COORDINATING ORGANISATION
Germany
“Gemeinsam leben & lernen in Europa” (GLL) is not only the inventor of the planned volunteer training program, but has profound expertise in promoting volunteering and cooperation at European level. It runs the volunteer training programme for 4 years now, runs an on- and offline volunteer recruiting and matching service, provides information sessions on volunteering for volunteers and NGOs, had set up and coordinated several Grundtvig learning partnerships on the topic of volunteering, involves over 120 volunteers directly in their various volunteer projects.
THE PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
Austria
BEST Institut für berufsbezogene Weiterbildung und Personaltraining GmbH was founded in 1990 as an independent Austrian organisation for providing continuous training, vocational qualification and career services. Its main activities comprise the development of innovative training programmes for young (+16) individuals and adults, many of them disadvantaged and with migration background, on continuous and vocational training, counselling & coaching and activation for job seekers and employees. The training schemes are client-oriented and based on both the specific needs of the labour market and the participants’ individual situations, skills and competences, previous experience and life circumstances. The institute has its headquarters in Vienna and operates six branches in the Vienna and Lower Austria region for up to 15.000 students per year. The innovative training programmes for different target groups (many of them being youngsters) include own pedagogic and didactic approaches and materials, especially for social integration, empowerment, self-reflection, active participation and motivation, as well as ICT based methods, which are constantly being updated.
www.best.at
Croatia
Volunteer Centre Osijek was established in 2006 in order to support an open democratic society based on activism, solidarity, cohesion and mutual trust. The mission is to inspire and support active participation of citizens, development of civil society and volunteerism. In order to achieve the
mission and goals, VCOS uses different work strategies focused on: promotion of democratic and EU values; building of sustainable infrastructure for civil society and volunteerism development;
strengthening capacities of organisations and individuals for democracy and active citizenship; development and implementation of education for civic involvement; supporting empowerment and social inclusion of excluded groups; supporting integration of migrants/refugees; influencing public policies relevant for civil society and volunteerism development; cooperation and networking.
www.vcos.hr
Czech Republic
The Volunteer Centre Ústí nad Labem (Dobrovolnické centrum, z.s.) has worked in the region of Ústí nad Labem since 1999. The mission of our organisation is to promote and support the idea of volunteering, and to encourage citizens to participate in volunteer activities. We organize recruiting training and further education of volunteers. We give lectures on volunteering and implement our own volunteer programmes involving volunteers into services provided directly to clients who are in need of care, e.g. children and young people, senior citizens, unemployed people etc. To fulfill our mission, we cooperate with the Municipal Council of Ústí nad Labem, state institutions, organisations providing services, and other NGOs. We realize many volunteer programmes and projects, which are designed for specific target groups. Dobrovolnické centrum also cooperate with partner organisations not only on local, or national level, but we participate in several international activities with foreign partner organisations as well. Specifically: Program 5P (Big Brothers Big Sisters of CZ); Program KOMPAS® for children in need; training courses Strong Family – Strong children® in cooperation with DKSB.de; volunteers in hospitals, in sport, in culture (museum and library), EVS and a lot of crossborder projects.
www.dcul.cz
Northern Macedonia
Multikultura is a leading civil rights organization promoting youth activism and participation in decision making and development of cultural and inter-ethnic tolerance and cooperation, established in August 2000. The association has more than 100 active members, whose number is constantly increasing. About 30 volunteers participate in organizing, managing and conducting activities. The voluntary forum, as one of the bodies of the association, is made up by the volunteers themselves.
The Assembly of the association is the highest authority in decision-making. The Executive Board is composed of the members of Multikultura who directly carry out the decisions of the Assembly. From the ranks of the Executive Board is elected the Executive director of the organization, who is
authorized to represent the interests of the organization itself. The main priority for the association’s operations is inter-ethnic relations through educational programs in support of tolerance, peace and understanding. The main objectives of the association are:
- Free legal aid
- Assisting in providing better conditions for people with disabilities, as well as providing minimum conditions for protecting the dignity and moral integrity of people with disabilities and their families
- Organizing different events for readapting school rooms to provide easy access to people with disabilities
- Active participation of youth in decision-making at local and national level
- Intercultural dialogue at national and international level
- Tolerance and peaceful conflict resolution
- Reducing unemployment and furthering social integration of youth.
Norway
LoPe is an independent non-profit association, mainly for the individual support of people with a migration background. LoPe helps with intensive care, socio-educational work and integration into the local community. LoPe was founded in November 2016. LoPe is an association that aims to raise awareness of core values such as charity and human dignity and contribute to peace building activities and understanding of democracy. We want people, regardless of their nationality, to be better aware of how social and personal peace is created and secured. The association puts emphasis on inclusion and tolerance, as well as on the prevention of attitudes and behavior that endanger community life. Democracy can only succeed in the long term if the majority of citizens support and live it. Our primary goals are to strengthen intercultural dialogue, civil society cooperation and a growing tolerance for equal opportunities. We want to achieve these goals through education, counseling, cultural exchange and social activities. The overall vision of LoPe is to establish living conditions determined by peace, charity and compassion.The “Integration House” is a project driven by LoPe, which is an important offer for refugees and immigrants who struggle to find their place in Norwegian society.
www.lopenorge.com
Romania
Cluj-Napoca Volunteer Centre (CVCN) is a resource center in the field of volunteering for the local community. CVCN has profound experience and expertise in volunteer and project management (both in local and international programs), training managers of volunteers (over 450 hours of training in this field), providing advice and support to other volunteer involving organizations in creating their own strategy, in recruiting and matching around 400 volunteers annually, in organizing public event, running a EVS service and training center, working with vulnerable groups (prisoners, Roma communities, etc..) and in community development. It has hosted an international training “Personal development in EVS projects” and has received the Excellency in EVS projects award from the Romanian National Agency.
www.voluntariat.ro
UK
Volunteering Matters is a national charity leading UK volunteering in policy and practice. The organisation, aware that people are experiencing social exclusion and inequalities in their communities, focuses on investing in people through volunteering, in order to reduce isolation and injustice. We work to build stronger, more inclusive and cohesive communities. By concentrating primarily on the needs of four beneficiary groups – our strategic pillars – young people, older people, disabled people and vulnerable families, Volunteering Matters inspires its committed and ambitious volunteers to power change in their communities. This is achieved by delivering targeted, innovative and professional programmes nationwide. The vision of Volunteering Matters is of a society where everyone can participate to build strong and inclusive communities, while its mission is to enable people to take an active role in their communities.
www.volunteeringmatters.org.uk
Volunteering Matters is also an experienced NGO at European level, having been a member and host of the Secretariat for Volonteurope since the early 1990s. Volonteurope is a key partner in this project proposal: it is an international network promoting volunteering, active citizenship and social justice, which was established in the Netherlands in 1981 and today comprises over 60 member and partner organisations in more than 25 European countries and beyond. Since 2016, Volonteurope is established as an ASBL in Belgium and has its own office based in the heart of Brussels decision-making, vis-à-vis EU Institutions, which is a crucial advantage for the consortium and ambitions of this project proposal. Furthermore, with membership in several European networks and platforms, which we are able to engage in this project (e.g.SOLIDAR, European Civic Forum, Social Platform, Lifelong Learning Platform), Volonteurope has a strong dissemination and multiplier capacity, to work on diverse issues around volunteering, active citizenship and social justice, and how these can effectuate positive changes in communities, and especially amongst young people, in Europe and beyond. In addition to working with other networks and platforms, we cooperate with various European Institutions and EU Member States. Volonteurope’s vision is one in which the principles of inclusiveness, collaboration, sustainability and fairness guide thinking, behaviour and practice in Europe, resulting in genuine social justice for all. The network’s mission is to work collaboratively with its members and partners to champion the role of volunteering and active citizenship as pathways for social justice in Europe and beyond.
https://volonteurope.eu/