2.8 Raising awareness about youth volunteering opportunities
On this page
On this page:
Information providers
Institutions as information providers at national level on various aspects of volunteering are the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy and the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes.
Contact Points for getting information on volunteering:
- Croatian Volunteer Development Center
- European Youth Portal
- Association of Youth Information Centres and its member organizations
Key Initiatives
Competent ministry marks 5th December, the International Volunteer Day by awarding the State Award on Volunteering from 2007, according to the Rules on State Awards for Volunteering. The State Award on Volunteering is the upmost recognition that the Republic of Croatia assigns to volunteering, contributing to the promotion of volunteering and other volunteering activities. It is awarded to the natural (volunteer and volunteer coordinator) and legal persons (volunteer organizer). The last State Award on Volunteering was awarded in December 2021. Additionally, many volunteer centres organize regional and local annual volunteering awards.
National Foundation for Civil Society Development annually presents Award “Heartprint” – for children and youth volunteering development. 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 May 2019.
Croatian Volunteer Development Center has been organizing the public manifestation “Croatia volunteers” since 2011. It is a massive volunteering event involving thousands of volunteers in short-term volunteering project all over the country. It aims to point out the importance of volunteering for contemporary society’s development. The manifestation is usually held at the end of May. A similar initiative entitled “72 hours without compromise” has been organized in cooperation of several Christian youth organizations since 2015. The annual three-day massive volunteering event promotes solidarity, cooperation and creativity and encourages young people across Croatia to volunteer.
In 2016 Government of the Republic of Croatia Office for Cooperation with NGOs and Croatian Public Relations Association, in cooperation with the former Croatian Volunteer Centres Network founded award “Communication support to organizations’ socially useful programmes”. Based on this award, two associations receives expert support in the implementation of the program to increase the visibility of the activities of NGOs acting for the common good and to promote socially responsible entrepreneurship. Associations can apply for support in the organization of a public campaign promoting volunteering aimed at high school students and/or organizing a public campaign to promote volunteering directed at students.
Since then, the communication support is awarded annually, changing the main topic every year. So, in 2020, Government of the Republic of Croatia Office for Cooperation with NGOs and Croatian Public Relations Association, this time in cooperation with PR agencies (Aplauz Communication and Manjgura) awarded two associations with “Communication support to organizations’ socially useful programmes” which will carry out activities of education and raising the level of awareness in local environment/communities in order to promote sustainable development.