Professional Volunteering in Europe 

Professional Volunteering (ProVol) is a partnership consisting of partner organisations from different European countries. Our aim is to professionalise volunteering by developing an accessible, flexible and sustainable European model for the training of volunteer coordinators and volunteers. We want to improve the effectiveness and quality of volunteering. To this end, we have developed training courses, guidelines and manuals. “ProVol Digital” is a continuation of these projects, which focused on digitalisation in the volunteering sector.

On our website you will find free guides, manuals and useful resources from current and past projects:

News

In January 2023 we met for our third transnational project meeting in Ústí nad Labem (Czech Republic), where we discussed the content of our upcoming results. In the course of this year we will publish two handbooks on “digital volunteer management” and “digital volunteering”. Additionally, we are working on a volunteer training online using existing materials of the “Professional Volunteering” project.

In the video below you can get an impression of our meeting.

About the project

Digitalisation has recently developed rapidly, partly due to the pandemic. In order to support NGOs and the volunteer coordinators in staying up to date, the project "ProVol Digital" was launched. More and more activities will take place online in the future. Offline activities must be adapted to be organised online and that means people in NGOs must be prepared and trained to keep up with the latest technology and progress in digitalisation. The aim therefore is to equip NGOs and volunteer coordinators with digital expertise and to adapt their skills in dealing with technology to the current standards. This project is created to inspire and empower other organisations to enter the digital sphere as well. And subsequently, more services, help and support from NGOs will be available online.

The partners will develop the following outcomes, which will be made available on this website:

About Us

ProVol Digital is a European partnership between Germany, Austria, Romania and Czech Republic. This partnership, coordinated by the German NGO Gemeinsam leben & lernen in Europa e.V., aims to develop an accessible, flexible and sustainable European model for training for volunteer coordinators and volunteers to improve the effectiveness of volunteering activities and the quality of the services they deliver. It is funded by the EU-program Erasmus +.

Gemeinsam leben & lernen in Europa 

The NGO “Gemeinsam leben und lernen in Europa e. V.” (GLL) is a private grassroot NGO in the region of eastern Bavaria, with its head office in Passau.

The main emphasis of GLLs work is to initiate cooperation, activities and projects among the different individuals, organizations and communities who are all working to eliminate discrimination and inequality, wherever it appears. Therefore members of the organisation are local communities, districts, social organisations, private companies, decision makers and citizens.

The promotion of equal opportunity for everyone is combated by projects and mainstreaming activities in the field of a) promotion of lifelong learning, b) fighting discrimination and racism by promoting tolerance and diversity, c) advancement of volunteer work within the community, d) the support of disadvantaged target groups, e) educational work, f) gender mainstreaming activities and g) innovative form of mainstreaming activities.

Our target groups are migrants, socially disadvantaged people, older people, less-qualified workers, unemployed, migrants, as well as immigrants, women, families, disabled people or people with health restrictions, because they are particularly affected by discrimination and inequality. GLL’s goal is promote their integration into society by means of the activities and measures of their association and active involvement of the various target groups.

GLL has initiated and implemented a lot of local and transnational volunteer led projects (e.g. volunteer language mentoring programs, volunteer trainings, intercultural and intergenerational projects, inclusive film festivals, democracy projects) and runs an inclusive, intergenerational and intercultural community center in Passau. Its volunteer training “Professional Volunteering (ProVol) was disseminated in 5 other European countries, and is for example now an accredited training on national level in Czech Republic and supported by the Ministry of Interior.

For its efforts in the field of integration of migrants, promoting the European ideas and volunteering GLL had won many awards: It has won the “Active Citizens of Europe Prize” of the European Parliament (2015),  “Citizen Award of the Bavarian Parliament” (2018),  the “Integration award of the government of Lower Bavaria” (2015, 2011), the “European Citizenship Award (2018), the award “Europa-Lillie” by the Europa Union Professional (2014); the “Active Citizens of Europa Award” (2014),  Dr. Rembold Inclusion prize (2019), award “Active for Democracy and Tolerance” (2016), “Innovation Award in Volunteering” by BAGFA, award-winner “Deutschland – Land der Ideen – Ideen für die Bildungsrepublik” (initative “Germany – Country of Ideas: Ideas for the Republic of Education” by the German Federal Government and German industry, 2013), 2nd place of the “Publikumspreis Deutscher Bürgerpreis” (2014 – Public Award of the “German Citizens Award”, Germany’s most significant national prize to be awarded to volunteers and volunteer organisations), Women’s Award of the SPD Lower Bavaria (2014), award winner of “Ideas for a better future” initiative of German UNESCO (2011), and “Volunteer Award” in the category NGO by the CSU Passau (2010).

In the head office 12 (volunteer and paid) staff members coordinate the various projects and the approximately 150 volunteers of the organisations, who contribute around 2.000 hours per month in the various projects of GLL. The involved active volunteers as well as the 156 members of the organisation represent the diversity of society: aged between 18 – 82 years, with and without a migrant/refugee background, employed, unemployed, retired, with and without disabilities (mental, intellectual or physical) and with various educational backgrounds. Through our various projects GLL reaches about 4.000 – 5.000 learners/visitors of their various projects and activities every year.

EB projektmanagemenet GmbH

EB projektmanagemernt GmbH is a consulting organisation with more than 15 years of experience in the development and implementation of European and national projects.  On the content level, EB pm is specialised in the development and implementation of educational and regional development projects as well as network and cooperation development projects. In addition, EB pm is also active in human resource development and strategy development.

We have several business areas that we offer: Project management (from the development of an idea to its completion) including process support (reference projects: SPARK, HARRAGA, EES AA, BioCrime, WOM365), in the development of regionalised learning opportunities and in the preparation of international and national studies (reference projects: Feasibiliy study Syria, Community Education Facilitation, Pro Vol), in the development of training curricula (reference project Community Education Facilitator, ProVol, further training series on the Alpine Convention) as well as in personnel and strategy development (Unternehmen für Mädchen, Lebenswelt Beruf, Gender Career Management).

We see ourselves as a development and implementation institution that offers implementation and dissemination work in addition to development work. Furthermore, we are active in further education. Here we are focused on the transfer of competences, where the content is exclusively focussed on areas where we have practical experience. This includes training in the areas of project management, process management, European and national funding, cooperation and network management, human resources development, employer branding, gender mainstreaming, equality and diversity management.

As a small company with 6 employees, we work exclusively across organisations and often in an international context.

75% of our turnover comes from projects we carry out ourselves, 25% from consulting projects.

Dobrovolnické centrum

The Volunteer Center in Ústí nad Labem was established in 1999. The aim is to support, develop and professionalize volunteering. For more than 20 years of operation in the Ústí nad Labem Region, the Volunteer Center flexibly responds to the current needs of the community and connects 2 “worlds” – the first group are volunteers who give their time,

experience and competencies; and the second group is the world of the needy who need the help of volunteers. ÚSTÍ REGION is a structurally affected region; Within the new regions, JUST TRANSITION is one of the three affected regions in the Czech Republic. Lowest education, highest unemployment, outflow of intelligence, short life expectancy are signals of a region that is really needed. The city of Ústí nad Labem (96,000 inhabitants) is marked as a socially excluded locality and needs a high level of support. In 2019, the Volunteer Center was directly coordinated by 408 volunteers who worked for the community for 29,833 hours. 58 events were organized for the public. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, extraordinary and intensive aid began – we established the Regional Coordination Center for Volunteer Aid for the Ústí Region: 739 volunteers were involved and worked 28,476 hours. Volunteers shopped for seniors, carried medicines, walked dogs, helped in hospitals and nursing homes. The volunteer center is part of the Crisis Staff in the region. The Volunteer Center is a member: VOLONTEUROPE – Director Lenka Vonka Černá is a member of the Board of Directors and represents the voice of volunteering in the countries of the former Eastern bloc. GOVERNMENT COUNCIL for NGOs of the Czech Republic – the voice of volunteering at the government level. COUNCIL OF VOLUNTARY CENTERS OF THE NORTHWEST REGION (NUTS) – Intensive cooperation between volunteer centers to support the development of volunteering and a cooperation network. PANEL of humanitarian organizations of the Ústí Region – all humanitarian organizations meet regularly and cooperate in resolving crisis situations in the region. Our competencies and core values: Search for, train and involve volunteers in hospitals, help children and young people, in culture (museum, library, we are now preparing a ZOO), in sports. Inclusive volunteering is an essential issue for our professionalization of volunteering. We gained our first experience on how to train volunteers with mental disabilities and created Tips and Recommendations for inclusive volunteer training. The digitization of volunteering is a new phenomenon of pandemics and has taught us the training of volunteer trainers. We are now developing interactive digital methods and starting the transformation of digital volunteering management. Sustainable development and SDGs are linked to volunteering thanks to the mentoring support of the UN Prague Office. Our current main activities: We have completed the reconstruction of the ENTER22 Club – we open on June 1, 2021 and will serve volunteers, young people and the entire community in Ústí nad Labem. We arrange housing for the homeless and our special Housing First team searches for the homeless, prepares them for housing, searches for apartments and works on their dignified housing and recovery. Based on the decision of the Ministry of the Interior, we are now in the position of the Regional Volunteer Center for the Ústí Region and fulfill 10 strategic tasks for the development of volunteering in the Czech Republic: train coordinators and volunteers, organize Volunteer Days, Open Days, manage a new regional website www.dobrovolnictvi-usteckykraj.cz Even during the pandemic, we continue to develop cross-border volunteering in Germany and send Czech volunteers abroad; we are now working to renew accreditation. Volunteering is our world. We are part of Community Planning in the city of Ústí nad Labem and volunteering is a cross-sectional goal for all groups of people: people with mental  disabilities, seniors, disabled people or families.

Centrul de Volontariat Cluj-Napoca

The Cluj-Napoca Volunteer Centre or Centrul de Voluntariat Cluj-Napoca (CVCN) was legally founded, as an independent organization, in December 2004. The mission of CVCN is to develop voluntarism as a means of involving citizens in solving out the problems of the Cluj community.

Our vision is that of a solidary Cluj, in which all citizens get involved in solving the problems of the community, by offering their time, knowledge, skills, energy, talents and experience for a healthier, more beautiful community. We dream about a community in which getting involved in a volunteering activity represents an accepted and shared value, for all community members.

The objectives we are aiming at in our activity include:

• • increasing the number of volunteers within the Cluj public institutions and NGOs;
  • increasing the degree of the community involvement of Cluj citizens, through volunteering activities;
  • increasing the innovation degree in the area of volunteerism (by implementing volunteering pilot projects);
  • increasing the visibility of volunteerism among the citizens of our community.

The services offered constantly by CVCN, are deeply linked to its mission and objectives of promoting volunteering as an inexhaustible resource of citizens’ involvement in solving community problems. For this mean, CVCN is providing services for:

• • volunteers – campaigns and events to promote recognition of volunteering involvement, training sessions for volunteers,
  • NGOs and public institutions – recruitment and recommending volunteers, consultancy on volunteer involvement strategies, training and support for volunteer managers and
  • the community – development of volunteering programs, campaigns and events to promote volunteering.

Our organization in numbers

Since 2004, CVCN

• • offered its services to 140 de NGO’s and public institutions
  • recommended annualy aproximately 450 de volunteers; in total around 5000 volunteers
  • hosted 117 EVS international volunteers (majority of them in long term projects 12 months)
  • sent 201 EVS romanian volunteers abroad
  • ofered over 600 hours of training
  • organised  17 annual editions of National Volunteering Week
  • organised 10 annual editions of Gala de decernare a premiilor pentru implicare in comunitatea clujeana (event with over 300 participants)
  • organised around 180 public events in the volunteer field
  • implemented over 40 local/national/international projects, with 61 international partners
  • created various publications related to volunteering
  • has been awarded the prize for best volunteer centre in four editions of the National Gala of Volunteers (organized by Volum Federation) – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
  • received the Prize for excelency in European Voluntary Service projects ofered by the Romanian National Agency, in  2014

CVCN has been an active resource centre for the volunteering movement in Cluj-Napoca, becoming a constant provider of quality volunteering programs for the community. Throughout its 16 years of activity the organization has managed to implement a large diversity of volunteering programs a0nd to offer support into raising standards in volunteer management in other local NGOs in Cluj-Napoca and the entire country.