Examples of volunteering in Montenegro:

Humanitarian work: There are numerous organizations in Montenegro that deal with humanitarian work and provide assistance to vulnerable groups of the population, such as the poor, refugees, senior citizens, children or people with disabilities. Volunteering in these organizations can include helping to distribute food, clothing and medical aid, providing support in shelters or accommodation centers, or organizing humanitarian actions and campaigns.

Environmental protection: There are organizations that deal with nature protection, forest preservation, beach cleaning, water protection and other environmental issues. Volunteering in these organizations can include participation in field actions, education about environmental protection or organization of environmental campaigns.

Social protection: There are organizations in Montenegro that provide support to vulnerable groups of the population, such as the homeless, victims of violence, people with mental health challenges or other socially vulnerable individuals. Volunteering in these organizations may include providing emotional support, organizing activities for social integration, or providing practical assistance in performing daily activities.

Culture and education: There are organizations that deal with the promotion of culture, art and education in Montenegro. Volunteering in these organizations may include helping in the organization of cultural events, working with young people in the field of education, or support in the promotion of the Cultural Heritage of Montenegro.

Volunteering in the local community: is extremely important because it allows individuals to directly contribute to their community and improve the living conditions of their fellow citizens.

We especially highlight volunteering in the local community in Montenegro through:

Volunteering in schools: as help in teaching, supporting students in learning, organizing school activities or decorating the school yard. The provision of opportunities for young people to share their skills and knowledge with other students through workshops or lectures is also highlighted.

Historical developments

The history of voluntarism in Montenegro, according to the publication “Voluntarism and public institutions”, is connected with the tradition of solidarity. According to this study, one of the typical forms of voluntary work in the past was “moba” (which is voluntary, co-operative work group on a farm), which, even today, is still very characteristic in rural areas. Moba is based on community members’ mutual help while doing work that is too large in scale for one family (harvesting, etc.).

The study further states that before the Second World War, people in Montenegro’s local communities usually worked together, building roads or erecting buildings of importance for the community. Sometimes even the ruling class in Montenegro voluntarily participated in this kind of activity. In the period after the Second World War, young people were actively taking part in “youth working action” (in Montenegrin: Omladinske radne akcije (ORA), organised annually, to contribute to the renovation of the devastated country. Whether and to what extent those labour activities were truly voluntary – or rather obligatory – is a highly debatable issue, which requires a careful analysis of the historical context and the political climate. However, those were occasions where young people from all regions of the country used to gather, work together, socialise, develop communication and other skills, and take steps towards the transition to adulthood. Taking part in these actions was a matter of self-representation in society and the recognition tools were the so-called “outstanding worker badges”. Those actions have been a big inspiration for some young artists and activists.

At that time, voluntarism was stimulated and implemented through community organisations which were active during the communist period in Montenegro such as the Scout Association, the “Gorani” Association, and the Red Cross. These organisations included a large number of young people in their work, while their importance was recognised and also financially supported by the state. Interest in voluntarism fell suddenly with the beginning of the conflict and the disintegration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, both within community organisations (transformed into non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the middle of the 1990s) and through other types of community engagement. The study “Voluntarism and public institutions” states that “low standards, examples of corruption, the sudden enrichment of some individuals, economic collapse, etc. all resulted in a huge loss of trust of people in state and public institutions. In most cases, it contributed to the feeling that voluntarism was an ‘illusion for naive people’ or ‘working for nothing’”.

The study describes that the 1990s in Montenegro can be recognised by the establishment of new civil society organisations with a strong focus on human rights, promotion of peace and solidarity, which emerged as an answer to the violent actions of leading political structures in the country and neighbouring countries. Many volunteers were engaged in providing support for refugees, as well as Montenegrin women, children and youth, who were facing extreme poverty and political discrimination during those years. In that period, the most recognisable voluntary work was that led and implemented by women and youth NGOs, especially in the sphere of promotion of non-violence and peace building (ANIMA from Kotor, SOS telephone for women and children victims of violence from Podgorica, Niksic, Montenegrin women’s lobby, Post-pessimists of Montenegro and many other NGOs). Young people were organising themselves into non-formal groups, joining already established organisations or creating new NGOs in order to volunteer and support those in need, or to make their voices heard. Since the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers, Montenegrin society has slowly been going back to the idea that volunteering is not just some relic from the communist past, but something important for the development of a democratic society.

Volunteering was the focus of several civil society organisations during that decade, and hundreds of volunteers were engaged in national voluntary activities every year through shortterm and long-term volunteering programmes of different organisations. Through the establishment of the National Voluntary Service ADP-Zid in 2001 and its partnership with and membership of European and worldwide voluntary service organisations’ networks (Alliance of Voluntary Service Organisations, Service Civil International (SCI), International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE)), youngsters got the opportunity to take part in facilitated short-term and midterm volunteering abroad. Through the work of the South East European Youth Network (SEEYN) since it was established in 1999, hundreds of young people have taken part in a regional exchange of volunteers that was financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the FRESTA programme for peace and stability.

The importance of volunteering has been recognised by the civil society and the state in general, which is illustrated by the fact is that Montenegro was one of the first countries in the region to adopt the National Strategy for Volunteerism Development (2010-2015) (Strategija razvoja volonterizma u Crnoj Gori 2010- 2015) and a law regulating volunteer work.

Main concepts

Under Article 2 of the Law on Voluntary Work (Zakon o volonterskom radu) (Official Gazette of Montenegro, Nos. 26/10, 31/10, 14/12 and 48/15), which has been in force since 2010, volunteering services are defined as “voluntary and free investment of time, knowledge and skills for performing of services or activities in favour of another person or for the general welfare of the society”.

This Law in Article 4 states that: “A volunteer shall be a person who shall voluntarily and free of charge perform volunteering services. A volunteer may be a domestic or foreign natural person of working age or a person with a disability who is qualified for performing particular voluntary work”. 

According to Article 11, the following actions are not considered as volunteering:

1) the performance of services or activities that one person is required to provide to another person under the law or other regulations;

2) the performance of specific obligations in accordance with court decisions andjudgments;

3) the performance of services or activities that are common in family, friendly or neighbourly relations (free help within a group of friends or neighbours, etc.).

However, the Youth Strategy 2017-2021 was recognised that volunteering defined by this Law is treated as a specific form of labour-legal relationship, rather than a voluntary and private initiative of citizens. There are also some assessments by CSOs which state that the legal definition is an unsatisfactory and unclear definition, and that it differs from the CSOs’ point of view that volunteering is the core of democracy and citizens’ participation in the socio-economic development of society, rather than unpaid work.

Volunteering in nursing homes: supporting senior citizens in local nursing homes by helping them with daily activities, socializing with them, organizing recreational activities or providing emotional support.

Volunteering at local libraries or museums: volunteering at local libraries or museums to help organize events, clean or archive materials, or as a visitor guide. Assistance in the promotion of culture and art through the organization of exhibitions, lectures or other cultural programs is also allocated.

Volunteering at local sports clubs: volunteer at local sports clubs, helping to organize sports events, coaching young athletes, or helping to maintain sports facilities.

Volunteering in local environmental organizations: Joining local environmental organizations and providing support in cleaning local beaches, forests or rivers, organizing environmental campaigns or educating the local community about environmental protection.