The initiative of the Institute for Youth Development KULT on the occasion of marking the International Volunteer Day came not only from the desire to mark this date, but also from the need. There is a need to talk more about the topic of volunteering in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also to advocate, both with the competent government institutions and with civil society organizations that work with volunteers, especially young people.
The results of the only comprehensive survey on the position and needs of young people conducted in the last 13 years, conducted by the Institute, show that every third young person in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is involved in volunteer activities and that young people see volunteering as an effective tool for achieving positive social change.
Volunteers of all ages are very important for every society! Their importance comes to the fore in extraordinary circumstances. The previous year, but also the one that is already coming to an end, passed mostly in extraordinary circumstances, and again they showed us that the volunteers gave immeasurable importance in overcoming the challenges brought by the “new normal“.
In 2021, the International Volunteer Day was marked under the slogan Volunteer now for our common future. And that is not only a slogan, but also a call to action! We firmly believe that when people are encouraged to get involved in problem solving, then solutions will be achievable and lasting.
In addition to a number of initiatives conducted by the Institute with partners, which promote and encourage volunteering and the development of volunteer policies in BiH and the region, the last two years we are actively working on developing the concept of corporate volunteering in BiH.
In order to make corporate volunteering a concept that lives in practice, this year the employees of the Institute for Youth Development KULT organized a volunteering action, and spent over 50 hours volunteering at 5 locations in associations and institutions that care for those in need. Preparation and distribution of meals in the humanitarian organization Merhamet, occupational therapy and creative workshops in Sentivo, Vitalis and Healthy Aging Center, as well as field activities in the Red Cross of the Municipality of East Ilidža they completed the working days of our employees and encouraged us to think about how we can contribute to a better common future of society by volunteering today.
The Institute for Youth Development KULT invites partners and friends, companies and civil society organizations to join the initiative of corporate volunteering. Whether you want to volunteer or you need a volunteer service, please register through the online platform VOLONTIRAJ.BA.
Corporate volunteering is a type of social engagement that is planned, organized and executed by employees, and which, on the other hand, approves, encourages and financially supports the management of the company. To systematically deal with corporate volunteering, we have developed the platform volontiraj.ba, which was created within the initiative “Improving human rights in the economic sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina“, implemented by the Institute for Youth Development KULT in cooperation with the Association of Employers of FBiH, supported by the European Union.
With the volunteering action of the Institute’s employees, the Institute marked the International Volunteer Day 2021, which included a series of activities implemented to promote and celebrate volunteering, volunteers, but also all actors involved in this area. The Institute was supported in the celebration of this year’s International Volunteer Day by partners United Nations Volunteers in BiH and the Regional Office for Youth Cooperation RYCO.
