Volunteering

We want to find the best ways to help volunteer groups and other people in our community support volunteering. And we want to increase the number of people in our community who volunteer. We know how important volunteers are to your program.
 

The vision of the workshop is to talk about what volunteering means to people in our community. We want to take action to increase and support volunteers and volunteer groups.

In the introduction part, we ask the participants each of them to introduce himself/herself, and after that, we introduce the agenda and give the first thoughts we can have related to the topic.

What is volunteering and what is not volunteering? How do I recognize volunteering?- Very often young people know to ask us what volunteering is and how it differs from other activities such as practice. So here's a nice explanation below.
In order for an activity to be considered a voluntary activity it must have three key characteristics: volunteering, being organized for the benefit of others or the community (wider public interest) and being unpaid for the labor of those who participate in it. Those involved in the activity should be involved on a voluntary basis, meaning they want to be part of that activity. The purpose of the activity must be to achieve the good of the community or to help others. And all those involved are not charged for their involvement.
For example, how can a volunteer help organize a charity event of his or her own free will, without expecting any compensation?
Why is volunteering IMPORTANT?- In this part of the workshop will be discussed on the topic how by volunteering you can improve your community and your life. By participating in volunteer activities you show that you care. Helping others has been proven to be good not only for the recipients of your work, but also for improving your well-being. Taking time out of your busy schedule to do a good job may seem daunting, but there are plenty of opportunities to help, even if you only have a few minutes, an hour, or an afternoon.
Here will be discussed some great ways to start volunteering in an area that interests you.
Discussion - ideas for volunteering ...- Discussion questions:
- How important is the motivation of the individual for the quality of his / her volunteer engagement?
- How much does it affect the users or organizers of volunteering?
- Can the motivation change?
Which are my rights as a volunteer?- On this part of the workshop will be discussed about volunteering in North Macedonia, and the volunteers’ rights, such as:
- Reimbursement of pre-agreed costs related to volunteering (food costs, transportation to and from the volunteering site, business travel expenses as well as training of volunteers);
- Protection of privacy and personal data;
- To be consulted and informed when deciding how to provide services;
- To be acquainted with the general acts of the organizer of the services, ie those parts that refer to the volunteer services for which you are engaged;
- On daily rest;
- To receive in writing the description of the rights and obligations that you need to fulfill and to be familiar with the conditions and dangers related to the time of volunteering before starting the volunteering;
- To use means for protection at work in accordance with the law on protection at work;
- Training if it is needed to provide a service that is the subject of the contract.
Do I have responsibilities as a volunteer?- The following part is divided into: Which are the responsibilities of a volunteer:
- inform the organizer of volunteering for illness or some other reason for inability to provide services;
- You provide a service in accordance with the law, ie the volunteering agreement and the general acts of the volunteer organizer with which you are previously acquainted;
- You provide service personally and directly;
- Participate in training in order to ensure the quality of service;
- You keep the confidential data, ie the classified information of the organizer of the volunteer work with which you are familiar before providing the service;
- To inform the organizer of volunteer work about harmful consequences for which he / she is aware that may occur for the organizer and for himself or for a third party.

Then, does a volunteer have to sign a contract?
- If you volunteer for more than 40 hours per month, you need to sign a contract. Otherwise you have no obligation to do so. The contract can be concluded by persons who volunteer for less than 40 hours per month, but it is not mandatory;
- Juvenile volunteers require written consent from parents / guardians to be able to sign a contract;
- Regardless of whether you have concluded an agreement, you have the same rights and obligations.

How can I prove that I volunteered?
Proof of your volunteer engagement is the volunteer booklet. It can be obtained by any volunteer from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (regional offices), by attaching an identification document and a volunteering agreement. It is the responsibility of those responsible for volunteering to register regularly. You can use the booklet wherever you volunteer.

And in the end, do I need to receive a volunteer fee?
The law allows the volunteer to be reimbursed for travel and food expenses, but this is not mandatory. If they allocate funds, they can amount to a maximum of 15% of the average salary in the Republic of Macedonia paid last year.
Role play - learning from adults- The participants are young and old people of their own culture. Sit in a circle or other comfortable way for everyone to see and hear others. Share your thoughts on:
ü How and why did people help each other in the past?
ü How and why do people help each other today?
ü What does the word “volunteer” mean to you?
ü How can we continue to respect our volunteering traditions or help one another?
Each participant tells their own story or experience to the other participants.
Small group discussion- Small group discussion- Planning activities to increase and support volunteers in our community
Participants will be divided into small groups, where everyone will give ideas for specific activities that will be organized as small projects in the community, which can be planned and organized without a large budget, and at the same time will have an impact on the community, and will include new volunteers during implementation. Each small group reports the main points of their discussion to all participants, and finally decides on 3 specific ideas that will be implemented.