There is currently no unified, nationwide youth volunteering programme in Montenegro that is systematically organised, monitored, and funded by the state.

However, several youth volunteering schemes exist at the national level, implemented through formal education, civil society initiatives, and local community actions.

In the context of formal education, upper secondary schools (including gymnasiums and vocational schools) integrate volunteering as part of regular extracurricular activities. This is supported by the comprehensive educational programme “Voluntarism and Youth – Education Programme for Extracurricular Activities in Gymnasiums and Vocational High Schools”, developed jointly by the Bureau for Education Services, the Centre for Vocational Education, and the NGO ADP-Zid. The programme promotes civic engagement and solidarity through structured volunteer activities and is available here: UNV Knowledge Portal – Youth and Volunteering

Youth volunteering in Montenegro is also strongly supported by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through various projects and initiatives. Prominent examples include:

• ADP-Zid – one of the leading youth NGOs in Montenegro, which implements national volunteer programmes, coordinates local volunteer services, and serves as the national contact point for the European Solidarity Corps.
• Red Cross of Montenegro – mobilises large numbers of young volunteers in humanitarian work, community support, and emergency response.
• MoMSIC (Montenegrin Medical Students' International Committee) – engages youth in healthcare-related volunteering and peer education.
• Youth Network for Activism (MOA) – a well-known youth-led network that promotes civic activism, volunteerism, and social responsibility among young people across Montenegro through workshops, campaigns, and local actions.
• Forum MNE – works with youth on peacebuilding, social cohesion, and youth participation, often integrating volunteer activities in its programmes.
• Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR Montenegro) – supports volunteer engagement through programmes focused on reconciliation, democracy, and human rights education.
• NGO Juventas – involves young people in community outreach and support for marginalized groups through volunteer-based services.
• NGO CAZAS – focuses on health education and social inclusion, engaging young volunteers in awareness campaigns and field activities.
• Other NGOs

In addition, many municipalities host youth clubs and local volunteer services, established with the support of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and local self-governments, offering opportunities for youth to engage in community-based volunteering.

Although diverse and impactful, these initiatives are still not part of a unified national system, and there remains a strong need to develop legal, institutional, and financial mechanisms that will encourage, recognize, and scale youth volunteering across Montenegro (Link: https://www.gov.me/clanak/omladinski-servisi). 

Funding

The Youth Strategy 2023–2027 envisions the enhancement of financial mechanisms to support youth volunteer initiatives. It plans for the allocation of funds from the national budget through annual public calls announced by the Ministry of Sports and Youth, as well as through support from local budgets. Additionally, the strategy foresees the introduction of fiscal and material incentives for organizers of volunteer activities, along with the creation of a set of benefits for registered volunteers (e.g. free transportation, access to cultural events, certificates). 

Furthermore, the strategy encourages the use of European funding program - such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps - to finance youth volunteer projects.

Also, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Dialogue implements targeted programs aimed at supporting volunteer activities—such as the 2025 public call “Promotion of Volunteering and Volunteer Services to Increase Youth Employability”. This initiative provides financial support to civil society organizations working to enhance volunteer infrastructure and improve the employability of young people through volunteering.

Characteristics of youth volunteering

Youth volunteering in Montenegro faces numerous challenges, yet exhibits clear potential for growth. Despite being recognised as a valuable form of social engagement, youth participation remains low and sporadic.

According to the Youth Strategy 2023–2027, only 3.9 % of youth currently participate in volunteering, while 68 % have never volunteered. This low engagement is partly due to the existing legal framework, which treats volunteering primarily as unpaid labor rather than recognising it as a contribution to societal development. Additionally, financial and administrative burdens imposed on volunteer-organising bodies discourage youth organisations and other stakeholders from initiating volunteer projects. Such conditions limit volunteer opportunities and hinder the cultivation of values like empathy, solidarity, and community care.

Despite these barriers, the Strategy highlights that 50 % of youth (2022) express interest in being involved in social decision-making, and the same proportion engaged in educational or volunteering activities. Young people are increasingly turning to alternative forms of participation, such as online activism, grassroots initiatives, and social movements—including climate activism.
Volunteer participation is also influenced by educational and geographical context. Younger respondents participate more frequently, while engagement is lower among less-qualified youth. Information reliability is also tied to region: one in three youth from the northern region reports indifference toward the accuracy of online information, compared to one in four in central regions and one in six in the south.

Volunteering often overlaps with broader forms of civic participation, yet nearly two-thirds of youth (2018–2019) report disinterest in politics. Only 11 % of youth have full trust in the European Union, while 25 % have complete distrust. Male youth tend to show higher political interest than females. The youth voter turnout rate stands at 48.9 %, compared to 81.9 % among individuals aged 55+.

The Youth Strategy 2023–2027 outlines key measures to strengthen volunteer culture:

• Revise legislative framework to remove barriers for volunteer organisers
• Implement volunteer programmes in upper-secondary schools and universities
• Support local youth initiatives and fund volunteer projects
• Launch information campaigns about volunteering opportunities nationally and abroad
• Promote EU programmes like Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps
• Develop benefits for registered volunteers, based on needs assessments

Support for young volunteers

According to the Law on Voluntary Work, organisers and beneficiaries of volunteering in Montenegro are legally obligated to ensure fair, safe, and transparent conditions for volunteer engagement. Article 17 of the Law specifically requires organisers to conclude a written agreement with volunteers—both domestic and international—defining the tasks, duration, rights and responsibilities, as well as the previously agreed costs to be borne by the organiser, such as transport, accommodation, training, and other operational expenses.

Volunteers must be properly informed about organisational rules, potential risks, and internal procedures. When volunteering involves specific skills or knowledge, the organiser is responsible for providing appropriate training. Volunteers are entitled to reimbursement of agreed expenses as well as insurance coverage in case of injury or occupational illness, as outlined in Article 22 of the same Law.

In the case of international volunteers, organisers are further required to cover accommodation, training, and travel-related expenses, as specified in Article 21.

Moreover, volunteers are entitled to justified leave (e.g. due to illness, blood donation, or the death of a family member), and their participation must be officially recorded in a volunteer booklet. 

These legal provisions provide a fundamental framework for the protection of volunteers and promote a professional and responsible approach to volunteer engagement. By enforcing such standards, Montenegro supports the development of a sustainable and inclusive volunteering infrastructure aligned with European values and practices.

Quality assurance

According to the Law on Voluntary Work, the organiser of volunteering is obliged to keep records of concluded contracts. The Employment Agency has a responsibility to keep a central database of the organisers, beneficiaries of volunteering and volunteers, based on data provided by the organisers of volunteering. It should be noted that there are many volunteering programmes organised without signing a contract, since the Law is seen as restrictive, which is why this database is likely to be incomplete.

NGOs implementing projects that include volunteering, which are financially supported through public calls, submit reports on project implementation in line with the established procedures. They report on the number of young people taking part in volunteering activities and, depending on the project, include some additional information in their reports. However, there are no general criteria, indicators or standards used to assess the quality of programmes and schemes of youth volunteering and voluntaery based services (community and social services) in general.