the AYUDA office/hotel and most convenient. It’s a short Metro from the airport and is also easiest for a Volunteer Mentor to meet you. • Washington, Dulles Airport (IAD)- Please note that it is a 45-minute bus ride from the AYUDA office/Hotel. You should take the 5A Bus to Rosslyn. It leaves from opposite the taxi stand approximately every 30 minutes. Buses cost $6.00 – it is CASH only. Link to search the bus schedule times: http://www.wmata.com/ • Baltimore Washington Airport (BWI)- Not recommended. From the airport, you transfer to a shuttle bus that takes you to BWI station. It’s about a 45 minute ride to Union Station, and then a 30 minute Metro commute to (on the Blue/Orange) .The Amtrak train will costs approximately $15 and a single metro tickets costs $2.50. We cannot guarantee a pick up from BWI. Link to search Amtrak tickets: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage

*DCA is the recommended airport for Washington, DC

2. Trains.

• Amtrak: You can arrive via Amtrak/Marc Train if coming from Northeast corridor. Go to www.amtrak.com to book. • Metro: We will do our best to ensure that there will be an AYUDA representative waiting for you at the airport, however we may not be able to guarantee if you do not arrive within the scheduled time frame. The Metro is fares typically ~$2 (but can be as high as $5 depending peak times and distance). Below is information for the Washington, DC Metro. o Link to the Washington DC Metro Map: http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm o The AYUDA office and the hotel are all located at the Rosslyn Metro Stop on the Orange/Blue Line (the AYUDA office is same building as the Roslyn metro center). o We recommend you Google map your trip so you know how to get to the hotel from the Rosslyn exit. It’s very close so you can walk.

3. Cars and Buses.

• Bus- The Vamoose Bus is a coach company that is recommended and comes direct from New York and drops you 2 blocks from the AYUDA office and hotel. Link to search Vamoose tickets: http://www.vamoosebus.com/ • Driving/carpooling- If you are within driving distance try to recruit some volunteers to carpool with you. There is a parking garage at the hotel and currently overnight parking is approximately $12.

5 of 6- AYUDA 2013 VTP Overview & Travel Guide for Volunteers