 
### Volunteering for Families

NEDIM KAYA- Representing Volunteering For Families

Published by Nedim Kaya at Smashwords

Copyright © 2013 by NEDIM KAYA- Representing Volunteering For Families

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CONTENTS

Summary

Introduction

Description of the Project

Partners

National research of the situation of volunteer work on behalf of families: Portugal, Germany, Italy and Turkey

Comparative

Main findings from comparative

Good Practices

Good Practices in Portugal

Good Practices in Italy

Good Practices in Turkey

Good Practices in Germany

Disclaimer: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
**SUMMARY**

The project arises from the fact that 2011 was the European Year of Volunteering and that all of the organizations involved work in the field of providing services to families. The partners are four voluntary organizations working in Germany, Italy, Portugal and Turkey. Each partner has been involved in researching the situation of volunteer work on behalf of families in their own country and receiving the partnership on a visit focused on getting acquainted with the national situation of volunteer work, including the presentation of national best practices.

Volunteers for families is very hard field to recognize and to focalize because family is a multidimensional actor of modern societies, that is not clearly yet identified as a formal or informal actor of political issues, due to uncertain boundaries between public sphere and private life and the different models of care provisions to ensure to individual needs. It is well known that some of the deepest and widest family support services in Europe are provided by non-profit organizations to the families that they serve. With their natural financial restraints and natural involvement in active citizenship, these organizations frequently rely on volunteers to develop their actions and services on behalf of families at the lowest possible cost. However, volunteer service is not always properly acknowledged nor is there a common European framework that all the countries and organizations abide by.

This project based on exchanges is a way for the organizations involved on one hand to valorise their skills by presenting their experience and on the other hand to offer them new points of reference and ideas in their practice and context. Also, by including the training requirements and norms of each country, the results of this partnership will be helpful in creating a greater awareness of common and diverse European realities and contributing for a higher standard of volunteer work throughout Europe. Institutions involved in this project will have a first hand experience and participation in new approaches regarding the organization of volunteer work on behalf of families, responding to some of their own specific groups of priority intervention needs, whether it is the elderly, single parent families or any other.

Each partner has produced a national report of the situation of volunteer work on behalf of families, including a selection of Good Practices of voluntary associations working with families.

The main findings from the comparative analysis of the role of volunteer organization working on behalf of families are:

•In the last decades voluntary associations have been included as an actor of the welfare system, even if in the countries considered many areas of social policies, as those concerning family support, are still administered by or inspired by religious organizations.

From a traditional reparative and charitable role, the third sector moves on to pursue one of prevention and social promotion, with the intent of removing the causes that produce discrimination, social hardship, environmental degradation and poor quality of life.

•Although no country has a general volunteer training plan, the most part of organizations, working in all four countries, have volunteer training program. The training programs for volunteers are oriented at the specific type of initiatives they are involved and they take into account their education

•The most part of voluntary association which operate in social, health, assistant and protection of rights sector are partners of families strategies

•The main areas of volunteer working on behalf of families in all the countries are: sports, education and literacy, health and social care (children, persons with a disability, senior citizens), culture (leisure activities)

•Voluntary organizations share in the surveying of everyday life needs of many citizens or supporting family caregivers, promoting proximity network, developing a new rights-based culture and societal attitudes to challenge discriminations against sexism, ageing, disabilities, poverty, loneliness.

•Volunteers put in place, in their everyday activities, different means to meet people whose troubles could be left far from social services observatory, to listen to and to help persons to better understand their needs, to support families to keep in touch with the community, to promote proximities network around family care givers.

•Voluntary organizations are better placed to understand that in our societies new family models exist: households with a single member, mono parental families, couple composed of elderly brothers or sisters, transnational families whose members live in different countries, homosexual couples. In general, people are involved in a wide variety of relationship, trying to balance their different responsibilities along their life course.

•"2014 European Year for reconciling work and families" will be a big opportunity for voluntary organizations to strengthen their contribution on behalf of families, on a theoretical level and on the planning of the institutional actions: because better conditions to balance work and families responsibilities could free time, skills, resources in many women and men's life to dedicate to their personal development, even through their volunteering involvement.

INTRODUCTION

European citizens struggle with a wide economic crisis that is accompanied by a social crisis which is changing the role of the state in the provision of services. Many governments are involved in re-assessing the European Social Model , due to the lack of resources to sustain the welfare provision, and in many decisional areas has been beginning to take shape the idea that voluntary activities could and should replace the state role.

When European Council decided to promote 2011 as the European Year of Voluntary Activities Promotion Active Citizenship there was a very different economic and social situation in the European States (16 May 2007) but the resolution openly declared that " _voluntary activities need to be clearly distinguished from paid employment and should by no means replace it...and may not encourage employee's reduction of working time or withdrawal from the labour market_ ". (Resolution n. OJ C241M 20.09.2008).

The EYV (European Year of Volunteering) 2011 Alliance believes that " _limiting the value given to volunteers and volunteer-involving organizations to merely replacement vehicles for delivery of services previously provided by the State demonstrates a failure to appreciate the role, value and ultimately the impact of the sector...Volunteering plays a role as a complementary feature of the European Social model and should not be harnessed as integral feature of it_ " (P.A.V.E. 2011)

The statistical data show an increasing number of willing volunteers, along different ages, are available to share their expertise and time when and where it is needed and they are demonstrating that all types of voluntary activities, formal, non-formal, informal benefit the individual volunteer, communities and society as a whole.

How to promote and recognize this social, human and intergenerational capital which is not performed to replace economic cuts or justify political issues but it is a crucial aspect of fully developed countries and an intrinsic dimension of life? These issues are crucial concerns in areas of democracy, active citizenship and social cohesion and to contribute to the implementation of the basic values and principles of the European Union: solidarity, sustainable development, human dignity, equality and subsidiarity, European identity.

Volunteering can be defined in many different ways, as in the same person during the lifetime, but, concerning EYV 2011 recommendations, there are universal principles:

•All forms of voluntary activity, whether formal, non formal, informal  
•Undertaken of a person's own free-will, choice and motivation  
•Without seeking financial gain  
•Is a journey of solidarity and provides a way to address human, social and environmental needs and concerns  
•Is often carried out in support of a non-profit organization or community-based initiative.

Volunteers for families is very hard field to recognize and to focalize because family is a multidimensional actor of modern societies, that is not clearly yet identified as a formal or informal actor of political issues, due to uncertain boundaries between public sphere and private life and the different models of care provisions to ensure to individual needs.

Families are changing in many ways: most OECD countries have seen a decline in the fertility rate over the past three decades. Today almost no OECD country has a total fertility rate above the population replacement rate of two children per women. As a result the average household size has also declined over this period. At the same time, there has been a sharp increase in the proportion of women entering the labour force. The evidence on trends in child well-being is mixed, and important challenges remain. There are still large gender gaps in employment and earnings and one in eight children, on average across the OECD, still lives in relative poverty.

Family formation patterns are also changing. Increasingly, both men _and_ women want to first establish themselves in the labour market before founding a family. Hence, the age of mothers at first childbirth has risen and with it the probability of having fewer children than previous generations. Many women remain childless. Birth rates have fallen and life expectancy has increased, so there are fewer children and more grandparents than before.

For long time, unpaid family work has been regarded as a volunteering contribution of women to family income and there is still a large opinion on the fact that women would be more involved in voluntary activities because of their "natural" approach and unselfish capacities.

Despite European families have changed dramatically in recent decades, in many countries no recalibration has occurred in their welfare system and the "strong ties" family (Reher 1998) continues to be perceived in the public discourse and in policies as the un-ending resource for individual wellbeing. Many social priorities, such as reconciliation work and family issues, continuously have been defined as a women's issue.

It is well known that some of the deepest and widest family support services in Europe are provided by non-profit organizations to the families that they serve. With their natural financial restraints and natural involvement in active citizenship, these organizations frequently rely on volunteers to develop their actions and services on behalf of families at the lowest possible cost. However, volunteer service is not always properly acknowledged nor is there a common European framework that all the countries and organizations abide by.

Targeting volunteer organizations working with families, families that receive help from volunteers and also organizations operating in lifelong learning and social fields, this project aims to assess the different countries' realities on this matter and compare them, offering a focused yet wide perspective on this matter.

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT

_Volunteers for family_

The project arises from the fact, that 2011 was the European Year of Volunteering and that all of the involved organizations are working in the field of providing services for families. The partnership was comprised of organizations from Portugal, Italy, Germany and Turkey guaranteeing that at least the national situation of these 4 countries regarding this matter is analyzed.

The **objectives of this partnership** were:

•To raise awareness for the situation of volunteer practices in some European countries  
•To map the status of volunteer practices in some European countries  
•To verify training and learning opportunities for volunteers  
•To increase lifelong learning opportunities for volunteers intervening with and for families  
•To increase lifelong learning opportunities for workers of organizations promoting volunteer work on behalf of families  
•To promote the practice of volunteer work in all the countries involved  
•To collect best practices of volunteer work on behalf of families throughout Europe  
•To disseminate broadly the best practices in the field of volunteer work found by the partnership's research  
•To promote contents and innovative ways to stimulate non-formal lifelong learning  
•To promote the voluntary commitment and communication between generations in a dimension of solidarity and social cohesion.

To attain these objectives, **several actions** took place:

a) Each partner researched the situation of volunteer work on behalf of families in their own country. One of the levels of analysis shall focus training demanded and provided to volunteers as well as the supervision and evaluation of the volunteer work. Also the type, quality and specific actions of services on behalf of families that are based on volunteer work, were analyzed. Training provided prior and during volunteer work was compared and non-formal learning opportunities available to active volunteers were verified.

b)Additionally each partner organized a study visit for the other involved partners, including the presentation of national and local good practices, so that they get acquainted with the national and local situation of volunteer work.

c)By providing access to good practices in the field, this project promoted change in each country that is touched by this project - directly or through the dissemination activities \- by providing practical reflection on how the good practices shown can be adapted and implemented in another country.

d)Partners planned to promote volunteer work on behalf of families through the use of data and expertise collected. They wanted to create an easily accessible and usable tool for dissemination of local contexts and best practices and to experiment with different ways of promoting new ways of intervening and volunteering. The idea was to spread and disseminate the shared experience, results and products at national, European and worldwide level.

To reach this goal the partners agreed on a final product, which is a compilation on DVD of the national situations and best practices discussed and verified during the project. Also the product will be edited in e-book and application format. This DVD and E-Book are the partnership's active contribution to the European Year of Volunteering, hence responding to the European incentive to all organizations to actively propose and promote activities within the scope of the thematic year.

IMPACT AND BENEFITS

This project's framework was the European Year of Volunteering celebrated 2011 across Europe.

Simultaneously, family and family support issues are among some of the most relevant European priorities regarding social policies.

This project aimed to assess and describe the status quo of volunteer work on behalf of families throughout Europe connects both European priorities and offers an important insight on a parallel support system available to families in general, regardless of specific age groups or pre-defined specificities.

The specifically European nature of the project is its core as a project without a transnational dimension would not be able to assess and reveal the situation of volunteer work on each national level as each partner organization can and will. Also, the mobilities used were extremely useful to reveal similarities and differences between the involved European projects regarding this matter while also allowing for the dissemination of identified best practices in the field and contributing to new approaches on the organization of volunteer work focused of family support services.

Also, the World Family Organization's involvement in the dissemination of this project will make the European practices identified known on a worldwide level.

This project based on exchanges is a way for the organizations involved on one hand to valorise their skills by presenting their experience and on the other hand to offer them new points of reference and ideas in their practice and context. Also, by including the training requirements and norms of each country, the results of this partnership will be helpful in creating a greater awareness of common and diverse European realities and contributing for a higher standard of volunteer work throughout Europe.

Institutions involved in this project have a first hand experience and participation in new approaches regarding the organization of volunteer work on behalf of families, responding to some of their own specific groups of priority intervention needs, whether it is the elderly, single parent families or any other.

PARTNERS DESCRIPTION

**ANJAF** is a non-profit association that aims to encourage solidarity in families and the community, in order to promote equality, justice and progress, carrying out activities that contribute to socio-professional integration and socio-cultural development of all exposed groups. ANJAF is a certified training entity, providing training to at-risk target groups and staff that work with these groups. ANJAF also has a myriad of family support services such as GAF (with psychological and social support provided to families in need), CACI (helping people in their path to finding a job); Domiciliary Support Service (providing food, personal hygiene and house cleaning services to dependent elderly). ANJAF is involved in local, national and international networks and has a wide experience in European projects, namely at the coordination level.

**ANJAF** was the coordinator of this project, responsible for the general management of the project and the partnership and the timely completion of all administrative procedures.

**PARI E DISPARI** srl is an agency which is specialized in project on positive actions and on equal opportunities between men and women. It was created by women and its main activities are research, planning women centers and new services for women, training and vocational guidance, communication and organization of seminars, meeting, interviews. It works on a country level (Italy) and offers, aligned with the European development trends, ideas and services to handle equal opportunities policies between men and women, elderly women and elderly men, gender mainstreaming and families –social policies. It joined several European project within equal opportunities and ageing. Pari e Dispari is involved in local, national and international networks and has a wide experience in European projects, namely at the coordination level. Actually it working with a big regional Volunteers Organization for elderly persons and families in the north of Italy (Auser).

**GEMEINSAM LEBEN UND LERNEN IN EUROPA** e. V. (GLL) is a private non-profit network-organization in the region of eastern Bavaria, with its head office in Passau. The main emphasis of GLLs work is to initiate cooperation, activities and projects among the different individuals, organizations and communities who are all working to eliminate discrimination and inequality, wherever it appears. So there for members of the organization are local communities, districts, social organizations, private companies, decision makers and citizens. The promotion of equal opportunity for everyone is combated by projects and mainstreaming activities in the field of a) promotion of lifelong learning, b) fighting discrimination and racism by promoting tolerance and diversity, c) advancement of volunteer work within the community, d) the support of disadvantaged target groups, e) educational work, f) gender mainstreaming activities and g) innovative form of mainstreaming activities. GLL promotes mutual understanding and learning of each other as well as cooperation between all age groups as well as the people in Europe. The main target groups of GLLs activities are migrants, socially disadvantaged people, older people, less-qualified workers, unemployed, migrants, as well as immigrants, women, families, disabled people or people with health restrictions, because they are particularly affected by discrimination and inequality. GLLs goal is promote their integration into society by means of the activities and measures of their association and active involvement of the various target groups.

As an expert in the field of volunteer work GLL provided the partnership with some innovative measures for promoting and supporting volunteer work within the community: GLL runs an online platform on volunteer workplaces, provides training as well as advice and support services for volunteers, and initiated/supported some volunteer services for families, such as volunteer family coaches, setting up a community network for families, volunteer mentors. Some of its member organizations like pro-familia offer direct services for families.

**INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS ASSOCIATION.** Its aims are: to organize, support and coordinate individual Volunteers and Volunteering NGO's, educating them and gather their support in volunteer services. The main activities concern:

•To mobilize and coordinate volunteers.  
•To help and coordinate volunteers in implementing MDGs especially in fighting poverty, to support mother and child care and family issues,  
•To mobilize Volunteers during and after men made and Natural disasters,  
•To mobilize volunteers in environmental challenges,  
•To support educational programs in family and society.

The methods of the actions: make research's in implementation of the main aims, organize seminars, conferences and educational programs, make material and motivational aids to the people in need, open and support health centers, soup kitchens, orphanages, kindergartens and homeless rehabilitation centers, organize medical campaigns in disaster areas and less developed areas, , cooperate with other institutions and NGO's working in family care and education areas, make public opinion researches and publish in aimed projects, organize summer camps and educational programs for volunteers especially young volunteers, organize educational exchange programs, publish any necessary publications, video films and documentaries.

NATIONAL RESEARCH

OF THE SITUATION OF VOLUNTEER WORK ON BEHALF OF FAMILIES

Background

This chapter contains an overview of the national input from each country involved. Each partner offers general information about volunteering in their own country:

-HISTORY AND CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND  
\- INSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK,  
\- RECRUITMENT OF VOLUNTEERS  
\- TRAINING AND LEARNING  
\- ASSOCIATIONS SUPPORTING FAMILIES  
\- THE SPECIFIC ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS WORKING ON BEHALF OF FAMILIES

RESEARCH ON VOLUNTEERING IN PROTUGAL

LEGISLATION

1. Are there legal regulations regarding volunteer work?  
Yes, in Portugal volunteer work is legally regulated since 1998.

2. What are they? (main ideas) Are they enforced?  
•Law no. 71/98 of November 3rd: It lays the foundations of the legal framework of volunteering, based on 5 pillars: solidarity, participation, cooperation, complementarity; gratuity, responsibility and convergence.  
•Decree-Law no. 389/99 of September 30th: Regulates law 71/98 creating conditions to promote and support volunteering  
•Decree-Law no. 176/2005 of 25 October: changes the first point of article 4 of Decree-Law no. 389/99 of September 30th (regarding the Volunteer Identification Card)  
•Order no. No. 87/2006 of 24 January: approves a model of the Volunteer Identification Card.  
•Resolution No. 50/2000 of March 30 of the Ministers' Council: Defines the composition and functioning of the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering  
•Decree-Law n. º 40/89 of February 12: Establishes the voluntary social insurance, a voluntary contributory scheme under Social Security, in which volunteers can be framed.

Organizations are often unaware of the laws regulating volunteer work and therefore do not enforce what is legally required. Also, there is no supervision of organizations' procedures and practices regarding volunteer work and therefore there is little motivation to implement regulatory procedures. There are however largely structured and organized volunteer organizations, such as fire-fighters' associations, that tend to comply with the legal regulations.

**3. What are volunteers' (in general) rights and duties?**  
According to the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering, to intervene with people, families and communities is to establish a reciprocal relationship of giving and taking that demands rights and imposes duties. The following are expected in all types of volunteer work.

RIGHTS OF VOLUNTEERS:

• Develop a job according to their knowledge, experiences and motivations;  
• Have access to initial and continuing training programs;  
• Receive support in carrying out their work with monitoring and technical evaluation;  
• Have a proper working environment with hygiene and safety conditions;  
• Participate in decisions that relate to their work;  
• Be recognized with accreditation and certification for the work carried out  
• Agree with the sponsoring organization on a volunteer program, which regulates the terms and conditions of the work being undertaken.

DUTIES OF VOLUNTEERS:

REGARDING THE BENEFICIARIES:

• Respect the privacy and dignity of the person;  
• Respect the ideological, religious and cultural beliefs;  
• Maintain secrecy on confidential matters;  
• Use common sense in resolving unforeseen issues, informing those responsible;  
• Acting in a free and interested manner, without expecting financial or patrimonial compensation  
• Contribute to the complete personal development of the recipient;  
• Ensuring that the voluntary work is regularly exercised.

REGARDING THE PROMOTING ORGANIZATION:

• Comply with the rules and principles inherent in the activity in question, according to the domains in which the volunteer operates;  
• Know and respect the bylaws and functioning of the organization, as well as the standards and regulations of their programs and projects;  
• Work diligently, freely and solidarily;  
• Ensure the proper use of the property and resources made available to them;  
• Participate in training programs for a better performance of their work;  
• Settling conflicts in the exercise of their volunteer work;  
• Ensuring the regularity of the voluntary work undertaken.  
• Refrain from taking on the role of representative of the organization without their knowledge or prior authorization;  
• Use properly the identification as a volunteer in the performance of its activities;  
• Inform the promoting organization as far in advance as possible whenever there is an intention to interrupt or cease volunteering.

REGARDING THE PROFESSIONALS:

• Collaborate with the professionals of the promoting organization, enhancing their performance by sharing information and following the technical guidelines relating to their field of activity;  
• Contribute to the establishment of a relationship based on respect for the work that each one develops.

REGARDING OTHER VOLUNTEERS:

• Respect the dignity and freedom of the other volunteers, recognizing them as peers and valuing their work;  
• Fostering teamwork, contributing to good communication and a pleasant working and coexistence environment;  
• Facilitate the integration, training and participation of all volunteers.

REGARDING SOCIETY:

• Foster a culture of solidarity;  
• Disseminate the practice of volunteering;  
•Understand the social and cultural community where they operate as volunteers;  
• Complement the social intervention of the organizations in which they are integrated;  
• Transmit through their actions, the values and ideals of volunteer work.

TRAINING AND LEARNING

4. Does a general volunteer training exist? Is it mandatory?

It does exist; a training for trainers is provided by the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering and organizations should deliver it directly or ensure it is delivered as initial training for all volunteers. Training is both a right and a duty of volunteers according to Portuguese law, and the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering, that has as one of its purposes the qualification of volunteer work in Portugal, edited in 2005 a Training Manual that should be used as the core reference that organizations then should improve and adjust to specific needs and issues.

However, although recommended, this training is not mandatory.

5. Percentage of volunteers that attend general volunteer training

We do not have conclusive data regarding this matter.

However, in 2005, the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering launched a survey among registered volunteer organizations and organizations promoting volunteer work, in an attempt to assess the situation and create a national database.

Out of 6000 organizations contacted, 900 answered the survey providing the following framework:

\- 39% of the organizations provide training to its volunteers;

\- 17% of this training is general/basic, 14% is initial, 13% is specific and the remaining integrates several types of training.

\- 19% of the training was delivered by non-certified trainers while 57% was delivered by certified trainers (the remaining organizations didn't provide an answer for this question)

\- 59% of the organizations providing training use volunteer trainers, 13% use paid trainers and 29% use both.

Following the results of this survey, the Council in partnership with field organizations put together a training manual with guidelines for general training to be delivered in this field.

6. Who provides it? What are its contents?

Each organization is free to provide it to its own volunteers and any accredited training entity can provide certified training; however, the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering (NCPV) provides their own "training for trainers" namely regarding the use of the Training Manual rendered available to organizations. Also, ISU (Institute for University Solidarity and Cooperation) has a special status and is mandated by the Council and others (such as Youth In Action Program) to provide general training in the field of volunteer work.

As an example, here is the referential of the NCPV training:

Theme 1 - Introduction and Expectations   
Theme 2 - Solidarity: concepts and models   
Theme 3 - Inequalities, differences and asymmetries of the world   
Theme 4 - Development   
Theme 5 - Participation and global citizenship   
Theme 6 - Volunteering   
Theme 7 - The journey of Volunteering: history and facts   
Theme 8 - Motivations for Volunteering   
Theme 9 - Responsibilities of the volunteer and institutions   
Theme 10 - Presentation of the volunteer program   
Theme 11 - Interpersonal Relations   
Theme 12 – Teamwork

7. Is there another type of formal or non formal training provided?

Organizations using volunteer work should provide training to their volunteers. Some form of initial training is usually provided, often informally, using shadowing and other techniques. Also on-going formal training is sometimes provided, directly related to the roles of the volunteers. It is more likely for volunteers to have access to informal initial training that any other form of training during their volunteering period.

8. Training required from the volunteers (minimum level of education? Specific previous training?)

Directly depends on the roles, for some roles certain skills are required (such as experience or academic qualification in a specific area (e.g. APAV - Portuguese Victim Support Association works exclusively with volunteers and for the psychological and legal counselling of victims require fully certified volunteer psychologists and attorneys). However for many other activities, education is irrelevant (e.g. collection and storage of food for the Food Bank Against Hunger). Some volunteer positions demand previous attendance of specific training (e.g. ISU \- Institute for University Solidarity and Cooperation - requires attendance of 50h of specific training on Volunteering for Cooperation in order to accept volunteers for project _Nô Djunta Mon_ ).

9. Training and learning opportunities for volunteers during the volunteering period

Informal learning and training opportunities are varied and widespread in volunteer activities. However, regarding formal training and learning opportunities, most volunteers have initial training and not continuous training while in their volunteer positions.

MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEER WORK

10. Is volunteer work advertised? How? To whom?

Volunteer work is advertised mostly in the same way as paid work: through job ads in internet portals (e.g. www.portalemprego.eu is a job portal, one of the categories is volunteer work) or in the organizations' own websites (e.g. AMI – Assistência Médica Internacional at http://www.ami.org.pt/default.asp?id=p1p8p59p183&l=1). However there are many local "Volunteer Banks" managed by local governments (junta de freguesia or câmara municipal) and a centralized volunteer bank available at http://bolsadovoluntariado.pt where organizations post their volunteer opportunities and are contacted by potential volunteers. Another project that aims to make it easier to put together needs and willingness to help is http://www.inpakt.com, a Portuguese social platform that works a lot like face book (with profiles and connections between the members) that aims to facilitate interaction between those engaged in different causes and actions. Regardless of the actual website, the internet has become the primary tool for letting society know of volunteer opportunities.

11. How are volunteers "recruited"?

Volunteers are recruited online or by approaching the organization directly (in person or by postal mail). According to the Council for the Promotion of Volunteering, 39,8% of volunteers reach volunteering activities through family or friends and 29,7% through the parishes. The national Volunteer Bank represents an estimated 7,7% of the new volunteers.

Depending on the organization and role, there may be elaborate recruiting processes, similar to a job recruitment, including CV analysis and interview(s) or not.

12. How are volunteers initially attracted/motivated?

According to the National Council for Volunteering, 50% of volunteers are motivated by the gratification of "doing good" and 33,7% by personal fulfilment. Recently, with the unemployment rate affecting greatly new graduates, there has been a rise in "professional" volunteering motivated by the need to acquire work experience in order to be competitive in the labour market. However the most common type of volunteer is probably the recently retired that seeks to find occupation in a newly available week full of time that used to be occupied with work. There is no pattern in how volunteers are initially attracted or motivated, volunteer positions in Portugal are almost exclusively completely unpaid and financially demanding; in some organizations there may be reimbursement of expenses incurred in the delivery of the volunteer work (with transportation for instance) but even that is not common, most volunteers completely support their volunteer activity based on their own goals for doing the volunteer work. It is relevant to state that NCPV statistics show that 10,9% of volunteers are students, 28,1% have a professional activity and 7,3 are unemployed; 56,5% of volunteers are over 56 years old and 41,6% are already retired; 78,4% are regular volunteers cooperating with the organization at least once a week and globally there is no difference in the number of female and male volunteers.

13. How do organizations contribute to keep them motivated?

There is no pattern, it depends on the organizations but some organize some form of "volunteer appreciation day"; some distribute volunteer certificates regularly (certifying the work that has been done), some completely integrate volunteers as part of the team making no difference between volunteers and staff (apart from the salary, of course).

14. Are they supervised? How?

It depends on the organization and the work being done. Usually there is some form of "control" of the work done, even more so when it involves responsibility. Volunteers may be completely integrated into fully functional and organized volunteer teams with their own hierarchical system or be mixed with regular staff, responding either to a common coordinator or a specific volunteer coordinator. Either way, some form of supervision is the norm. It is important to state that although legally volunteers should be covered by a volunteering contract and a volunteer project properly defined and developed, plenty of times this is not the reality of volunteer work and many volunteers are not properly (legally) framed in the organizations they volunteer for.

15. Are they evaluated? How?

Again, there is no national pattern or rule; it depends on the organization and the role. Sometimes there is an extensive results' evaluation, similar to what is done with employees, however sometimes there is no formal evaluation taking place. What tends to happen is that a volunteer may be dismissed from a volunteer position or directed to a different position if the performance is not appropriate.

MISCELLANEOUS

Is there a tradition of volunteer work in your country?

The concept of volunteer work used in the Portuguese law is narrow and limited to formal and organized volunteering forms. This type of volunteer work, apart from the local volunteer fire brigades and the Portuguese Red Cross is still not very commonly used in Portugal, presenting a lower rate than the average of the other European countries (our average is 12% while the European average is 24%). However Portugal has a centuries old spirit of community that involves non-formal forms of volunteer work, directed to activities within the family or local neighbourhood, such as helping an elderly neighbour or cleaning up the local children's park, that are outside the scope of the law regulating volunteer work. It is relevant to say that until the mid-70's, and for several decades, there was no right of free association between individuals; the Portuguese associations and third sector non-profit organizations are a recent trend in Portugal, historically speaking, with the exception of religious organizations that have a history of providing for the poor and helpless that dates back to the XIIth century.

Organisations of volunteers for families are secular or religious-inspired?

The origin is mixed, stemming from instructions and resources given by the royal family to religious orders instructing them to care for those in need: the poor and the sick. This is the many centuries old origin of the several Portuguese "Santa Casa da Misericórdia" (Holy House of Mercy) that with a mixed religious and secular origin are then notorious for involving common citizens in the regular development of their activities. This is still the case of many private organizations of social solidarity (as is the most common legal denomination of third sector organizations largely dependent on state funding). Also the local catholic parishes continue to be a very powerful mobilizer of people, namely for local activities towards the benefit of local citizens or organizations. So traditionally voluntary work was associated with organizations with a religious basis and mainly focused on charity work; nowadays it is also connected with social support, solidarity, equal rights and environmental issues.

What are the 3 main areas of intervention by volunteers in your country? (environmental protection, humanitarian and human rights areas, social and health issues, culture, sports, education, other)

Social and health issues, education, other (local volunteer fire brigades are the most common volunteer associations and the most common form of regular and continued volunteer work in the country).

What type of organizations have volunteers working with families?

All types of organizations. Traditionally it's mainly Holy Houses of Mercy, Fire brigade associations and the Red cross, as well as local catholic nursing homes and elderly care centers. However recently corporate social responsibility has made it possible for large corporations alone or in partnership with others (other enterprises or local non-profits organizations) to donate employees' time and resources thus contributing to the diversification of the organizations that have volunteers working on behalf of families. It should also be noted that several large companies have been developing a social intervention side of them, not only collaborating with others but actually launching themselves projects to involve their employees and the community in volunteer activities on behalf of local causes. (e.g. Delta Cafés is a large coffee producing and distributing Portuguese company that has a very active intervention side, namely with volunteer projects on behalf of the community in which their employees are encouraged to participate as volunteers).

What roles do volunteers have in these organizations?

Depending on the organization, volunteers may have literally all types of roles. According to a research undertaken by ISU-Instituto de Solidariedade Universitária cited by the Study on Volunteering in the European Union – Country Report Portugal (2010), the mains tasks performed by volunteers are the following:

-93% - participation in social organisms  
-85% - seeking of financing  
-72% - public information campaign  
-60% - direct support to beneficiaries in specialized tasks.

It is also important to state that the Executive Board of most NGOs/associations are, by definition, volunteers, unpaid for their work in managing the organization.

What are the main areas of volunteer work on behalf of families?

Education and literacy; health care; elderly care; children and youth; disability; environment; culture, migration; addiction.

Is there a difference in the work done on behalf of families by volunteers and the work done by workers of organizations?

No, there is no difference. Volunteers can and do perform all sorts of tasks and roles in different organizations. Legally volunteer work cannot replace paid work; however, particularly in the third sector where organizations are struggling to survive, volunteer work can be found replacing paid workers in an effort to reduce costs. (Source: Study on Volunteering in the European Union – Country Report Portugal, 2010).

MAIN SOURCES:

•http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/pdf/national_report_pt_en.pdf  
•http://www.fundacaoeugeniodealmeida.pt/DirEscrita/Uploads/As%20motiva%C3%A7%C3%B5es%20no%20trabalho%20volunt%C3%A1rio.pdf  
•http://www.voluntariado.pt/left.asp?01.03.02.01  
•http://quadernsanimacio.net/ANTERIORES/quince/Voluntariado.pdf

RESEARCH ON VOLUNTEERING IN GERMANY

LEGISLATION

1. Are there legal regulations regarding volunteer work?

There are no general legal regulations regarding volunteer work in Germany. However, there is a framework and a special legal status for those volunteers, who are part of the "Bundesfreiwilligendienst" (Federal Voluntary Year of Social Service) and of the "Voluntary Year of Social Service".

There is a law on the promotion of volunteering (Gesetz zur Stärkung des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements).

2. What are they? How are they enforced?

Although volunteers engaged in the Voluntary Years are not regarded as employees, the relationship between volunteers and the host organization is treated equally as an employment under public law protection regulations. Volunteers are covered by social insurance, receive pension, accident, health care and rehabilitation as well as unemployment insurance. Unemployed people may also volunteer, without a reduction of their unemployment benefits.

However, this only applies to the "Bundesfreiwilligendienst" and to the Voluntary Year of Social Services and not to general volunteering. Other volunteers do not have a special legal status.

There is a legal regulation, that service substitution is not allowed. There are provisions that establish that volunteering cannot replace services that should be provided by the state.

The law on the promotion of social engagement includes a number of tax relief provisions for volunteers. According to that law trainers have a tax allowance of 2,100€ per year. Income from an activity for a public corporation of up to 500€ per year are exempt from tax. It also regulates that membership fees for associations are tax-deductible as special expenses.

TRAINING AND LEARNING

3. Does a general volunteer training exist? Is it mandatory?

There is no general volunteer training.

4. Is there another type of formal or non-formal training provided?

In certain areas volunteers have to attend a general training.

Service in the voluntary fire brigade or emergency services for example requires a special training. Telephone counselling and volunteering in a hospice also requires a strict training.

In other areas, no special training is required and therefore not provided.

5. Training required from the volunteers (minimum level of education? Specific previous training?)

As varied as the activities themselves are, the requirements for volunteers are, too. The fact that the content of the volunteer´s activities has become more and more diversified, but the level of the requirements decreased at the same time, is remarkable. This also indicates the higher level of elder volunteers, who are not able to fulfil the same requirements as the younger ones. Social and emotional competences dominate especially youth and adult education, health and social affairs. Abilities that are often required are creativity and imagination, as well as time management. Related to male committed, a talent for organization, leadership qualities and expertise still play a big role.

In some organisations, working with children is only possible when providing a police check or a certificate of good conduct.

6. Training and learning opportunities for volunteers during the volunteering period

Volunteering offers a lot of opportunities for all groups of ages. Young people benefit from informal learning by "improving their resilience, commitment and organizational skills" (GHK 2011: 38). They can gain specialised knowledge as well as many other social competencies. Especially young people may improve their employability by having a reference letter from a voluntary organisation.

Elder people also profit from volunteering as they stay active and feel that they are needed. The intergenerational dialogue is also enhanced. Volunteering enables all volunteers to gain new experiences and gain a positive attitude towards life.

MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEER WORK

7. How are volunteers "recruited"?

Most of the volunteers are recruited via personal contact. The direct approach usually works best. There are also organisations that are very well-known in Germany (Caritas, Malteser, Kinderhilfswerk) and therefore do not need to make any advertisement. If people want to volunteer, they usually contact the organisations on their own initiative because these are the organisations they first think of when thinking about volunteering.

There are also volunteer agencies (e.g. Tatendrang, Munich) that help people find "their" volunteer work. If an organisation has to offer a placement, they will let the agency know. The agency in turn offers a 'counselling session", where volunteers will be provided with information and can find a volunteer position that matches their wishes and needs.

MISCELLANEOUS

Is there a tradition of volunteer work in your country?

Yes, there has always been a big tradition of organised volunteering in Germany. The tradition of volunteering dates back to the 19th century. The national level of volunteering is traditionally high. In the last 10 years the percentage of people, who are willing to commit themselves, has risen from 26% to 37%.

Organisations of volunteers for families are secular or religious-inspired?

There are both secular and religious-inspired organisations. There is a long tradition of church organisations like for example Caritas, Malteser and Diakonie in Germany. In the areas of sports, culture and voluntary fire brigade, almost all organisations are secular.

What are the 3 main areas of intervention by volunteers in your country? (environmental protection, humanitarian and human rights areas, social and health issues, culture, sports, education, other)

10% of the population were engaged in sports in 2009, most of them in associations and clubs. Sports is therefore still is the biggest area of engagement, followed by voluntary engagement in kindergartens, schools, and church. Other areas are culture, art and music (5%). What concerns the other areas (youth work, civic engagement, health, crime problems and nature conversation), only voluntary fire brigade and emergency rescue services reach a higher percentage than 3%.

This distribution is an effect of the different interests of volunteers as well as the offers of the civil society. You can see that women and men, teenagers and seniors participate in some areas more than in others. Since 1999 social and ecological engagement as well as children and youth care and also cultural and environmental volunteering have increased. Commitment in sports and leisure activities has slightly decreased.

What type of organizations have volunteers working with families?

In 2009 the majority (59%) of volunteer's activities did not address a certain target audience. Primarily this can be explained with gender differences, because men rather get involved for a certain subject, while women prefer persons.

What roles do volunteers have in these organizations?

Volunteers assume all kinds of roles. They either directly support families by taking care of their children, helping with household chores, going shopping etc. They may also assist with bureaucratic paperwork or help organising other activities. They do not need to be in direct contact with the families as they can also assume the role of an organiser. To summarise, the work ranges from practical, administrative, organizational to social tasks.

In general, there is no limit to the number of roles that a volunteer can assume.

What are the main areas of volunteer work on behalf of families?

Sports, education and literacy, health care (children, persons with a disability, senior citizens), culture (leisure activities).

MAIN SOURCES

-Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (2009): Monitor Voluntary Activities. Volunteering in Germany. Summary of the 3rd Survey on Volunteering.

http://www.bmfsfj.de/BMFSFJ/Service/Publikationen/publikationsliste.html?

-GHK (2010): Volunteering in the European Union .

http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/pdf/doc1018_en.pdf

-GHK (2011): Study on Volunteering in the European Union. Country Report Germany.

 http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/pdf/national_report_de_en.pdf

RESEARCH ON VALUNTEERING ITALY

LEGISLATION

1. Are there legal regulations regarding volunteer work?

Three main laws have been created in order to give a legislative framework to this role and determine the nature of the relationship between public authorities and voluntary organisations.

The law 266/91, also known as the "framework law for volunteering", was the first step taken by the government in these regards. In addition to defining the activity of volunteering and voluntary organisations,: the regional registries, with the formalities for voluntary organisations to receive their funds; the National Observatory for Volunteering and its functions; and, the Special Fund. The Special Fund is financed by Bank Foundations and distributed to each Volunteering Service Centre on the territory. It is then managed by a Management Committee set up within each of these Centres. Its creation was particularly important in that it symbolised the first step towards delegation of responsibilities to regions.

Law 460/97, also known as the "Onlus37 law", concerns voluntary organisations which, through the registration in the regional registries, are automatically recognised as non-profit organisations with social utility (Onlus). This system enables Onlus to benefit from tax incentives, in aid of non lucrative organisations with social utility.

Finally, law 328/2000, also known as the "framework law for assistance reform", was established in 2000 in order to reaffirm the positive contribution of voluntary organisations to meeting social policy objectives. More specifically, it drew a legislative framework within which voluntary organisations are called to cooperate with public authorities in the designing and implementation of social assistance projects.

It is also important to note that, Italian regions have, since 2001, administrative and legislative powers. More specifically in the context of volunteering regions have the power to create their own legislative framework in addition to the national framework. These pieces of legislation generally define the processes through which voluntary organizations can: get registered in the Regional Registry; receive the funds from the region; and, draft conventions with local authorities for the delivery of certain services.

**2. What are they? How are they enforced?**

Whilst the national legislative framework on volunteering defines very specific characteristics which a person needs to fulfil in order to be called a "volunteer", no legal status is conferred to the person carrying out this activity.

Anyone wishing to carry out voluntary activities can do so without any consequences on his/her benefits (e.g. unemployment benefits, social benefits etc.).

The precondition that volunteering is before anything else carried out gratuitously and for solidarity purposes implies that the first incentive to become a volunteer is the personal growth benefit that people gain through these activities.

Volunteering actually play the role of a "structural component of the social policy of the country."

3. What are volunteers' (in general) rights and duties?

Law 266/91 stipulates that volunteers can be reimbursed by their organisation of the expenses they have incurred while carrying out their voluntary activities. The limit for the reimbursement is left to the discretion of the volunteer and her/his organisation who shall pre-determine the conditions at the start of the volunteer's involvement.

The law does not however specify which expenses can be reimbursed; it is left to the volunteer's and her/his organisation's discretion. Nevertheless, in general terms volunteers are reimbursed of any transport and subsistence costs.

In relation to expenses, volunteers are not taxed on the amounts reimbursed by voluntary organisations. Volunteers are entitled to a mandatory insurance for their work, and they can be paid only for the refund of well substantiated expenses.

TRAINING AND LEARNING

4. Does a general volunteer training exist? Is it mandatory?

The recognition of skills and competences are not yet recognised in Italy at a legislative level. Whilst the government has not yet recognised the role of volunteering in education policies, FEO-FIVOL is cooperating at the European level with other organisations for the development and promotion of the AVE project (Assessing Voluntary Experience). The most part of organizations have volunteer training programmes. The training programmes for volunteers are oriented at the specific type of initiatives they are involved, and they take into account their education.

5. Is there another type of formal or non-formal training provided?

In certain areas volunteers have to attend a general training. With the acquisition of an increasingly important role in the areas of health and social assistance, it has become clear in the voluntary sector that more structured and regular training was needed for volunteers thinking of engaging, or already engaged, in voluntary activities.

Training is provided by three different entities:

•Volunteer service centres – they organise generic training for people interested in becoming volunteers. It consists in explaining the concept of volunteering and its legislative framework, what are the sectors people can chose to volunteer in and where to find voluntary organisations which are happy to explain what they do and how they do to the general public.

•Organisations – big voluntary organisations and organisations requiring very specific skills organise their own training sessions. These are very structured and offer the prospective volunteer the tools for carrying out their activities as well as the possibility to reflect whether this is an activity for them or not.

•Civil protection organisations – because these organisations deal with emergency relief, it is crucial that volunteers be appropriately trained in first aid and other relevant areas. They therefore provide their own training sessions.

6. Training required from the volunteers (minimum level of education? Specific previous training?)

Volunteers in Italy generally tend to hold an upper school degree. 44.4% of the surveyed volunteers had an upper school degree and 42.8% had a lower degree. Conversely, 12.8% were holders of university degrees.

Furthermore, the same survey showed that this trend was already established in 1995 with 52.4% of volunteers had a lower degree, 36.3% had an upper school degree and only 11.3% of volunteers held a university degree. Finally, female volunteers are generally more educated than male volunteers (14,6% have a university degree, 47,2% have an upper school degree against 11,3% of male volunteers with a university degree and 42,1% with an upper school degree).

7. Training and learning opportunities for volunteers during the volunteering period

As part of a incentive to encourage young people to engage in voluntary activities, a "credit' system has been implemented in some schools and universities:

\- In schools – young people who engage in voluntary activities are then credited with positive points. These points are not the equivalent of a class, but they are taken into account at the end of the academic year in the judgement of the overall pupil"s performance. As a result, a pupil who may not excel in certain classes but carried out voluntary activities can receive an overall more favourable judgement on his performance.

\- In universities – students who decide to carry out voluntary activities during their academic year can obtain a certification of their experience and submit this certificate to get their experience taken into account as an additional topic/class they have "attended". In this case, the volunteering experience is counted as part of the academic course and has the same value as other classes.

VOLUNTARY SERVICES CENTERS (NUMBERS - 2009)

104,779 logistic services  
74,269 advices  
54,000 training hours – 72,639 people  
15,425 volunteering consueling  
162,839 students  
4,590 promotional initiative  
15,050 communication services

MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEER WORK

8. How are volunteers "recruited"?

There are many ways of recruiting volunteers in relation to the specific aims of voluntary activities and to the specific skills and competences of people to get involved.

It's depends by different commitments: it's quite different for Catholic tradition from laical tradition. The direct approach usually works best for adult people. Some volunteers agencies offer a "counselling session" to match the needs of the association with the motivation and the competences of volunteers.

Volunteering in Italy, in particular in relation to young people, is particularly viewed as a civic education experience. In the past decade two factors have contributed to volunteering gaining this role: on the one hand, civic education in schools has been slowly taken out of the education curriculum and now represents only a few hours over a limited number of academic years; on the other hand, the national military service has been abolished. Young people today are therefore less aware of the importance of solidarity and the consequences of their own actions on their communities and direct environment. Thus, volunteering has become an opportunity to sensitive young people to become responsible citizens and respond to the needs not only of more vulnerable citizens, but also of their communities as a whole. In relation to elderly people, who in 2003 represented 29% of active volunteers, volunteering is an opportunity to socialise and continue to contribute to society.

It is evident, on the other hand, that the crucial role played by voluntary organisations in the health and social assistance sectors means that it must significantly contribute to social policy goals.

In general, volunteering is seen as a possibility to contribute to society and be a responsible citizen. This is often considered a motivation in itself. More specifically, a study has been carried out by FEO-FIVOL in 2008 (on 1,904 volunteers) on the motivating factors for people to undertake voluntary activities. The following reasons emerged:

•Altruism – 55.3%  
•Personal growth – 51.1%  
•Participation – 48.2%  
•Values – 45.1%  
•Socialising – 27.9%  
•Sensitisation – 17.1%  
•Religion – 13.8%

However, whilst the majority of people beyond 60 years old (63.2%) chose to volunteer for altruistic motivations, a significant share of young people below 29 years old chose to volunteer for personal growth (71.5%).

MISCELLANEOUS

Is there a tradition of volunteer work in your country?

There are many forms of voluntary organizations with different ideological commitments.

In Italy there is a widespread Catholic tradition but there is also a secular tradition of voluntary associations.

The non-profit sector in Italy, as for most European countries, can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with the first organised form of volunteering based in Tuscany: Confraternite di Misericordia. Until the 19th century, it was mainly characterised by religious institutions dedicated to charitable activities in the areas of social, welfare and health. Consequently, the Italian welfare system expanded greatly after World War II and saw its role increase through the public provision of health and education services. It is important to note, nevertheless, that whilst social security, health and education were largely provided by the government, most other social services, although funded by public authorities as a result of the 1890 law, were administered primarily by Catholic organisations.

This trend started reversing in the 1990s with the increasingly pressing issue of the fiscal crisis of the welfare system characterised by a reduction in State's expenditure. As a response to this crisis, Italy witnessed an increase in the number of community-based non-profit organisations created in order to respond to the needs no longer (effectively) addressed by the State. Thus, from a traditional reparative and charitable role, the third sector moves on to pursue one of prevention and social promotion, with the intent of removing the causes that produce discrimination, social hardship, environmental degradation and poor quality of life.

Organisations of volunteers for families are secular or religious-inspired?

There are both secular and religious-inspired organizations.

It is only at the end of the 19th century, when the country's process of unification came to an end, that the predominant presence of the church in the non-profit sector became challenged. As Italy became a State in 1860, a new political elite was created which wished to reduce the strength and influence of the Catholic Church and its institutions: in 1866 and 1867, two laws were passed aimed at slowly reducing the presence of the Church by either suppressing religious orders and congregations or confiscating the assets of religiously-affiliated institutions.

Finally, in 1890, the State reaffirmed its presence in the sectors formerly covered by the Church passing a law for the creation of a state controlled social services system thus incorporating within the public sector all organisations offering social services.

What are the 3 main areas of intervention by volunteers in your country? (environmental protection, humanitarian and human rights areas, social and health issues, culture, sports, education, other)

Today, non-profit organisations in Italy play a crucial role in providing social services and contributing to achieving social policy goals. As a consequence of the decentralisation of health and social services subjecting non-profit organisations to local authorities, as well as flowing from the recent increase in the number of services being contracted to these organisations by local authorities, some areas of health and welfare are heavily dependent on the non-profit sector.

The most complete set of data per sector is available for 2003 and reveals that:

•28% of organisations operate in the health sector;  
•27.8% operate in the social assistance sector;  
•14.6 operate in the leisure and culture sector;  
•9.6% operate in the civil protection sector;  
•3.2% operate in the education sector;  
•4.4% operate in the environment sector;

•2.8% operate in the protection of rights sector;  
•2% operate in the sports sector; and,  
•7.6% operate in other sectors.

Whilst data for 2006 is incomplete, it is nevertheless interesting to note that between 2003 and 2006 there has been a switch between health and social assistance: in 2006, 47% of voluntary organisations operated in the social assistance sector whilst the share of organisations working in the health sector decreased to 22.2%.

Profile of volunteers by employment status

Regarding the profile of volunteers in terms of employment status, in 200315:

•52.2% were employed;  
•29% were retired; and,  
•18.3% fell within an alternative category (e.g. students, housewives, unemployed etc.)

Time dedicated to volunteering

The 2006 survey estimated that out of the 1.125 million volunteers operating in Italy, 57.3% of these volunteers (650,000) carry out their voluntary activities on a regular or systematic basis and was committed to an average of five hours a week. Overall, this means that in 2006, approximately 3.2 million hours a week were dedicated to volunteering, the equivalent of the work produced by 80,600 full time employees.

What type of organizations have volunteers working with families?

The most part of voluntary association which operate in social, health, assistant and protection of rights sector are partners of families strategies. In Italy, individuals and families have been mainly left to their own resources. Care needs of the elderly, i.e., are more strongly familialised than those of small children, both through the sheer lack of services and though the priority given to payments for care over the provision of services. As a matter of the fact, although care receiving remains in Italy a fully incomplete social right, in every policy areas (except health), this is particularly a case for frail elderly.

In the organizations working with families, women are more involved than men, less in decisional roles.

What roles do volunteers have in these organizations?

Family caregivers are supported by volunteering activities in many kinds of role. They support in a direct way taking care of elderly people, visiting them, helping in household chores, taken them to the doctor's, to shopping, to the social centers, or assisting them in bureaucratic activities.

In two of the most important national organisation, Auser and Caritas (the former is secular, the second one is religious-inspired) volunteers support family responsibilities and promote proximity network (as good neighborliness) in collaboration with public institutions.

In Auser, a national organization working in all Italian regions, a free call line (24hours), every day of the year, allows elderly and their families to escape from loneliness and obtain practical answers to everyday needs, to maintain good level of self-sufficiency and personal autonomy. Transport services and support of the elderly and / or disabled to medical appointments, continuous treatment and social activities. These services are of great importance especially for people with reduced autonomy and with family networks rarefied, distant or not able to ensure the continuity of the commitment required.

Caritas Ambrosiana has promoted a voluntary association that is present in all parishes. It offers many services: listening centres, work point , centers for young people. "Become the neighbor" is the name of a social cooperative in which many volunteers of Caritas Ambrosiana work. Volunteers are engaged with young people, supporting children in homeworks, and with immigrants supporting them in learning Italian language and helping them in administrative activities.

What are the main areas of volunteer work on behalf of families?

Listening, health care (children, persons with a disability, elderly), supporting family caregivers, promoting proximity network, developing a new rights-based culture and societal attitudes to challenge discriminations against ageing, disabilities, poverty, loneliness.

MAIN SOURCES:

GHK (2011): Study on Volunteering in the European Union. Country Report Italian.

 http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/pdf/national_report_de_en.pdf

Ministry of social solidarity, _Volontariato_ – _Rapporto biennale sul volontariato in Italia 2005_ (statistical data available for 2003)

Italy"s response to the questionnaire "Voluntary activities in Italy", compiled by the Council of Ministers" Presidency, Department of Youth, 2008

Regional centre for Volunteering Service Centres in Lombardy website: http://www.csvlombardia.it/Index.asp?ID_Menu=81.

RESEARCH ON VOLUNTEERING IN TURKEY

LEGISLATION

1. Are there legal regulations regarding volunteer work?

There are no general legal regulations regarding volunteer work in TURKEY. However, there are some regulations in different legislations that are mentioning volunteerism.

For example Turkish Law of Association mentions, "The services of the association are carried out by the volunteers or paid personnel assigned pursuant to the decision of the board of directors."

Although there is no regulation on volunteerism there are hundreds of Associations and Foundations that have "Volunteer" in its name.

2. What are they? How are they enforced?

There is no legal regulation that forbids allowances to the volunteers. There is a common understanding that Volunteering is to attend or support the activities within the scope of a Non Governmental Organization, community or a social responsibility attempt without expecting something in return.

TRAINING AND LEARNING

3. Does a general volunteer training exist? Is it mandatory?

There is no general volunteer training.

4. Is there another type of formal or non-formal training provided?

There are no other types of formal or non-formal volunteer training.

5. Training required from the volunteers (minimum level of education? Specific previous training?)

Each organization sets its own regulations on volunteer's specification. Institutions organize training program for the advancement of volunteers supporting their activities. Some foundations and associations about volunteering are trying to improve the voluntary action and interaction between volunteering organizations and universities in Turkey by providing training programs for the volunteers.

6. Training and learning opportunities for volunteers during the volunteering period

There are NGO's, Universities and government institutions organizing volunteer trainings. TEGV is a good example. All the activities in TEGV are realized with the help of volunteers, who are over 10.000 people. Anyone who is over 18 can be a TEGV volunteer. The volunteer candidates can participate in TEGV activities as "Activity Volunteer", "Support Volunteer" or "Volunteer Trainer" according to their knowledge, skills, experience and preferences by allocating at least 2 hours a week.

MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEER WORK

7. How are volunteers "recruited"?

Most of the volunteers are recruited via institutional announcements and campaigns. There are certain organizations that receive huge amount of applications without any initiative.

Most of the volunteer works in Turkey student associated. Usually students spend their spare times for volunteering their effort to help the NGO's that provide them with scholarship. Many students live in dormitories managed by NGO's and help them in implementing their services.

There are limited NGO's help training and organizing volunteering work for other organization. Usually each organization train volunteers for their own aims.

MISCELLANEOUS

Is there a tradition of volunteer work in your country?

Yes. Although the form is a little different volunteering always has been available through Foundations (Vaqf) and religious communities. Religious communities are a kind of spiritual guidance and volunteering center for believers. Although people are reluctant to mention their membership to religious communities, 6.1 per cent of the total population has admitted that they are member of at least one religious community.

There are 31.469 foundations that have been founded during Ottoman Empire and still functioning either by managing board or by General Directory of Foundations.

There are more than 164.000 Associations and 57.000 foundations officially registered by related government institution so far and more than 4.547 foundations, 86.000 associations and 60.000 trade unions and cooperatives are active which mostly leaned on volunteer physical efforts or financial support of volunteers.

One in 14 people consider himself/herself as volunteer but this may be not reliable since many people consider "volunteering" as a contemporary term and do not accept their volunteer effort in traditional and religious organizations as volunteerism.

Organizations of volunteers for families are secular or religious-inspired?

There are both secular and religious-inspired organizations. Traditional organizations are mostly religious related while contemporary organizations that are founded in recent years are mostly secular. There are very strong secular volunteer hiring organizations working in education, ecology, culture, orphanage and many other areas.

1/3 of the donations being made based on religious duties, 1/4 for traditional responsibilities while 1/9 for social responsibilities.

What are the 3 main areas of intervention by volunteers in your country? (Environmental protection, humanitarian and human rights areas, social and health issues, culture, sports, education, other)

**According to** TUSEV- CIVICUS report called **"Civil Society in Turkey: At a Turning Point":**

•Of all the associations in Turkey, 18.1% work in delivering religious services,  
•14.3% are sports associations, and  
•13.7% social solidarity organizations

Followed by professional solidarity associations at 10% and development and construction associations at 9.5%. This means that 65% of associations concentrate on social services and delivery activities (DoA, 2008).

Foundations follow a similar pattern. Social aid (56.1%), education (47.5%) and health (21.84%) are the three top work areas among foundations. Only 1.28% of foundations report carrying out activities that fall under democracy/law/human rights (GDF, 2009).

In addition to the concentration of their work areas, types of activities also reveal that CSOs work heavily in social areas. The top three CSO activities are organizing social gatherings (66.1%), dinner organizations (63.1%) and meeting celebrities (50.1%) (YADA, 2010).

What type of organizations has volunteers working with families?

Family is one of the most volunteer related subjects in Turkey. Recent years volunteer families and NGO's almost let orphanages empty by joining revolutionary campaign against homeless situation. Street children quantity radically dropped after municipalities accepted special campaigns together with volunteer families and NGO's.

Sheltering efforts for women victims of violence remaining unsuccessful. However volunteer's efforts are worth to recognize. NGO's and municipalities where volunteer students and youngsters are taking the main role during distribution are supporting almost every family under the poverty limit. Many NGO's organized reliable in the specific area of collecting mobile response teams derived from volunteers in as shortest time as possible during disasters and nationwide incidents.

Although only 0.57 percent of foundations established directly for family subjects, many non-related foundations and associations work on family issues.

Following are the most popular family related areas that volunteers working:

•Family protection and support organizations  
•Family health organizations  
•Family Planning Associations  
•Women councils and platforms  
•Organizations for Weak and Homeless People  
•Gender equality organizations  
•Women research organizations  
•Women educational and cultural centers  
•Mother Child Educational Centers  
•Women sheltering organizations  
•Women entrepreneurship organizations  
•Women Solidarity organizations

What roles do volunteers have in these organizations?

Volunteers assume all kinds of roles that employees should carry out. 57% of the NGO's have no paid employees which means they use volunteers to accomplish their functions. 41 per cent of the NGO's have 6 to 20 volunteers. According to figures of June 2011, 595 foundations have 1.004.170 volunteers as work force. 30% of volunteers help more than one organization. There is no limit to the number of roles that a volunteer can assume.

What are the main areas of volunteer work on behalf of families?

Health care, education, culture , sports, and literacy,

MAIN SOURCES

\- General directorate for women status

<http://www.kadininstatusu.gov.tr/tr/html/172/Ankara>

\- General Directorate of Family and Community Services

<http://sgb.aile.gov.tr/tr/>

\- Study on Religious Communities

 http://www.haberturk.com/gundem/haber/641873-turkiyenin-en-buyuk-cemaati-hangisi

\- Study on CSO's

http://www.turkcebilgi.com/ansiklopedi/t%C3%BCrkiye%27de_sivil_toplum_kurulu%C5%9Flar%C4%B1

\- Volunteer's situation in NGO's

http://www.google.com.tr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CHYQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstk.bilgi.edu.tr%2Fdocs%2Fkeyman_std_4.pdf&ei=PA0cUYevJ8z54QTR4oGQDA&usg=AFQjCNGPctrua1RNnX9TqjpXdrkEel0hqA&sig2=tjtRfh9Ebb1MG2llg-qbvg&bvm=bv.42261806,d.bGE&cad=rja

\- TUSEV REPORT

http://www.tusev.org.tr/content/default.aspx?c=73&s=124

COMPARATIVES

History and contextual background

Portugal

Until the mid-70's, and for several decades, there was no right of free association between individuals. The Portuguese associations and third sector non-profit organizations are a recent trend in Portugal, historically speaking, with the exception of religious organizations that have a history of providing for the poor and helpless that dates back to the XIIth century. Traditionally voluntary work was associated with organizations with a religious basis and mainly focused on charity work; nowadays it is also connected with social support, solidarity, equal rights and environmental issues.

Germany

There has always been a big tradition of organised volunteering in Germany. The tradition of volunteering dates back to the 19th century. The national level of volunteering is traditionally high. In the last 10 years the percentage of people, who are willing to commit themselves, has risen from 26% to 37%. There are both secular and religious-inspired organisations. There is a long tradition of church organisations like for example Caritas, Malteser and Diakonie in Germany. In the areas of sports, culture and voluntary fire brigade, almost all organisations are secular.

Italy

The non-profit sector in Italy can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with the first organised form of volunteering based in Tuscany: Confraternite di Misericordia. Until the 19th century, it was mainly characterised by religious institutions dedicated to charitable activities in the areas of social, welfare and health. After World war II the Italian welfare system expanded, but most social services were administered primarily by Catholic organisations. As a response to the recent crisis, Italy witnessed an increase in the number of community-based non-profit organisations created in order to respond to the needs no longer (effectively) addressed by the State. Thus, from a traditional reparative and charitable role, the third sector moves on to pursue one of prevention and social promotion, with the intent of removing the causes that produce discrimination, social hardship, environmental degradation and poor quality of life.

Turkey

Although the form is a little different, volunteering always has been available through Foundations (Vaqf) and religious communities. Religious communities are a kind of spiritual guidance and volunteering center for believers. There are 31.469 foundations that have been founded during Ottoman Empire and still functioning either by managing board or by General Directory of Foundations. There are both secular and religious-inspired organizations. Traditional organizations are mostly religious related while contemporary organizations that are founded in recent years are mostly secular. There are very strong secular volunteer hiring organizations working in education, ecology, culture, orphanage and many other areas.

1/3 of the donations being made based on religious duties, 1/4 for traditional responsibilities while 1/9 for social responsibilities.

Institutional and Legal Framework

Portugal

In Portugal volunteer work is legally regulated since 1998. Law no. 71/98 of November 3rd: It lays the foundations of the legal framework of volunteering, based on 5 pillars: solidarity, participation, cooperation, complementarity; gratuity, responsibility and convergence.

Resolution No. 50/2000 of March 30 of the Ministers' Council: Defines the composition and functioning of the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering

Decree-Law n. º 40/89 of February 12: Establishes the voluntary social insurance, a voluntary contributory scheme under Social Security, in which volunteers can be framed.

Organizations are often unaware of the laws regulating volunteer work and therefore do not enforce what is legally required.

Germany

There are no general legal regulations regarding volunteer work in Germany. There is a framework and a special legal status for those volunteers, who are part of the "Bundesfreiwilligendienst" (Federal Voluntary Year of Social Service) and of the "Voluntary Year of Social Service". In the Voluntary Years, the relationship between volunteers and the host organization is treated equally as an employment under public law protection regulations. Except for this case, other volunteers do not have a special legal status.

There is a law on the promotion of volunteering (Gesetz zur Stärkung des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements). There is a legal regulation, that service substitution is not allowed. There are provisions that establish that volunteering cannot replace services that should be provided by the state.

Italy

There are three main laws.

The law 266/91,"framework law for volunteering",defines the activity of volunteering and voluntary organisations, the regional registries,the formalities for voluntary organisations to receive their funds; the National Observatory for Volunteering and its functions; and the Special Fund (financed by Bank Foundations and distributed to each Volunteering Service Centre on the territory).

Law 460/97, "Onlus law", concerns voluntary organisations which through the registration in the regional registries are automatically recognised as non-profit organisations with social utility (Onlus).This system enables Onlus to benefit from tax incentives.

Law 328/2000,"framework law for assistance reform". It drew a legislative framework within which voluntary organisations are called to cooperate with public authorities in the designing and implementation of social assistance projects.

Italian regions have, since 2001, administrative and legislative powers: to create their own legislative framework in addition to the national framework. These pieces of legislation generally define the processes through which voluntary organisations can: get registered in the Regional Registry; receive the funds from the region; and, draft conventions with local authorities for the delivery of certain services.

Turkey

For example Turkish Law of Association mentions, "The services of the association are carried out by the volunteers or paid personnel assigned pursuant to the decision of the board of directors."

Although there is no regulation on volunteerism there are hundreds of Associations and Foundations that have "Volunteer" in its name.

There is no legal regulation that forbids allowances to the volunteers.

There is a common understanding that Volunteering is to attend or support the activities within the scope of a Non Governmental Organization, community or a social responsibility attempt without expecting something in return.

Recruitment

Portugal

Volunteers are recruited online or by approaching the organization directly (in person or by postal mail). According to the Council for the Promotion of Volunteering, 39,8% of volunteers reach volunteering activities through family or friends and 29,7% through the parishes. The national Volunteer Bank represents an estimated 7,7% of the new volunteers.

Depending on the organization and role, there may be elaborate recruiting processes, similar to a job recruitment, including CV analysis and interview(s) or not. Volunteer work is advertised mostly in the same way as paid work: through job ads in internet portals (or in the organizations' own websites).There are many local "Volunteer Banks" managed by local governments and a centralized volunteer bank where organizations post their volunteer opportunities and are contacted by potential volunteers. Another project that aims to make it easier to put together needs and willingness to help is a Portuguese social platform that works a lot like facebook. Internet has become the primary tool for letting society know of volunteer opportunities.

Germany

Most of the volunteers are recruited via personal contact. The direct approach usually works best. There are also organizations that are very well-known in Germany (Caritas, Malteser, Kinderhilfswerk) and therefore do not need to make any advertisement. If people want to volunteer, they usually contact the organizations on their own initiative because these are the organizations they first think of when thinking about volunteering.

There are also volunteer agencies (e.g. Tatendrang, Munich) that help people find "their" volunteer work. If an organisation has to offer a placement, they will let the agency know. The agency in turn offers a 'counselling session", where volunteers will be provided with information and can find a volunteer position that matches their wishes and needs.

Italy

There are many ways of recruiting volunteers in relation to the specific aims of voluntary activities and to the specific skills and competences of people to get involved.

It's depends by different commitments: it's quite different for Catholic tradition from laical tradition. The direct approach usually works best for adult people. Some volunteers agencies offer a "counselling session" to match the needs of the association with the motivation and the competences of volunteers.

Volunteering in Italy, in particular in relation to young people, is particularly viewed as a civic education experience. Thus, volunteering has become an opportunity to sensitive young people to become responsible citizens and respond to the needs not only of more vulnerable citizens, but also of their communities as a whole. In relation to elderly people, who in 2003 represented 29% of active volunteers, volunteering is an opportunity to socialise and continue to contribute to society.

Turkey

Most of the volunteers are recruited via institutional announcements and campaigns. There are certain organizations that receive huge amount of applications without any initiative.

Most of the volunteer works in Turkey student associated. Usually students spend their spare times for volunteering, their effort to help the NGO's that provide them with scholarship. Many students live in dormitories managed by NGO's and help them in implementing their services.

Training and Learning

Portual

Training is not mandatory. A training for trainers is provided by the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering and organizations should deliver it directly or ensure it is delivered as initial training for all volunteers. Training is both a right and a duty of volunteers according to Portuguese law, and the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering, that has as one of its purposes the qualification of volunteer work in Portugal, edited in 2005 a Training Manual that should be used as the core reference to improve and adjust to specific needs and issues.

Each organization is free to provide training activities to its own volunteers and any accredited training entity can provide certified training. Informal learning and training opportunities are varied and widespread in volunteer activities.

Regarding formal training and learning opportunities, most volunteers have initial training and not continuous training while in their volunteer positions.

Germany

There is no general volunteer training. In certain areas volunteers have to attend a general training.

Service in the voluntary fire brigade or emergency services for example requires a special training. Telephone counselling and volunteering in a hospice also requires a strict training.

In other areas, no special training is required and therefore not provided. As varied as the activities themselves are, the requirements for volunteers are, too. For example, working with children is only possible when providing a police check or a certificate of good conduct. Young people benefit from informal learning by "improving their resilience, commitment and organizational skills". They can gain specialised knowledge as well as many other social competencies. Especially young people may improve their employability by having a reference letter from a voluntary organisation.

Elder people also profit from volunteering as they stay active and feel that they are needed.

Italy

The recognition of skills and competences are not yet recognised in Italy at a legislative level. FEO-FIVOL is cooperating at the European level with other organisations for the development and promotion of the AVE project (Assessing Voluntary Experience). The most part of organizations have volunteer training program. The training programs for volunteers are oriented at the specific type of initiatives they are involved and they take into account their education. Training is provided by three different entities:

• Volunteer service centres – they organise generic training for people interested in becoming volunteers;  
• Organisations – big voluntary organisations and organisations requiring very specific skills organise their own training sessions. These are very structured and offer the prospective volunteer the tools for carrying out their activities ;  
• Civil protection organisations – because these organisations deal with emergency relief, it is crucial that volunteers be appropriately trained in first aid and other relevant areas.

Volunteers in Italy generally tend to hold an upper school degree. Female volunteers are generally more educated than male volunteers. To encourage young people to engage in voluntary activities, a "credit' system" has been implemented in some schools and universities.

Turkey

There is no general volunteer training. There are no other types of formal or non-formal volunteer training. There are limited NGO's help training and organizing volunteering work for other organization. Usually each organization train volunteers for their own aims. Each organization sets its own regulations on volunteer's specification. Institutions organize training program for the advancement of volunteers supporting their activities. Some foundations and associations about volunteering are trying to improve the voluntary action and interaction between volunteering organizations and universities in Turkey by providing training programs for the volunteers.

An interesting example is TEGV a big organization, with over 10.000 people. Anyone who is over 18 can be a TEGV volunteer. The volunteer candidates can participate in TEGV activities as "Activity Volunteer", "Support Volunteer" or "Volunteer Trainer" according to their knowledge, skills, experience and preferences by allocating at least 2 hours a week.

Associations Supporting Families and Role of Volunteers

Portual

All types of organizations work with families. Traditionally it's mainly Holy Houses of Mercy, Fire brigade associations and the Red cross, as well as local catholic nursing homes and elderly care centers. However recently corporate social responsibility has made it possible for large corporations alone or in

partnership with others to donate employees' time and resources thus contributing to the diversification of the organizations that have volunteers working on behalf of families.

The main areas of volunteer working on behalf of families are: education and literacy; health care; elderly care; children and youth; disability; environment; culture, migration; addiction.

Germany

In 2009 the majority (59%) of volunteer's activities did not address a certain target audience. Primarily this can be explained with gender differences, because men rather get involved for a certain subject, while women prefer persons. Volunteers assume all kinds of roles. They either directly support families by taking care of their children, helping with household chores, going shopping etc. They may also assist with bureaucratic paperwork or help organising other activities. They do not need to be in direct contact with the families as they can also assume the role of an organiser.

The main areas of volunteer working on behalf of families are: sports, education and literacy, health care (children, persons with a disability, senior citizens), culture (leisure activities).

Italy

The most part of voluntary association which operate in social, health, assistant and protection of rights sector are partners of families strategies. In Italy, individuals and families have been mainly left to their own resources. Care needs of the elderly, i.e., are more strongly familialised than those of small children, both through the sheer lack of services and though the priority given to payments for care over the provision of services.

In the organizations working with families, women are more involved than men, less in decisional roles. Family caregivers are supported by volunteering activities in many kinds of role. They support in a direct way taking care of elderly people, visiting them, helping in household chores, taken them to the doctor's, to shopping, to the social centers, or assisting them in bureaucratic activities.

The main areas of volunteer working on behalf of families are: listening, health care (children, persons with a disability, elderly), supporting family caregivers, promoting proximity network, developing a new rights-based culture and societal attitudes to challenge discriminations against ageing, disabilities, poverty, loneliness.

Turkey

Family is one of the most volunteer related subjects in Turkey. Recent years volunteer families and NGOs almost let orphanages empty by joining revolutionary campaign against homeless situation. Street children quantity radically dropped after municipalities accepted special campaigns together with volunteer families and NGO's.

Sheltering efforts for women victims of violence remaining unsuccessful. However volunteer's efforts are worth to recognize. Many NGO's organized reliable in the specific area of collecting mobile response teams derived from volunteers in as shortest time as possible during disasters and nationwide incidents.

Although only 0.57 percent of foundations established directly for family subjects, many non-related foundations and associations work on family issues.Following are the most popular family related areas that volunteers working:

Family protection and support organizations; Family health organizations; Family Planning Associations; Women councils and platforms; Organizations for Weak and Homeless People; Gender equality organizations; Women research organizations; Women educational and cultural centers; Mother Child Educational Centers; Women sheltering organizations; Women entrepreneurship organizations; Women Solidarity organizations.

MAIN FINDINGS FROM COMPARATIVE

In all four countries volunteering presents a long tradition: the non-profit sector can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with a religious basis and mainly focused on charity work.

In the last decades, voluntary associations have been included as an actor of the welfare system, even if in the countries considered, many areas of social policies, as those concerning family support, are still administered by or inspired by religious organizations.

From a traditional reparative and charitable role, the third sector moves on to pursue one of prevention and social promotion, with the intent of removing the causes that produce discrimination, social hardship, environmental degradation and poor quality of life.

In two of the four countries, Portugal and Italy, volunteer work is legally regulated: in each country there is a national framework . In Portugal, the law lays the foundations of the legal framework of volunteering, based on 5 pillars: solidarity, participation, cooperation, complementarity; gratuity, responsibility and convergence.

In Italy, the laws define the activity of volunteering and voluntary organisations, the regional registries, the formalities for voluntary organisations to receive their funds; the National Observatory for Volunteering and its functions and the Special Fund. Furthermore, in a recent law for "assistance reform" voluntary organisations are called to cooperate with public authorities in the designing and implementation of social assistance projects.

In Germany, volunteers do not have a special legal status, except for people who are part of the "Bundesfreiwilligendienst" (Federal Voluntary Year of Social Service) and of the "Voluntary Year of Social Service". In the Voluntary Years, the relationship between volunteers and the host organization is treated equally as an employment under public law protection regulations.

In Turkey, there are no general legal regulations regarding volunteer work . However, there are some regulations in different legislations that are mentioning volunteerism. There is a common understanding that Volunteering is to attend or support the activities within the scope of a Non Governmental Organization, community or a social responsibility attempt without expecting something in return.

In relation to the specific aims of voluntary activities and to the specific skills and competences of people to get involved, **the ways of recruiting** **volunteers are different.** It's also depends by different commitments: it's quite different for religious tradition from laical tradition.

In all 4 countries, the direct approach usually works best. In Italy, this approach usually is more relevant for adult people. For young people, a big role is played by schools and universities, because voluntary work is viewed as a **civic education experience**. At regional level, there are volunteers agencies offering a "counselling session" to match the needs of the association with the motivation and the competences of volunteers.

In Germany, most of the volunteers are recruited via personal contact too; there are also organisations that are very well-known in Germany (Caritas, Malteser, Kinderhilfswerk) and therefore do not need to make any advertisement. Besides, there are more and more volunteer agencies working on local level

(e.g. Tatendrang, Munich) or online platforms (e.g. Tatennetz Passau) that help people find "their" volunteer work.

In Portugal, volunteers are recruited online or by approaching the organization directly (in person or by postal mail): 39,8% of volunteers reach volunteering activities through family or friends and 29,7% through the parishes. Depending on the organization and role, there may be elaborate recruiting processes, similar to a job recruitment, including CV analysis and interviews. A recent Portuguese social platform works a lot like facebook. Internet and has become the primary tool for letting society know of volunteer opportunities.

Most of the Turkish volunteers are recruited via institutional announcements and campaigns. Most of the volunteer works in Turkey student associated. Usually students spend their spare times for volunteering, their effort to help the NGO's that provide them with scholarship. Many students live in dormitories managed by NGO's and help them in implementing their services.

Although no country has a general volunteer training plan, **the most part of organizations, working in all four countries, have volunteer training program.** The training programs for volunteers are oriented at the specific type of initiatives they are involved, and they take into account their education.

In Portugal, training is not mandatory, at the same time training is considered both a right and a duty of volunteers according to Portuguese law, and the National Council for the Promotion of Volunteering, that has as one of its purposes the qualification of volunteer work. A Training Manual, edited in 2005, should be used as the core reference to improve and adjust to specific needs and issues.

In Germany, in certain areas volunteers have to attend a general training. Service in the voluntary fire brigade or emergency services for example requires a special training. Telephone counselling and volunteering in a hospice also requires a strict training. Young people benefit from informal learning by "improving their resilience, commitment and organizational skills" and they may improve their employability by having a reference letter from a voluntary organisation. Elder people also profit from volunteering as they stay active and feel that they are needed.

Each Turkish organization sets its own regulations on volunteer's specification. Some foundations and associations about volunteering are trying to improve the voluntary action and interaction between volunteering organizations and universities by providing training programs for the volunteers.

An interesting example is TEGV a big organization, with over 10.000 people. Anyone who is over 18 can be a TEGV volunteer. The volunteer candidates can participate in TEGV activities as "Activity Volunteer", "Support Volunteer" or "Volunteer Trainer" according to their knowledge, skills, experience and preferences by allocating at least 2 hours a week.

In Italy, training is provided by three different entities: a) Volunteer service centres – they organise generic training for people interested in becoming volunteers; b) Big voluntary organisations and organisations requiring very specific skills: training sessions are very structured and offer the prospective volunteer the tools for carrying out their activities ;c) Civil protection organisations – because these organisations deal with emergency relief, it is crucial that volunteers be appropriately trained in first aid and other relevant areas. Volunteers in Italy generally tend to hold an upper school degree.

Family is One of the Most Volunteer Related Subjects in All Cour Countries.

The most part of voluntary associations which operate in social, health, assistant and protection of rights sector are partners of families strategies. In Italy, individuals and families have been mainly left to their own resources. Care needs of the elderly, i.e., are more strongly "familiarised" than those of small children, both through the sheer lack of services and though the priority given to payments for

care over the provision of services. In the organizations working with families, women are more involved than men, less in decisional roles.

In Portugal, all types of organizations work with families. Traditionally it's mainly Holy Houses of Mercy, Fire brigade associations and the Red cross, as well as local catholic nursing homes and elderly care centres. However recently corporate social responsibility has made it possible for large corporations alone or in partnership with others to donate employees' time and resources thus contributing to the diversification of the organizations that have volunteers working on behalf of families.

In Germany, volunteers working on behalf of families assume all kinds of roles. They either directly support families by taking care of their children, helping with household chores, going shopping etc. If volunteers work directly with kids, they must submit an expanded police certificate of good conduct. They may also assist with bureaucratic paperwork or help organising other activities. They do not need to be in direct contact with the families as they can also assume the role of an organiser.

In Turkey, although only 0.57 percent of foundations established directly for family subjects, many non-related foundations and associations work on family issues. Recent years volunteer families and NGO's almost let orphanages empty by joining revolutionary campaign against homeless situation. Street children quantity radically dropped after municipalities accepted special campaigns together with volunteer families and NGO's.

The main areas of volunteer working on behalf of families in all the countries are: sports, education and literacy, health care (children, persons with a disability, senior citizens), culture (leisure activities). They shared in the surveying of everyday life needs of many citizens or supporting family caregivers, promoting proximity network, developing a new rights-based culture and societal attitudes to challenge discriminations against ageing, disabilities, poverty, loneliness.

Volunteer organizations put in place, in their every- day activities, different means to meet people whose troubles could be left far from social services observatory, to listen to and to help persons to better understand their needs, to support families to keep in touch with the community, to promote proximities network around family care givers. They can forestall many health pains or hazard or guess that some life events could change a family equilibrium (the loss of a job, becoming disables, the breakup of a marriage).

Volunteers are often engaged in contrasting discriminations and violence against all ages women, transferring data and methodologies to social services workers, to promote new professional cultures with health workers and public security agents, to foster network to answer promptly to women and their children needs to be put in security.

Voluntary organisations are better placed to understand that in our societies new family models are coming out: households with a single member, mono parental families, couple composed of elderly brothers or sisters, transnational families whose members live in different countries, homosexual couples, where people are involving in a wide variety of relationship, trying to balance their different responsibilities along their life course.

Next year, 2014, could be designated by the European Parliament as  
**"European Year for reconciling work and families".**

In the Written declaration 32 Work Life balance means:

1. Making a difference in the quality of life for everyone in our society, including people living with disabilities, elderly and family carers  
2. Realising gender equality in practice  
3. More motivated and productive workforce  
4. Prevention of poverty  
5. A positive impact on child well-being.

A better support for reconciliation measures will enable women and men in all kinds of family models to exercise greater choice in balancing work and family life on the basis of their individual needs and preferences, and will also contribute to achieving the major policy objectives of the EU; it could trigger responses to pressing challenges such as demographic change, economic and financial crisis, unemployment, poverty and social exclusion; it could reduce gender wage inequalities, and can be a key element for sustainable employment and income-led recovery, as well as have a positive impact on demography and enable careers to fulfil their care responsibilities.

This area of political issues will be a big opportunity for volunteer organizations to support their contributions on behalf of families, on a theoretical level and on the planning of the institutional actions: because better conditions to balance work and families responsibilities, in different phases of the life, could free time, skills, resources of many women and men to dedicate to their personal development, even through their volunteering involvement.

Disclaimer:

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

GOOD PRACTICES

This document contains brief descriptions of several good practices of voluntary associations working with families.

Each country describes their good practices, following this schema:

1. NAME OF ORGANISATION  
2. GOALS  
3. TYPES OF VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY  
4. TYPE OF INTERVENTION AND SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES  
5. ROLE, TASK AND DUTIES OF THE VOLUNTEERS  
6. WHY IS IT A GOOD PRACTICE OF VOLUNTEERING ON BEHALF OF FAMILIESI PORTUGAL

GOOD PRACTICES IN PORTUGAL

NAME OF PROJECT/ACTIVITY

Tempo para Dar  
(Time to Give)

Location (Country, place)

Portugal, Campo Maior

Name of organisation

Coração Delta/Delta Cafés

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Corporate social responsibility, support to the local elderly population.

Target group of project/activity

Isolated elderly population living in the area of each of the Delta Cafés commercial departments

Aim of project/activity

To allow local organizations an increased number of volunteers for their elderly support activities.

Types of volunteer activity

Accompanying elderly people in external activities (going to the supermarket, doctor, post office, etc), organizing elderly's medication, helping with administrative tasks (filling our requirements, social security documents, etc), taking elderly out for a walk or to the garden, read the newspaper to someone with sight impairment, among others.

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

The organization Delta Cafés allows 2 paid hours per month for the workers interested in participating in the project to volunteer with local organizations in order to support their activities with the most isolated elderly. Activities aren't previously defined and differ according to the elderly person's needs

Recruiting procedures

Project advertised internally and workers registered for participation. Screening interview and successful completion of training required.

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Delta Cafés staff willing to commit 2h per month to improve the life of local isolated elderly people

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

Volunteers have clearly defined roles directly with the beneficiaries of partner organizations, there is no cross between staff and volunteers intervention.

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Promoting access to basic goods and services, keeping company, offering assistance in non-technical areas.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Specific training provided prior to the onset of volunteer activities

Recognition

Certificate

Resources needed for project/activity

Partnership with local organizations that intervene with the elderly; Time to interview all potential volunteers that register; administrative work (who is volunteering with whom and when)

Policies and regulations

N/A

Obstacles/barriers

N/A

Why is it a good practice?

It brings benefits to the beneficiaries of the volunteering, in this case the elderly; it is very well received by the volunteers themselves and doesn't interfere with other schedules as it is done during working hours; brings benefit to the company that has seen this project widely advertised in multiple media, local national and internationally.

Contact details

**Name:** Associação Coração Delta  
**Address:** Rua Brasil, 4, 7370 Campo Maior, Portugal  
**Phone number:** +351268 699 450  
**E-mail:** claudia.gama@delta-cafes.pt **  
Website:**  www.delta-cafes.pt/pt/sustentabilidade/responsabilidade-social/projectos-deresponsabilidade-social **  
**<http://centroeducativoalicenabeiro.org/frontend>
NAME OF PROJECT/ACTIVITY

N/A (see organization)

Location (Country, place)

Portugal (nationwide)

Name of organisation

APAV - Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima (Portuguese Victim Support Association)

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Victim support

Target group of project/activity

Victims of crimes

Aim of project/activity

To support victims of crime and their families and friends, offering them quality, confidential and free services; to contribute to the improvement of private and public social policies, focused on the statute of victim.

Types of volunteer activity

Victim support and organizational support

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

Legal, Psychological, Social support to the victims seeking support; administrative support to the organization as a whole.

Recruiting procedures

Interested professionals contact the organization offering their volunteer work and are screened through their CV and an interview.

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Minimum 18 years old; responsible, interested, willing and able to commit to the project and confidentiality principles. Senior volunteers are particularly valued.

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

The organization is comprised of volunteers.

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Mainly social, pshychological and legal support to victims of crimes.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Supervision provided.

Recognition

N/A

Resources needed for project/activity

Proper rooms for the individual support to be provided. Administrative backoffice structure.

Policies and regulations

 http://apav.pt/apav_v2/index.php/pt/voluntariado/direitos-deveres

Obstacles/barriers

Long term commitment of volunteers during working hours.

Why is it a good practice?

This is a volunteer organization and they managed to become recognized nationwide as the organization of reference in victim support and victim related investigation and knowledge in Portugal.

Contact details

**Name:** APAV  
**Address:** Rua José Estêvão, 135 A, Pisos 1/2, 1150-201 Lisboa, Portugal  
**Phone:** +351 21 358 79 00  
**Email:** apav.sede@apav.pt  
**Website:** http://www.apav.pt
NAME OF PROJECT/ACTIVITY

Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome  
(Food Bank Against Hunger)

Location (Country, place)

Portugal (nationwide)

Name of organisation

Federação Portuguesa de Bancos Alimentares Contra a Fome

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Hunger and malnutrition

Target group of project/activity

Families in a situation of hunger, malnutrition or scarcity of resources

Aim of project/activity

Fight the destruction of food by collecting food products which are well suited for consumption and then distributing them, through institutions, to people who are hungry for bread and affection, so that they can find their frequently lost dignity and self-esteem, which prevents them from escaping the cycle of poverty into which they were often born.

Types of volunteer activity

Collection and distribution of food

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

Food collection campaigns; partnership with all parts of the food chain, from producers to manufacturers, from wholesalers or retailers; distribution of food through direct support institutions.The institutions that receive support under go a careful selection process and the action they carry out within the community where they operate is regularly evaluated through supervision and back-up visits, performed by volunteer teams who are especially trained to complete those tasks.

Recruiting procedures

Volunteers (and organizations) approach food banks in order to offer volunteer work; Portuguese food banks are very well respected and viewed as honourable and well managed independent organizations. Volunteers register for volunteering on a regular weekly basis, only during their vacation periods or only on the twice a year more public campaigns. Volunteers also define whether they'd like administrative tasks, warehouse tasks or overseeing recipient organizations

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Voluntary work forms the backbone of Portuguese Food Banks. Volunteers are people with a true spirit of mission who perform the most varied tasks, vital to the success of the entire organization.

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

Volunteers are responsible for most of the food collection campaigns and procedures as well as storage and handling of food donations and visits to the organizations.

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Food collection, storage and handling of food donations, warehouse management, administrative work, visits to recipient organization to evaluate proper distribution of food donated.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Training provided for the specific roles.

Recognition

Food bank volunteers are recognized by the society at large as very important agents of support.

Resources needed for project/activity

Proper storage facilities, complying with legal regulations; administrative and technical staff; partnerships with local organizations; evaluation procedures to oversee organizations compliance with food distribution principles.

Policies and regulations

N/A

Obstacles/barriers

N/A

Why is it a good practice?

The action of Food Banks, based upon giving, sharing, volunteering and patronage, is a good example of the joint resolution of companies, financial benefactors, volunteers and institutions. Together, and in a well-coordinated way, these agents produce much better results than those they would get if they decided to act on their own. The message of Food Banks is simple. To share what you have with those striving to survive with almost nothing. Feeding this idea contributes to dignify and free from the cycle of poverty those who, for various reasons, live in conditions of deprivation and exclusion.

Contact details

**Morada:** Avenida de Ceuta Estação de Alcântara-Terra, Armazém 1 1300-125 LISBOA  
**Telefone:** +351 213 649 655  
**Email:**ba.federacao@bancoalimentar.pt  
**Website:** http://bancoalimentar.pt
Name of project/activity

Banco de Tempo  
(Time Bank)

Location (Country, place)

Portugal (nationwide)

Name of organisation

GRAAL

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

This Project was born from the need to create "mutual help networks" in communities. This model of Time Bank was inspired in the philosophy of time banks that appeared in Italy in the early 1990s as well as in the work of Association Salud Y Família in Spain. GRAAL started working on this Project in 2001 and after a year dedicated to creating the infra-structure and involving people and organizations, the first Time Bank Agencies were launched in 2002.

Target group of project/activity

People in need of some form of help and willing to offer some (other) form of help.

Aim of project/activity

. To support families and reconciliation between professional and family lives by offering practical solutions in the organization of daily life.  
. To build a culture of solidarity and promote a sense of community, a meeting of people that use the same neighbourhood, intergenerational cooperation and to build more human social relationships.  
. To value other's time and care, to stimulate talents and promote each others' skills recognition.  
. To promote cooperation between several public and private organizations.

Types of volunteer activity

Any, exchanged in 1h intervals

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

The Time Bank works as any other bank only the currency is time and there is an obligation to reciprocate. People use and offer hours of volunteer work that are "paid" using time checks, which can and should then be used as needed. There is no direct exchange of services: the time donated by any member is reciprocated by any other member in any other type of service that one needs and the other one offers. Every hour has the same worth: no service is more valuable than other. The logic behind this project is the "good neighbourhood" helping relationships. The Bank is organized in local agencies spread over different areas.

Recruiting procedures

Volunteers are Bank members and one becomes a member by attending an interview at the agency, receiving information regarding the way the Bank Works, filling out a Membership Form (with contact information, references services offered and requested) and declaring to comply with the Regulation. Member receive a Membership Card, checks and a list of services available in the Agency.

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Anyone interested in and committed to the activities of the Time Bank can become a member. Minors need prior permission from parents.

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

Staff (when existent) is responsible exclusively for the administrative organization of the bank and for contacting members when needed.

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

There is no limit to the actual activities members may offer but the following are common and expected:

Children: Babysitting, taking to/picking up from school; help with homework; play. Recreational activities: riding bicycle, walking, playing cards/tennis/chess, playing music, guiding tours, animating parties. House work: small repairs, fixing carpentry/electricity.  
Domestic help: washing the car, washing the dishes, go grocery shopping, go to the post office/pharmacy; pay bills, dusting; ironing.  
Cooking and needlework: Cook a special dish, Cook meals to freeze, dressmaking/embroidery/knitting works.  
Secretarial/bureaucratic: proofreading, Word processing, filling out documents, filing taxes.  
Animals/Plants: Gardening, taking care of animals/plants during the holidays, helping with at/dog bath.  
Company: accompanying to the doctor, talking about a certain subject; walking around town, telling stories, reading aloud, going to shows/movies/exhibitions.  
Lessons: teaching how to study, teaching how to relax, tutoring; lessons on gardening, computers, languages, music, pottery, painting, cooking, decorating, dancing.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

There is the initial orientation to make sure the system is well understood. After each Exchange the person that received the check should send it to the agency for it to ne deposited in His/her account and taken from the person who received the service's account.

Recognition

The reciprocity is the recognition method.

Resources needed for project/activity

Administrative organization and access to computer, printer and telephone.

Policies and regulations

 http://bancodetempo.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=54

Some of the policies are:

. All members must pay annually a 4 hours fee that goes into the Agency's account  
. When someone needs a service he/she contacts the agency that looks for a member that can do that service and is available and finds the best way to put them in contact.  
. At the time of the exchange both members should present their membership cards.  
. The first step is asking for a service, only afterwards will it be possible to provide one.  
. There is a maximum of 20 hours' difference between hours received and given.

Why is it a good practice?

The reciprocity is an innovative concept in his context and extremely motivating for volunteers. The basis of this idea is solidarity between members of a community in a neighbourhood help kind of way instead of an assistencialist/welfare providing way.

Contact details

**Banco de Tempo  
Address:** Rua Luciano Cordeiro, 24 6ºA, 1150-215 Lisboa, Portugal **  
Phone number** : 213 546 831  
**Email:**bancocentral@bancodetempo.net  
**Website:** http://www.bancodetempo.net

GOOD PRACTICES IN ITALY

**Name of organisation**

Fondazione Casa della Carità

It is an organization founded in Milan with the aim of providing assistance to people in need. It has been costitued in 2002 by Cardinale C. M. Martini who wanted lo leave to the city of Milan a place where the poorest and most marginalized peple could find shelter and support. The structure, an old of use school, has been bestowed to the foundation by the Mayor of Milan, and it has been restored thanks to a legacy left by the businessman A. Abriani. It organizes the work of about 50 volunteers. The guarantors of the house are the Mayor and pro-tempore archbishop of Milan, and its president is don V. Colmegna.

Goals

To give shelter to everybody who lives in a condition of social, cultural and economical marginalization. This objective is pursued thought the different services offered by the house.

Types of volunteer activity

-Hospitality in the House  
-counselling centre  
-legal guidance centre  
-shower and wardrobe service  
-medical and psychiatric ambulatory  
-occupational and vocational guidance service  
-Cultural Academy (Accademia della carità)

Type of intervention and specific activities

Hospitality: Casa della carità is a real house, where guests, social operators and volunteers are linked together by an open relation of mutual trust and respect. The house welcomes everyday 150 people: men, women, singles, families, italians and foreigners are hosted in the house for some time, and are actively supported to achieve their own social and economical re-integration project.

The house has different kinds of allocation:

-Adam House (10 rooms, only for single men for a maximum of 53 people)  
-Sarah House (9 rooms, only for single women, for a maximum of 20 people)  
-Casa Nido flats (single-mother families)  
-So-stare community (residential community for guest with psychiatric diseases for a maximum of 10 people).

Counselling center: it's open everyday and provides social assistance and psychological support to everybody who needs help. The service works in connection with the other services of the house and in network with public institutions and non-profit associations.

Legal guidance centre: it promotes equity and legal guardianship and offers legal guidance and free legal assistance.

Shower and wardrobe service: it offers an essential service to everybody who has not other chances of self-care (homeless people, ROM, immigrants...)

Medical and psychiatric ambulatory: it provides free medical and psychiatric assistance to everybody who can't rely on the public sanitary service.

Occupational and vocational guidance service: the service supports the re-integration projects of all guests of the house and of all the people asking for a job at the counselling centre.

Cultural Academy (Accademia della carità): the academy organizes training courses, stages, seminars and workshops on the themes of social hardship and marginalization.

Role, task and duties of the volunteers

Volunteers can be involved in listening activities because all people seeking a shelter in the house have to do an interview in which they have define a path (may be immigrants or Italian) for their future independence. For immigrants it means to learn Italian language, to look for a job. People can live in the house for 6 months but sometimes over if bureaucracy issues require more time.

In the House of Charity there are also 2 or 3 family households living, and in total guests are about 100/120 guests.

Volunteers organize after school activities , a public shower service. At the time of interview a group of Rom families lived in the house after having stipulated an agreement to legality.

Volunteers interested to takes part in the house activities have to do an interview to express their interests and motivations and they will attend a training course to improve their social skills.

The largest group of volunteers are retired people. There is a scout group for teenagers working during weekends. Many activities try to involve school population, teachers, pupils and parents, in order to awaken to social issues.

The recruitment of volunteers is often realized by word of mouth.

At the beginning the leader of the House raised found through a bank that also recruited the first group of volunteers.

Why is it a good practice of volunteering on behalf of families

It's a good practice of volunteers on behalf of families because it supports individual facing different kinds of troubles, as member of a family or without a family network. It provides shelter to people living in different households and without discrimination for their family choices.

Contact details

www.casadellacarita.org

Fondazione Casa della carità Angelo Abriani – Via Francesco Brambilla, 10 – 20128 Milano (Italy)
Name of organisation

ALZHAUSER COFFEE

The service named **" Alzhauser coffee"** is promoted by AUSER REGIONALE LOMBARDIA , a national and regional Association of project" aimed at the promotion of elderly people and their relationships, based on principles of social equity, respect and development of differences in old ages, protection of rights, opportunities and common goods.

His values are:

-Develop volunteering activities to promote the social, adult education, international solidarity, with particular reference to the elderly and relationships generations.  
-Supporting people and improve their quality of life and relations, direct them to the exercise of solidarity.  
-To defend and develop the capacity to know and active, even residual of the people.  
-To promote the area's networks and facilities service in support of family responsibilities and proximity (good neighborliness) in collaboration with public institutions.  
-Promoting the active citizenship by encouraging the participation of person to community services, enhancement and extension of the commons cultural and environmental, defense, and further development of rights of all.  
-Strengthen and renew local communities as reality solidarity open, plural, inclusive.

Goals

The aim of these activities is to support families who take care of Alzheimer patients. Volunteers supports informal and professionals careers. We point out a project carried out by one of Auser local office, in Saronno and in other places in Lombardy. The project aims to relieve suffering connected to decay of mental faculties caused by old age and mental diseases. Alzhauser coffee gives the possibility to informal caregivers to go out from the close family ties and obligations, to keep personal relationships, to testify their life experiences in a group activities.

Types of volunteer activity

The project offers listening points, evaluation meeting, AMA Group mutual help in which family caregivers can exchange their experiences and feel more equipped to face the illness and the emotional stress.

Type of intervention and specific activities

The Alzhauser coffee is a support for both patients and family members who look after them by providing relief moments from the daily commitment of care and assistance.

Role, task and duties of the volunteers

Alzhauser free coffee offers activities with the help of a group of Auser volunteers, well trained, and the support of a psychologist and a music therapist.

Why is it a good practice of volunteering on behalf of families

Alzhauser coffee gives the possibility to informal caregivers to go out from the close family ties and obligations, to keep personal relationships, to testify their life experiences in a group activities.

Contact details

www.auser.lombardia.it  
www.auser.varese.it
Name of organisation

Families who take care

It 'a project by Caritas Ambrosiana in Milan. It is a department of the Archbishop with the aim to promote the testimony of charity in the Ecclesial community. It was established in 1971 by the will of the Pope, Paolo VI: Caritas has the main office in Milan Diocese and there are many territorial offices in the parishes: Caritas Parrocchiali (n. 854), Caritas Decanali (n. 34), Caritas Zonali (n. 7).

Goals

Its aim is to enable families to sustain themselves, to create a mutual aid to help in everyday life, to face unexpected events through a helping relationship based on mutual support and listening.

Types of volunteer activity

The idea comes from listening centers who are in contact with people who require assistance. It creates a virtual circuit between the listening centers and families who often collaborate each other to create a micro-credit service, supported and financed by their own families.

Type of intervention and specific activities

The families are volunteers in a relationship with other family. Families help other families such as supportive in assisting their children and the family in its struggles.

Role, task and duties of the volunteers

Families help other families such as supportive in assisting their children to school, mutual help in dealing with people who by age or illness require a commitment of care that the family alone cannot give, help children with homework or however, support a family in its daily struggles.

Why is it a good practice of volunteering on behalf of families

It is a good practice of solidarity and mutual aid between families

Among the possible measures is the temporary custody of boys and girls for families in trouble for various reasons.

**Contact detail** : www.caritasambrosiana.it
Name of organisation

FILO D'ARGENTO: AUSER'S LISTENING CENTER

The service of Filo d'Argento is a Social Listening Center, a service offered by AUSER REGIONALE LOMBARDIA , a national and regional Association of project aimed at the promotion of elderly people and their relationships, based on principles of social equity, respect of differences, protection rights, development opportunities and common goods.

Goals

The counseling centers are points where citizens could receive attention to their troubles. There are centres of different types, but we underline the listening points run by Auser: it is a phone numbers, open 24 hours on 24 where people could call and contact an operator trained to listen the needs and to address the different demands to specific services. Filo d'Argento is a free call 800 995 988 (24/24 h.), working every day of the year ; it allows the elderly and their families to escape from loneliness and obtain timely practical answers to everyday needs to maintain good level of self-sufficiency and personal autonomy.

Types of volunteer activity

The telephony system is structured on Auser in 19 POINTS OF LISTENING: more aware, more rapid and more effective. The activity is based on specific intervention offered by phone (24 hours).

Type of intervention and specific activities

The specific activities of Listening service are:

\- Phone listening  
\- Accompaniment to medical appointments or therapy, shopping or for a walk, to visit their loved ones, to see a movie, theatre etc.  
\- Delivery of hot meals  
\- Intervention for small household chores or minor repairs  
\- Social Secretariat  
\- Information on the active services in the local level, on the procedures for bonuses or incentives, regulatory and administrative tax etc.  
\- Support in the event of fraud or abuse.

Role, task and duties of the volunteers

The point is run by volunteers, who are able to listen to the different needs and also to put in light unspoken needs and to exchange this activity with professional workers in order to offer suitable answers and to prevent heavier troubles.

Why is it a good practice of volunteering on behalf of families

It is a proximity service aiming to maintain elderly people autonomy, helping them in their daily life, supporting their family care givers, sharing the responsibility of the elderly wellbeing with a wider network of people and associations.

Contact detail

www.auser.lombardia.it
Name of organization

The service of Social Guardian is a service offered by AUSER REGIONALE LOMBARDIA.

Goals

The social guardians make use of volunteering help for many services that can improve the life conditions of vulnerable groups: the most part are composed by elderly women, living alone and with low economic and social resources.

Types of volunteer activity

•Mounthly, weekly or daily visit  
•Check call (in relation to frailty conditions methods) to check health conditions, environment circumstances (absence of food, of running water, of medicine, etc.).

Type of intervention and specific activities

The keepers are professionals who work in private social field (cooperative) who try to identify people living in trouble conditions, pointed out by social workers or by the ASL (disabled persons, loneliness, fragility ). They implement projects of everyday life to help people to better deal with their problems.

Role, task and duties of the volunteers

The social guardians make use of volunteers help for many services that can improve the situation of vulnerable groups: the most part are composed by elderly women, living alone and with low economic and social resources.

Why is it a good practice of volunteering on behalf of families

This service supports family households where there are risk factors: disable person, single-parent family, old people living alone, no self-sufficiency adult. The main aim is to keep people in touch with the community and the local services.

Contact detail

www.auser.lombardia.it

GOOD PRACTICES IN TURKEY

Name of project/activity

N/A (see organization)

Location (Country, place)

Turkey, Istanbul

Name of organization

AKUT (Search and Rescue Association)

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Search and rescue activities on mountains and disasters.

Target group of project/activity

Any group or situation in need of mobile response and rescue.

Aim of project/activity

To share its experience and knowledge with volunteers not only in Turkey, but also Internationally. To undertake operations as much as it can wherever people are in need of urgent rescue help.

Types of volunteer activity

To become a member of AKUT, one must become a volunteer first. Even though AKUT has been established by a group of mountaineers, there are volunteers from many different professions and age groups. Anyone who wants to serve his country and humanity, can become a member by fulfilling the requirements regardless their education and their limited time. Active participation of the members is very important for AKUT, which is generating all its power from volunteers. Volunteers participate in the AKUT work in training, first response at the wreckage and fortification, emergency management and fire safety.

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal. One must qualify with the requirements of the Civil Code about memberships of NGOs and must accept AKUT's values, mission, constitution and discipline rules, in order to become a member of AKUT. If there is no AKUT team in a city, it doesn't stop you becoming an active volunteer as long as you can fulfill the requirements of being a volunteer of AKUT.

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

All search and rescue operations of AKUT carried out by volunteers.

Recruiting procedures

One must be interviewed to join the training activities. She/he must have passed through the related trainings to join the search and rescue activities. AKUT has no branches but it has operational teams in various cities. Active participation is always a plus in AKUT, but still volunteers can undertake remote tasks.

Trainings

1. Introduction to Disaster and Disaster Preparedness Organization  
It is training at entry level which general information are transferred particularly about disasters such as earthquake, flood, fire. Entry-level training is given about disaster response and examples around the world are examined in this training.

2.First Response At The Wreckage And Fortification  
General information about the formations of the wreckage after an earthquake is given in this training. General subjects such as types of debris, debris field information, precautions about approaching wreckage, overhead level risks are examined. Techniques of entering a wreckage and concrete fortification are taught in practice.

3. Emergency Management Training  
Todays constantly and rapidly changing technology requires renewed and dynamic techniques which gives the opportunity to interfere with any emergency situation. Emergency Management is shaped in accordance of the following issues:

•To prevent any confusion and potential misunderstandings in the emergency area.  
•Prevention of individual and unnamable actions and interventions  
•Prevention of accidents, injuries and damages that may occur as a result of Uncontrolled and unplanned action and intervention.

4. Fire Safety Training:Fire Safety Training is focused on the following main topics:  
•The chemistry of combustion: How does fire starts, types of fire and using proper extinguishers and equipment for each type of fire.  
•Hazardous materials: How to identify the hazardous substances stored or transported.  
•Fire hazards: Potential fire hazards and fire prevention strategies at home and workplace.  
•Firefighting strategy: To evaluate the situation at fire fighting. Identifying the fire fighting resources and creating an action plan.  
•Portable fire extinguishers: Types of portable fire extinguishers and how to operate them.  
•Safe fire fighting: How to approach to a fire and extinguish it safely.  
•Teamwork: The importance of working with a partner.  
•Emergency Management Training, Consultancy and Auditing Services: Those trainings are grouped under four main topics;

-Basic Life Support and First Aid Training  
-Employee Safety and Safety At Work Training  
-Emergency Management Systems Training  
-Search and Rescue Training

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

After the "Volunteer Meeting" assemblage each volunteer starts to join the meetings and carry on duties depends on his education and profession. Also can join the trainings, undertake guard duty and can join the search and rescue operations after a certain level of training.

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

There is no cross between staff and volunteers intervention.

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Volunteers participate in the AKUT work in training, first response at the wreckage and fortification, emergency management and fire safety.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Specific training provided for membervolunteer. Basic needs of volunteers being met during the mission.

Recognition

Certificate

Resources needed for project/activity

Partnership with local organizations army and government institutions, big factories and firms and their developed teams supported by materials, logistics, and training within themselves.

Why is it a good practice?

The number of people doing outdoor sports in Turkey has increased considerably during the 90's causing increase in accidents in the nature.

In 1994, during the search activity for 2 mountaineers that got lost on the Bolkar Mountains, it has been understood that the good will of the local people, the Gendarmerie, the Mountain Climbers' Federation and the mountaineers from different regions were not enough. The search activity had resulted in failure due to various problems. After that, a group of mountaineers started thinking on how search and rescue activities should be made more efficient and correct. It was realized that the team should rely on volunteer basis. As the need for a team specialized in search and rescue became solid, AKUT used its name for the first time in the search and rescue operation in 1995 at Kesistepe on the Uludag Mountain. In the beginning of 1996, AKUT Search and Rescue Association got founded officially.

AKUT had a different organization scheme that could react instantly during search and rescue operations. This way, as an example of democratic civil society association was set; a disciplined operational structure with a narrow hierarchy triangle that could make fast decisions in emergencies was born. At the beginning, the main goal was to organize correct search and rescue activities on mountain and in other nature environments. Getting its earthquake training in January 1997, and its flood training in June 1997, AKUT became capable of helping official institutions during natural disasters. Therefore, human resources focused not only at mountaineers, but also at everyone who would work to save lives without any personal expectations. While going through various search and rescue operations, team trainings, organizations, advertisement workshops, agreements, and protocols with related institutions and while looking for new sponsors and advertisement opportunities, AKUT was faced with the Marmara earthquake. On August 17, 1999 AKUT reacted to the disaster immediately. AKUT worked with 150 permanent members. It organized over 1000 people to work. It was on duty when over 200 people were rescued from the debris. AKUT managed a large amount of medical and support supplies sent from within or abroad Turkey to be delivered to the victims either directly or through the Red Crescent, the Army and the Crises Desks. Due to psychological readiness for saving lives during disasters, AKUT set a successful search and rescue example.

Before August 17, 1999, the only volunteer association focused on search and rescue was AKUT. After the Marmara Earthquake, hundreds of search and rescue groups came into life in different regions of our country. Associations got founded in different provinces and districts in order to react locally to disasters. In addition to the restructuring of our army and government institutions, a lot of big factories and firms developed teams supported by materials, logistics, and training within themselves. This movement has turned into a national mission and extremely positive steps have been taken.

As a result, AKUT has changed the search and rescue standpoint of many governmental and private sector institutions. It has been a leader of new leaps. It has also worked in order to raise consciousness related to situations before and after disasters. AKUT accepted a mission greater than forethought as a search and rescue association. It has become a good example of a civil society organization. Akut has been selected the organization that people trusted the most in the survey that TESEV did after the Marmara earthquake. Athens Earthquake that came after the Marmara Earthquake and the work that AKUT did there, has been a symbol of peace and brotherhood regardless of the process unresolved for tens of years. It has showed that at hard times, people can work side by side, without considering the language, religion, and race and nation differences.

Again, with the Taiwan earthquake in 1999, the India earthquake in 2001, and the Iran earthquake in 2003, AKUT has developed its position in the international process. AKUT is a member of INSARAG (Search and Rescue Advising Group under United Nations since 1999). AKUT has become the most knowledgeable and the most experienced team in the earthquake field among the search and rescue teams compatible with international standards in the world.

Today, AKUT has about 200 members and another 200 volunteers. It has technical equipment that can mobilize its operational capability. It is the first and number 1 search and rescue group of our country. AKUT is ready having the Ankara, Antalya, Bingöl, Bursa, Giresun, İzmir, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Marmaris, Niğde, Olympos, Rize, Trabzon local teams and the Istanbul team to accept duty in emergencies within or outside Turkey and to perform operations according to its mission, to give trainings, to organize drills, to cooperate with local and international institutions, to share its experience and knowledge at home or abroad wherever requested.

Contact details

**AKUT Headquarters  
** EsentepeBüyükdere Cad. No: 120 34394 Istanbul – TURKEY **  
Phone :** +90 (212) 217 04 10 (Pbx) **  
Fax :** +90 (212) 217 04 22 **  
Website:** www.akut.org.tr/eng/historical.asp
Name of project/activity

N/A (see organization)

Location (Country, place)

Turkey, Istanbul

Name of organisation

" **KimseYok Mu?"  
** (It means "Is Anybody There?" in Turkish)

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

KimseYok Mu association, which takes charge in all places and cases of poverty, has categorized its fields of work under 7 categories in 2010, which is when KimseYok Mu turns 7 years. Aid for disasters, aid for health, aid for education, aid in Bairams, individual aid campaigns, aid for Africa and Sister family aids. The most important field is Sister Family Aids. Continued since the first day of the Association, and having conduced toward solving the problems of many Turkish families in need.

Target group of project/activity

To fight against poverty and help building a more prosperous world for everyone is fed by a single source: Volunteers dedicated to goodness.

Aim of project/activity

Humanitarian aid campaigns organized for international arena and reached people from 60 countries to convey aids of Turkish people to the world.

Types of volunteer activity

Principle of Voluntariness executing the function of base of the association's working systems. All kind of aid activities as well as various national and international aid organizations distributions are carried out by volunteers of KimseYok Mu. Volunteers actively take charge in the process of all activities to be signed by the association, starting from planning until the implementation of it.

Formal or informal volunteering

Informal.

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

Volunteers actively take charge in the process of all activities to be signed by the association, starting from planning until the implementation of it.

Recruiting procedures

KimseYok Mu Association is inviting everyone who wants to give their time, effort and heart for goodness to work as a volunteer in the field that they are relevant. They work in cal center, search and rescue, health, social media, logistic, publicity and public relation, volunteer training, education and social inspection. KimseYok Mu is inviting everyone who wants to dedicate oneself to this project! It opens its doors to all volunteer candidates who want to take a part and it asks: "We build bridges made of mercy for the world. Is there anybody who says 'Here I am!' ?

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

There is no cross between staff and volunteers intervention.

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Volunteers undertake activities in many fields including social inspection, packaging, publicizing, reading letters and health, as well as education. They work in cal center, search and rescue, health, social media, logistic, publicity and public relation, volunteer training, education and social inspection.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Experienced staff supervises volunteers in the field activities.Basic needs of volunteers being met during a mission.

Recognition

Certificate

Resources needed for project/activity

Project gets most of its income from a TV program with the same name. The program shows success stories provided by KimseYok Mu and gets more resources for future acts.

Why is it a good practice?

It was a question, "KimseYok Mu?" (It means "Is Anybody There?" in Turkish) That scream was coming out of stones and wreckages after the Earthquake of August 17, 1999 in Turkey. And those who were under the wreckages and those wanting to rescue them were shouting to each other: "Is anybody there?"

Rushing to the earthquake zone, team of Samanyolu TV Channel and volunteers didn't stop charitable activities even after coming back. Needs wouldn't stop and now calls for aid were coming from all the corners of the country. Hereby, production of the TV program "KimseYok Mu" was decided.

The TV program was gradually getting more viewers. Calls for aid and donations wanted to be made by benefactors, and then it reached beyond the limitations of a TV Program. In 2002 an association system was founded to meet benefactors and people in need within the scope of TV.

Gradually increasing demands led KimseYok Mu Association to grow and organize international activities. For these reasons, the association got out of the scope of TV and became an NGO in March 2004 a "humanitarian aid association" as understood globally.

When the tsunami hit Indonesia in 2004, telephones of the newly founded KimseYok Mu Association didn't stop ringing. "We want to see you help the victims" People said. So, the first global adventure started for the association. In the very next year, the earthquake that hit Pakistan became a mournful reason for the association to organize the biggest disaster aid campaign.

KimseYok Mu Association accelerated its branching and networking efforts especially in 2006. Starting to open branches in the big cities of Anatolia, the association now has branches in 29 cities.

KimseYok Mu Association acquired by getting trust of the Turkish and Global public opinion after it took "Public Interest Association" status and also got "Authorization of charity collection without permission" and "Award of Honor" by the Turkish Parliament in 2008. Furthermore, KimseYok Mu is now a member of ECOSOC, an organization under the United Nations which aims to bring together all humanitarian aid groups under one roof.

Contact details

**Headquarters  
Phone :** 90212 44 44 593 / 90 (216) 521 80 80  
**Fax :** 90 (216) 520 16  
**E-mail :** info@kimseyokmu.org.tr  
**Address** :MimarSinanMah. Basra Cad. No:24Sultanbeyli / ISTANBUL  
**Website:** http://global.kimseyokmu.org.tr
Name of project/activity

N/A (see organization)

Location (Country, place)

Turkey, Istanbul

Name of organisation

Community Volunteers Foundation

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

The Foundation contributes to the personal development of young people by encouraging them to participate in social responsibility projects as volunteers. In doing so, it increases young people's community involvement on a voluntary basis.

The foundation aims to realize social peace, solidarity and change. By bringing young people together, regardless of background, to volunteer, the foundation works towards its common goals. In doing so, the foundation intends to secure the participation and empowerment of young people. It is the young people who realize projects and activities of social service, social awareness and social advocacy.

Target group of project/activity

The field mainly consists of a network of student clubs throughout Turkey. The clubs are the main locations where community volunteers realize activities and projects. Consequently, at the moment the main target group of ToplumGönüllüleri is university students. That being said, there are also a few informal groups that are not tied to any university. There are no limits to participation as a volunteer; participation is by no means contingent on one's background. Rather, participation is characterized by openness to everyone as long as they are young people. The official age range is between 17 and 25, but there is also room for volunteers over age 25. Furthermore, the foundation has two Youth Centres in Istanbul and Samsun and the services provided there allow other groups to be reached. Activities in different areas support the personal development of young people.

Aim of project/activity

Foundation contributes to the personal development of young people through encouraging young people to participate to the social responsibility projects as volunteers. By this way, it increases the young people's community involvement on the voluntary base. Every year the Foundation supports the realization of over 800 projects and activities implemented by about 35,000 young people in over 100 university clubs.

TOG provides an alternative close social environment for young people, which supports their personal development. The approach of lifelong learning allows young people to express themselves outside of the school environment and gain their own life experiences.

Types of volunteer activity

Every year the Foundation supports the realization of over 800 projects and activities implemented by about 35,000 young volunteers in over 100 university clubs. Projects are called Behind the Heart, Declaration, Health Literacy, Human Rights Program, International Cooperation, Living Library, Science Ambassadors, Youth Bank, Youth Campus, Youth Centers, Youth Unemployment and Y-Peer

Formal or informal volunteering

Informal.

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

Volunteers actively take charge in the process of all activities to be signed by the association, starting from planning until the implementation of it.

Recruiting procedures

TOG:

-Trains trainers who implement peer to peer trainings on subjects such as volunteerism, project management, human rights, social rights, reproductive health, health literacy and organizational management  
-Offers face to face support to university student clubs according to their needs  
-Creates a learning environment that increases youth mobility, which in turn supports learning from other young people and youth organizations  
-Supports young people's ideas on social problems specific to their projects and helps them find financing for these projects  
TOG brings young people together so they may learn by experience, and so they may contribute to the continuity of a democratic society.

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

There is no cross between staff and volunteers intervention.

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Volunteers should contact relevant department for volunteering opportunities.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Experienced staff supervises volunteers in the field activities. Basic needs of volunteers being met during a mission.

Recognition

Certificate

Resources needed for project/activity

ToplumGönüllüleriVakfı is able to continue its activities thanks to individual and institutional donations. Every year TOG's accounts are audited by an international independent auditing firm and an annual report is published. Many of well known Turkish companies support the program.

Why is it a good practice?

ToplumGönüllüleriVakfı (TOG – Community Volunteers Foundation) is founded in December 2002. It is one of the first foundation directly focusing on volunteer contribution and training. Foundation contributes to the personal development of young people through encouraging young people to participate to the social responsibility projects as volunteers. By this way, it increases the young people's community involvement on the voluntary base. Every year the Foundation supports the realization of over 800 projects and activities implemented by about 35,000 young people in over 100 university clubs. Young people get educated through projects and activities.

Contact details

**Headquarters** HobyarMh. RahvancılarSk. No:7 1.Vakıf Han Kat.1 34112 Eminönü/İstanbul  
**Tel:** +90 212 522 10 32 / Tel +09 0212 522 10 30  
**Fax:** +90 212 522 10 34  
**E-mail:** info@tog.org.tr  
**Website:** www.tog.org.tr/EN/home_163
Name of project/activity

N/A (see organization)

Location (Country, place)

Turkey, Istanbul

Name of organization

Yardimeli (Helping Hands)

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Yardimeli association takes charge in all places and cases of poverty, not depended on religion, race, and geography.

Target group of project/activity

Any target group in any geography suffering from poverty and disasters.

Aim of project/activity

To help volunteers and donators to be giving hand instead of receiving.

Types of volunteer activity

All kind of aid activities carried out by volunteers of Yardimeli. Volunteers actively take charge in the process of all activities to be signed by the association, starting from planning until the implementation of it.

Formal or informal volunteering

Informal.

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

Volunteers actively take charge in the process of all activities to be signed by the association, starting from planning until the implementation of it.They are invited to work in Social research, distribution of aid, office works, call center, IT and disaster quick response activities.

Recruiting procedures

Yardimeli Associationinvite experts and young people through website and advertisements to work as a volunteer in the field that they are expert. It opens its doors to all volunteer candidates who want to take a part in the projects and redirect them to relevant projects.

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

There is no cross between staff and volunteers intervention.

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

They work in Social research, distribution of aid, office works, call center, IT and disaster quick response activities. Volunteers can be sister family for orphans and families escaped from disasters.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Experienced staff supervises volunteers in the field activities. Basic needs of volunteers being met during a mission.

Recognition

Certificate

Resources needed for project/activity

Project gets most of its income from donators. One of the most effective ways of donation is material donations that are not allowed if second hand.

Why is it a good practice?

Project has touched a sensitive are; a belief that giving hand is preferred to receiving. It invites people to give what ever they can. Money, time, effort even good words. It explains that struggling with ignorance will not achieve if struggle against victimization not achieved. You should win against poverty to win over corruption.

Association reached target groups from Anatolia to Balkan countries, from Central Asia to Africa.

It received "Public Benefit" status, which give the association to organize campaigns without ant prior acceptance.

Contact details

**Headquarters :** YeşilovaMh. AkdenizCad. No:2 Küçükçekmece İstanbul- Turkey **  
Tel:** +90 2125414800 **  
Fax:** +90 2125419200 **  
E-mail:** yardimeli@yardimeli.org.tr **  
Website:** <http://www.yardimeli.org.tr/KD47_Hakkimizda.html>
Name of project/activity

Volunteer cooperation with Turkish Republic Ministry Of Family And Social Policy Provincial Directorate Of Family And Social Policy Of Istanbul

Location (Country, place)

Turkey, Istanbul

Name of organisation

Turkish Republic Ministry Of Family And Social Policy Provincial Directorate Of Family And Social Policy Of Istanbul

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Turkish Republic of Ministry of Family and Social Policies decides social policies related to family, women, and children, elderly and disabled people and the provincial directorates carry out social services according to these policies in Turkey.

Directorate has the biggest capacity and it's the largest directorate in Turkey. As seen İstanbul is a huge metropolitan city and its population (nearly 13,5 million) is %20 percent of country population. That kind of high population means larger needs of social services. Briefly the social services carried out by our directorate are:

Services for children: Adoption Services, Protector Family Services, Nursery Schools, Orphanages, Child Homes, Coordination Centers of Child Homes , Child and Youth Centers, Care and Social Rehabilitation Centers, Protection-Care and Rehabilitation Centers.

Services for the elders: Retirement Homes, Elder Care and Rehabilitation centers, private retirement home services. The services provided in nursing homes and elder care & rehabilitation centers include sheltering, health, psychological and social support, leisure time activities, cleaning, social activities and other social services.

Services for disabled people: Family consultations and education, Occupational education and rehabilitation, Services by social rehabilitation center, distributing aid in cash and kind to family of disabled.

Services for women: There are shelters for women subjected to domestic violence. With new law prepared by Ministry and came into force at World Women's Day 2012, measures for women subjected to violence were expanded such as, women are put under protection, temporarily cash aid are given, crèches support for their children for a specific time is provided, psychologically, vocationally, legally and socially counseling services are given, right of changing identity and removal of his husband surround of her and home etc.

Services for all disadvantaged groups: There are"Community Centers"which are providing service in slum areas. Community centers have a different structure from other public organizations. In community centers, children young people, women, men, disabled people and elder people form communities to bring up their needs and claims. In this way, they expand their potential to create solutions to their own problems with public institutions instead of expecting whole solutions from state organizations. As a result, all members of the family undertake some tasks and fulfill social responsibilities as active members of society.

Types of volunteer activity

There are so many voluntary activities in the Directorate so only a specific time activities will be given here. Cooperation's with NGOs, universities, local authorities, private sector companies in between 2009-2012:

Ngo's

•Cooperation with Open Door Social Responsibility Association, "Protective Mental Health Project": This Project involves psychiatric works and counseling services in the disabled unit of 0-12 age Sheikh Zayed Child Home.  
•Cooperation with Hand in Hand with Little Hearts Association, some concerts and shows arranged for corporations' benefit  
•Cooperation with Happy Home Happy Life Association to open and manage child homes  
•Cooperation with Children of Our Future Foundations for managing Fatih Community Center

Private Sector Companies

•Cooperation with İstanbul Blue Tennis Club, "Dream Project". Children cared in nursery school, child home and orphanages in İstanbul are trained to become as tennis performance player  
•Cooperation with Eti Company, "Eti Child Ferry" A Bosphorous Ferry for children including training and enjoyable activities in company with volunteers  
•Cooperation with Aviva Insurance Company, "From Street to School Project". Children living and working at the streets are target groups of that Project. Some rehabilitation, counseling programs are carried out with that Project.

Universities

•Corporation with Maltepe University, with the Project Academics and students from university arranged voluntary activities in our corporations.  
•Cooperation with Koç University, Little Hearts Project. Volunteers from university come together with children in our corporations and they arranged activities which aim positive contribution to emotional and social progress of them.

Local Authorities

•Protocols were signed to open and manage shelters for women with district governorship and municipalities. Similarly to open child home, disabled rehabilitation and family counseling centers.  
•Cooperation with İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, to drive our children to table tennis as a sport

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

Various aims in various projects that have been mentioned

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Various aims in various projects that have been mentioned

Resources needed for project/activity

Resources needed by project met by NGO's, Private Companies, Universities and other governmental institutions.

Why is it a good practice?

This is one of the best examples of cooperation between government institutions and NGO's, Private Companies, Universities and other governmental institutions. Also this project is directly related to Volunteering for families.

Contact details

**Headquarters** AİLE VE TOPLUM HİZMETLERİ GENEL MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ  
**Tel:** +90 0312 705 55 00  
**Website:** <http://www.athgm.gov.tr/tr/>

GOOD PRACTICES IN GERMANY

Name of project/activity

Family Supporters  
Local network for families

Location (Country, place)

Stadtplatz 27, 94474 Vilshofen

Name of organisation

Netzwerk FamilienLeben Vilshofen and the local branch of Kinderschutzbund

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

There are too many families who cannot cope any longer with their problems in everyday life. So they should get help from the beginning on (if possible) thus providing better chances for their children's future.

Target group of project/activity

Families / Children

Aim of project/activity

The aim is to visit families and support them unbureaucratically by easing the families' burden.

Another aim is to improve the children's linguistic abilities by reading stories to them in kinder-garden or school.

In general, the goal is to support families in their everyday life and provide them with information concerning the children's education to support the children's development from an early stage on.

Types of volunteer activity

Providing direct help and support to families who are in need

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

There are 19 family supporters who visit the family as wished on a more or less regular basis. The mentors visit families after birth in order to inform them about their network and provide them with with general information on how to raise a child. They offer help and support the families over a longer period if desired. There are also 13 volunteers who visit kindergardens and school and read to the children. This helps enhancing the children's linguistic abilities.

Recruiting procedures

Articles in local media, personal contacts

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Interest for social commitment, voluntary workers have to pass a six-days training

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

N/A

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

a low-threshold instrument of primary prevention in family and parent education, the provision of support that is limited in its duration, the provision of help aiming at empowering the families for helping themselves, being based on and oriented towards the families' eyeryday lives and environments; volontary workers provide low thresold acces to families and they are benefiting from the potentials of civic engagement

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Qualifying the voluntary workers by preparing them for their tasks whilst also protecting them against overload, therefore a six-day training

Recognition

Certificate, sometimes expense allowance

Resources needed for project/activity

Financial ressources provided by the city of Passau; donations, secretary needed

Policies and regulations

N/A

Obstacles/barriers

Convincing the mayor to provide financial support, missing full-time worker, missing financial support from the state government

Why is it a good practice?

It helps families to strengthen their parental skills and their skills of coping with everyday issues, it helps them to structure their everyday family life, it helps building up social and neighbourhood networks, so it brings benefits to families who are in need. The whole activity is embedded in a local strategy to support families locally and was developed by local partners.

Contact details

Netzwerk FamilienLeben Vilshofen  
Brigitte Pollok-Will (brigitte_pollok@web.de)  
Stadtplatz 27  
94474 Vilshofenì  
**Website:** www.familienleben-vilshofen.de
Name of project/activity

Mentors/Guides for families and children

Location (Country, place)

Nikolastraße 9, 94032 Passau (Germany)

Name of organisation

Deutscher Kinderschutzbund Ortsverband Passau e. V.

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Helping families or children who are in need

Target group of project/activity

Families

Aim of project/activity

Help families with their day to day work; help parents with their trips to the authorities; help parents structure their day; help parents develop tools for helping themselves

Types of volunteer activity

Babysitting, providing help to families who cannot cope with their everyday life (godparents), distributing second-hand clothes, spending afternoons with reading for children

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

Families are provided with godparents who help them with everything they need concerning raising their children; they help them organise their household, take care of the children if needed and decide from case to case what helps best; the time of the godparentship is restricted, main aim is to use already available structures; the godparents are instructed during three weekends and can consult with trained staff in case they need professional advice

Recruiting procedures

Radio, television, newspapers (on a local basis)  
Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers  
Female, from 25 years on, all type of degrees

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

N/A

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Doing all types of volunteer activity which is described above

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Trainings to become a babysitter or a nanny

Recognition

Certificates

Resources needed for project/activity

N/A

Policies and regulations

N/A

Obstacles/barriers

N/A

Why is it a good practice?

It helps families who are in need, it's embedded in a whole range of volunteer activities and professional services for families

Contact details

Deutscher Kinderschutzbund Ortsverband Passau e. V.  
Andrea Kreuzpainter (andrea.kreuzpainter@kinderschutzbund-passau.de)  
Nikolastraße 994032 Passau (Germany)  
**Website:** www.kinderschutzbund-passau.de
Name of project/activity

Family mentors

Location (Country, place)

Gutherstr. 12, 94209 Regen (Germany)

Name of organisation

Koordinierende Kinderschutzstelle (KoKi)

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

There are not enough professionals to assist this families and it is too expensive for a small administrative district. The problems, these families deal with, are not so far-reaching that make professionals essential; assistance in education and housekeeping

Target group of project/activity

Single parents, under 18 years' pregnant women, unemployed parents, parents with psychological strain and addicted persons

Aim of project/activity

Help parents in need who have their own issues with their kids' education.

Prevent violence and sexual abuse in families.

Help parents to take care of the household.

Ease young parents burden on a day-to-day basis.

Types of volunteer activity

Providing help to families who are in need, for instance giving them assistance in raising their children and in housekeeping (being godparents)

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

The godparents are assigned to one family and offer their help where needed; they offer for example transportation to go grocery shopping or to go to the doctor; they take care of the children (recreational activities are offered); their main aim is to support the parents with the kids' education and help them to take care of the household. The godparents are assisted by two social workers who have a broader network at their hand consisting of nutritionists, midwives, paediatricians, kindergarten teachers etc.

Recruiting procedures

The local press, our homepage and via personal contacts; if the social workers think somebody might be suitable they will ask the person.

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Suitable persons, their background is in interest in the work with families and empathy.

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

N/A

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Volunteers are helping families with various problems. Their main duty is assistance in education and housekeeping. The volunteers get a training course and annual advanced trainings with themes like healthy feeding for baby´s or motivational interviewing.

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Training courses

Recognition

Certificate

Resources needed for project/activity

Children-protection-organisation

Professionals (nutritionists, midwives, paediatricians)

The training course is realised through the child-protection-organisation and the two social workers, the annual advanced trainings are realised with several professionals with special themes.

Policies and regulations

N/A

Obstacles/barriers

Obstacles are not finding enough volunteers or volunteers with insufficient empathy for the special situation of these families.

A better networking is one of the results of these problems and a testing phase for the volunteers.

Why is it a good practice?

It is a possibility for the local community to organise low-threshold help.

Contact details

Koordinierende Kinderschutzstelle (KoKi)  
Sylvia Seider-Rosenlehner (sylvia.seider@landkreis-passau.de)  
Gutherstr. 12 - 94209 Regen (Germany)  
**Website:**  www.landkreis-regen.de/index.cfm?event=page.articledetail&cid=2100&pk=5397
Name of project/activity

Familienunterstützer (Supporters for families)

Location (Country, place)

Kastenreuth 16-18, 94034 Passau

Name of organisation

Lebenshilfe Passau

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Providing help to mentally disabled persons and their families

Target group of project/activity

Everyone

Aim of project/activity

To support families with disabled children

Types of volunteer activity

Providing support to disabled persons and their families

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

Volunteers take care of disabled children so that for instance their parents can complete formalities, go shopping or spend time for hobbies, which often comes up too short. But there is also the possibility that volunteers accompany disabled children to the swimming pool or they go out with them for a walk. So there are many ways of supporting families with disabled children.

Recruiting procedures

Local medias, informing students of social studies, also people who have already had contact with a special disabled person, so they already know each other

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Most of them are students of social studies, experience with disabled persons is an advantage

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

N/A

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Working in average minimum 8 hours/week for three months without payment for a non-profit project, doing the activity which is described above

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Trainings, advanced vocational trainings

Recognition

Expense allowance

Resources needed for project/activity

N/A

Policies and regulations

N/A

Obstacles/barriers

N/A

Why is it a good practice?

Helping families with disabled people

Contact details

Lebenshilfe Passau  
Maria Zander (maria.zander@lebenshilfe-passau.de)  
Kastenreuth 16-18  
94034 Passau  
**Website:** www.lebenshilfe-passau.de
Name of project/activity

Rock Your Life – Assisting pupils to find a job

Location (Country, place)

94032 Passau

Name of organisation

ROCK YOUR LIFE! Passau e.V.

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Pupils who attend school for only 9 years often have difficulties to find a job

Target group of project/activity

Pupils (age 12-16)

Aim of project/activity

1.Minimise differences between pupils graduating after the compulsory 9 yrs and pupils graduating after 10 or 12 yrs concerning their training maturity  
2.Create equal chances for every pupil  
3.Improve the pupil's employment chances  
4.Improve the pupil's self-esteem and their self-awareness

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

The students (coaches) meet at least every two weeks with the pupils in order to prepare them for working life. Some parents do not care about their children's school achievements. The coaches help them with their school homework and help them to organise their future. They also help them with finding internships. They are first and foremost a contact person whether for school questions or private concerns. The activities depend on the relationship as it is not defined before what they will be doing. All activities depend on individual preferences. Some coaching couples do sports together, go to the movies etc.

Recruiting procedures

By informing all new students at the University of Passau about our project via flyer, poster etc. We also visit every course and make advertisement for our info meeting which takes place at the beginning of every new

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Male and female, between 16 and 25 years, all attending high school

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

N/A

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

Assisting pupils in applying for a job, accompanying them in the last two years of school.

Most of the volunteers are coaches but there is also the possibility to work in the organisation team

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

N/A

Recognition

N/A

Resources needed for project/activity

Secretary staff

Policies and regulations

N/A

Obstacles/barriers

Finding financial support

Why is it a good practice?

Providing equal chances to all pupils, involving young volunteers, peer-to-peer-volunteering

Contact details

ROCK YOUR LIFE! Passau e.V.  
Lukas Hauser, Emilio Walter  
Pustetweg 12  
94034 Passau  
**Email:** passau@rockyourlife.de  
**Website:** http://passau.rockyourlife.de/
Name of project/activity

Tatennetz

Location (Country, place)

Leopoldstr. 9, D- 94032 Passau

Name of organisation

Gemeinsam leben und lernen in Europa e.V.

Topic/ problem address by project/activity

Promoting volunteering

Supporting people through volunteers

Raising awareness for social injustice and problems through volunteer activities

Target group of project/activity

Everyone

Aim of project/activity

1. promoting volunteer activities - also for families  
2. supporting organisations working for families to recruit new volunteers  
3. getting people motivated to contribute to society and get active themselves

Types of volunteer activity

"Gemeinsam leben und lernen in Europa" provides various types of social/volunteer activity, especially trying to reduce inequality in chances. The volunteer positions available deal with all forms of volunteer activity and fields of volunteering

Formal or informal volunteering

Formal and informal

Description/ type of intervention and specific activities

1.Running an online plattform and councelling services for interested citizens in volunteering and helping them finding field of engagement  
2.Running a training course for senior volunteers for improving their volunteer work and helping developing their own volunteer projects (e.g. a training course for volunteer family mentors), running an exchange program for senior volunteers with Czech republic; organising an annual volunteer fair, where volunteer organisations presents themselves to interested volunteers  
3.Running a volunteer international womens club with annual activity program for integrating migrant women; running volunteer intercultural trainings for kids;  
4.Setting up a network of organisations, administration, business, health sector, political decision makers etc. for becoming a more family friendly city (set up of thematic working groups, creating an information website for families, running a volunteer phone service for families, training volunteer family mentors, running projects for families, etc.)

Recruiting procedures

Online-plattform, website, mailings in local university, mouth-to-mouth propaganda, training and information sessions for volunteers

Personal qualities and requirements of volunteers

Being motivated!  
Otherwise: male or female, 16-69 years, all type of degrees, unemployed, managing director, painter, office staff, students.

Role of volunteers (especially relationship staff – volunteers)

There are low levels of commitment possible: every volunteer can bring in new ideas and all are treated equally

Tasks and duties of the volunteers

working in average minimum 8 hours/week for three months, or 4 weeks full time or 2 months part-time without payment for a non-profit project

Support and services for the volunteer (e.g. orientation, supervision, training)

Trainings, supervision, empowerment

Recognition

Certificate

Resources needed for project/activity

A profound office infrastructure, a "supervisior" and manager for the volunteers

Policies and regulations

N/A

Obstacles/barriers

Finding financial support

Why is it a good practice?

Everyone can contribute: the activities of the Tatennetz motivate people to become volunteers, support them in their volunteer work, connect the various organisations working with volunteers, support them by helping them finding new volunteers.

Contact details

Gemeinsam leben und lernen in Europa e.V.  
Perdita Wingerter  
Leopoldstraße 9  
94032 Passau  
**Email:** info@gemeinsam-in-europa.de  
**Tel:** 0851 - 2132740  
**Website:** www.gemeinsam-in-europa.de

Disclaimer:

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
