2.8 Raising awareness about youth volunteering opportunities
On this page
On this page:
Information providers
The Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy and the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes, at the national level, provide information on various aspects of volunteering.
Contact Points for getting information on volunteering:
- The Croatian Volunteer Development Centre (CVDC)
- European Youth Portal
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Association of Youth Information Centres and its member organisations.
Key Initiatives
The Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy (MLPSFSP) marks the International Volunteer Day on December 5th by presenting the State Award for Volunteering, a recognition established in 2007 under the Rules on State Award for Volunteering. The State Award for Volunteering is the utmost recognition that the Republic of Croatia assigns to volunteering, contributing to the promotion of volunteering and other volunteering activities. It is awarded to natural persons (volunteers and volunteer coordinators) and legal entities (volunteer organisers). The last State Award for Volunteering was presented in December 2022. Additionally, many volunteer centres organise regional and local annual volunteering awards.
The National Foundation for Civil Society Development annually presents ‘Heartprint’ (‘Otisak srca’) award for the development of children and youth volunteering. Prizes are awarded to elementary schools for innovative volunteering initiatives by students and secondary schools for innovative models of youth involvement in volunteering activities. The last ‘Heartprint’ was awarded in 2022.
The CVDC has been organising the public manifestation Croatia volunteers since 2011. This large-scale volunteering event involves thousands of volunteers in short-term projects across the country. The initiative aims to highlight the importance of volunteering for contemporary society’s development and typically takes place at the end of May. A similar initiative, 72 hours without compromise, has been jointly organised by several Christian youth organisations since 2015. This annual three-day massive volunteering event promotes solidarity, cooperation, creativity, and encourages young people throughout Croatia to actively participate in volunteering activities.
In 2016, the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia (OCNGOs) and the Croatian Public Relations Association (CPRA), in cooperation with the former Croatian Volunteer Centres Network, established the award Communication support to organisations’ socially useful programmes. Based on this award, two associations receive expert support in implementing programmes to increase the visibility of activities by NGOs working for the common good and to promote socially responsible entrepreneurship. Associations can apply for support in organising public campaigns to promote volunteering aimed at high school students and/or organising public campaigns to promote volunteering directed at students.
Since the establishment of the initiative, the communication support has been awarded annually, with the main topic changing each year. In 2022, the OCNGOs and the CPRA awarded ‘Communication support to organisations’ socially useful programmes’ to three associations undertaking activities aimed at the development of lifelong education, additional training, and the acquisition of new skills.