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YouthWiki

EACEA National Policies Platform
Lithuania

Lithuania

2. Voluntary Activities

2.3 National strategy on youth volunteering

Last update: 23 January 2025
On this page
  1. Existence of a National Strategy
  2. Scope and contents
  3. Responsible authority
  4. Revisions/ Updates

Existence of a National Strategy

The Order on Description of the Organization of the Youth Voluntary Service defines the principles of organization of youth volunteering in Lithuania, its implementation organization of their work and financing of volunteering activities.

Scope and contents

This description sets out the principles for organising youth voluntary activities, their implementation, implementers, the organisation of their work and the financing of voluntary activities.

The following terms are used in the description:
1. Administrative assistance – activities carried out by the Host Organization and the SVO organization to help the volunteer complete the Youth Voluntary Service Agreement (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement), requests for adjustment or termination of the agreement, administer documents substantiating expenses incurred during the voluntary activity, and other documents related to the voluntary activity.

2. Youth Voluntary Service – a set of organized and implemented voluntary activities in which the volunteer, the Host Organization and the SVO organization participate.

3. Competence assessment – ​​a process during which the competences acquired by the volunteer are assessed in accordance with the procedure and assessment criteria established in the legal acts regulating the assessment of competences, in order to assess and recognize the competences acquired during the voluntary service, and thus increase the volunteer's opportunities to pursue higher education and enter the labor market.

4. Curator – a person working in the Host Organization or performing voluntary activities, responsible for the organization and coordination of voluntary activities and participating in the process of assessment and self-assessment of the volunteer's competences acquired during voluntary service.

5. Mentor – a person working in the SVO organization or performing voluntary activities, responsible for the participation of volunteers in voluntary service, the organization of assessment and self-assessment of competences acquired during voluntary service, informing and consulting curators.

6. Accreditation of the organization – a process during which a potential Host Organization is assessed in accordance with the assessment criteria and procedure established in the legal acts regulating the accreditation of Host Organizations, or a process during which a potential SVO organization is assessed in accordance with the assessment criteria and procedure established in the legal acts regulating the accreditation of SVO organizations.

7. Host organization – an accredited non-profit legal entity registered in the Republic of Lithuania (organizer of voluntary service), which can create conditions for volunteers to develop personally or professionally and ensure their support.

8. Volunteer – a young person who performs socially beneficial activities in the Host organization free of charge.

9. SVO organization – an accredited non-governmental organization operating in the Republic of Lithuania, which can ensure the participation of volunteers in voluntary activities, cooperation with Host organizations, and provide Host organizations with methodological support for the assessment and self-assessment of the competencies acquired by the volunteer during voluntary activities.

The Order on Description of the Organization of the Youth Voluntary Service defines the types and functions of voluntary organizations. The host organization is a non-profit legal entity registered in the Republic of Lithuania (an organizer of a voluntary service) that is capable of facilitating the development of volunteers in a personal or professional area and ensuring their support.  A volunteer is a young person who performs gratis activities for the benefit of society in the host organization. The organization providing voluntary services (savanorystės)  is an accredited non-governmental organization operating in the Republic of Lithuania, which can provide volunteer participation in volunteering activities, co-operation with the Host Organizations, provide methodological support to the Host Organizations for the assessment and evaluation of competencies acquired by the volunteer during volunteering.

Host organization functions: to provide volunteer activities and to create volunteer attendance schedules based on their individual needs, available and desired competencies; to enable volunteers to join the Host Organization team; sign volunteers in writing to the organization's internal rules and labor safety regulations; monitor voluntary activities and provide advice to volunteers on issues related to them; Inform the volunteer organization mentors about volunteer attendance according to the Host and Volunteer Organization agreement, but not less than once in one calendar month; to enable volunteers to attend their meetings with the mentor and other activities related to volunteering; to cooperate with the volunteer volunteer mentor during the voluntary service and at the end of it to inform the volunteer about the results achieved, the competences gained; in terms of financial capacity, help the volunteer organization to provide volunteering accommodation, meals, provision of activities or other necessary means; to help resolve conflicts between mentors, curators and volunteers or volunteers; to assist the volunteer organization, as appropriate, in providing administrative assistance to the volunteer; periodically organize meetings with volunteers to discuss issues related to volunteering. It is recommended that meetings be organized on a regular basis, at least once in 14 calendar days; Under the terms of the contract, help the volunteer develop the competencies required to carry out the activities; motivate the volunteer to participate in the assessment of competencies, to enable the volunteer to perform the tasks assigned, to present them to the curator and to discuss and evaluate the newly acquired / refined competences / achievements.

Functions of the volunteer organization: To advise young people who apply for volunteering, Host Choice and other volunteering issues. monitor and coordinate the volunteering activities of volunteers in host organizations and counsel volunteers; to monitor the activities of volunteers in the host organizations and the development of their competences, in accordance with the approved competencies acquired by the legal acts regulating the quality of the activities of the host organizations, in assessing and evaluating volunteering activities; to enable the volunteer to assess the competences acquired during volunteering, to perform the necessary tasks; to issue a voluntary service and a document certifying competences / achievements gained by a volunteer; to manage administrative expenses of volunteer expenses; Ensure proper administration of voluntary documents; to provide individual consultations with volunteers on issues related to the curators of the host organizations; consult and communicate with mentors and partners of other volunteer organizations; at the beginning and at the end of the volunteering, to evaluate the perspectives for gaining, gaining, refined competences / achievements, the results of volunteering and the use of acquired competence.

Functions of the Agency of Youth Affairs: to provide methodological assistance, recommendations to municipalities, volunteer organizations and host organizations, other state and municipal institutions and bodies, other natural and legal persons on issues related to the implementation of the voluntary service; organize accreditation of host organizations and voluntary organizations; to analyze the changes in the host organizations, the areas in which they operate, and their opportunities and the need for volunteers to be accepted; to organize and fulfill the recognition of volunteer competence; to analyze the number of young volunteers, achievements, qualitative and quantitative indicators of volunteering; with financial resources, to fund the activities of volunteer organizations; To promote the possibilities of youth voluntary service in Lithuania.

Responsible authority

The Agency of Youth Affairs is responsible for implementation the provisions of the Description.

Revisions/ Updates

There have been 6 revisions and updates till 2024, but not major.