Support to young volunteers

Types of support

A list of support types available for volunteer activities are specified in the Act LXXXVIII of 2005 on Public Interest Volunteer Activities (Volunteer Act) (2005. évi LXXXVIII. törvény a közérdekű önkéntes tevékenységről). These are the following:

• work clothing, protective equipment
• travel, accommodation, meal costs,
• vaccination, medical examination,
• extracurricular training related to the volunteer activity,
• aid equipment,
• life, health and accident insurance,
• compensation for damage caused by a volunteer,
• daily allowance for a volunteer in Hungary from abroad or for a Hungarian volunteer working abroad and
• rewards.

The Family Friendly Hungary Centre has created the 'I Came Voluntarily' Award (Önként jöttem díj) to recognise voluntary work and promote altruistic behaviour. The Ambassador of the 'I Came Voluntarily' Award is the Minister of State for Families at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation.

Specific target groups

Regarding the specific target groups, the full involvement of young people in voluntary activities is a high priority for the Hungarian state, according to the Ministry information in 2022. The policy aims to promote the integration of disadvantaged groups in volunteering and strengthen social cohesion.

Digital volunteering

During the pandemic, changes in how volunteering is done paved the way for a greater uptake of digital volunteering.

During the Year of Volunteering in Hungary (Önkéntesség Magyarországi Éve) in 2021, online volunteering programmes were also held due to the difficulties caused by the restrictions in effect at the time. (For more information on the Year of Volunteering, see 2.4 Youth Volunteering at national level)

The 'How are you?' ('Hogy tetszik lenni?') programme was launched in 2020 in the online space in response to the pandemic and still works today. The programme brings elderly people together with voluntary young people who have free time and can keep them company by active telephone contact. The Festival Volunteer Centre (Fesztivál Önkéntes Központ) and Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta have initiated and run the programme.

Supporting volunteers with fewer opportunities

There is no funding specifically for organisations that promote the participation of young volunteers with fewer opportunities. However, in the case of the Children and Youth Fund application, a unique bonus point is awarded for projects targeting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Community building

The Tempus Public Foundation regularly organises events for those young people who are involved in the European Solidarity Corps programme. The 'Go on an adventure!' ('Kalandra fel!') was an event in 2025 where those young people who participated in one of the mobility programmes such as Erasmus+, DiscoverEU or in the European Solidarity Corps programme as volunteer can exchange experience, can discover new mobility opportunities and become a part of a youth community. The target group of the event was 18-31-year-olds. They also organises a three-day workshop in 2025 for ESC mentors and coordinators to develp their skills on mentoring and to get to know each other and build a community where they can exchange experience. The Tempus has many other events related to ESC and many of them aims at developing and strengthening social cohesion of participants.

Tackling societal challenges

There are various programmes for young volunteers to contribute to solving societal challenges. These are mainly related to environmental challenges:

• 'You pick it up!' ('TeSzedd!'), which is the most significant voluntary waste collection movement in Hungary, organised annually since 2011. The programme aims to reduce the amount of illegally dumped waste by involving the general public and to increase environmental awareness and the role of volunteering in society. The initiative brings together thousands of volunteers - individuals, schools, NGOs, businesses and municipalities - to clean up public spaces, forests, parks and roadsides across the country. The Ministry of Energy (Energiaügyi Minisztérium) supports the programme and is organised and coordinated by the National Coordination of Waste Management and Asset Management Plc. The last TeSzedd! 2024 campaign occurred between 22 and 28 April, with thousands of volunteers collecting illegally abandoned waste nationwide. (TeSzedd! – Önkéntesen a tiszta Magyarországért)
• '72 hours without compromise' ('72 óra kompromisszum nélkül'), which is a three-day ecumenical youth volunteering event jointly organised by the Hungarian Catholic Church, the Hungarian Reformed Church and the Hungarian Evangelical Church. The programme encourages young people to help their communities and environment through community service activities while strengthening social responsibility and cooperation. During the event, participants are involved in various social, ecological, and development projects, such as helping the elderly, renovating playgrounds, cleaning up forests, and organising cultural programmes. In addition to the churches, the programme is supported by public institutions, including the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium) and the Prime Minister's Office (Miniszterelnökség). The latest action, which took place from 10 to 13 October 2024, involved more than 9 000 young people from all over the country.

(For more information, see 9.4 Raising awareness about global issues.)