"Volunteering is voluntary community service that brings together different people with different professions, fortunes, interests and goals, but they all share a common value - caring about what is happening around them. Unlike other types of charitable activities, a person who performs volunteer activities donates the most valuable thing - his time and his internal resources (personal, professional, etc.). Since 2011, the Law of Ukraine "On Volunteering" has been in effect in Ukraine, which defines two more concepts that are included in the phenomenon of volunteering: "volunteer activity" and "volunteer assistance".
Volunteering is an opportunity to support, care, and help those who need it. Such activities can be carried out at the community, district, city or state level, by an individual or a group of people. Volunteer activity is a form of charitable activity, but a volunteer is not a philanthropist (because a philanthropist is a person, institution or organization that transfers funds or property for the benefit of another person, institution or organization.
Voluntary assistance - work and services performed and provided free of charge by volunteers and volunteer organizations.
At the same time, it is important to understand that volunteering is NOT:
- free performance of work or provision of services by persons based on family, friendship or neighborly relations;
- a person's performance of certain functions at his workplace, or paid work.
A volunteer is a person who, of their own free will, performs useful work or provides services to help others.
A volunteer is a person who, of thir own free will, performs useful work or provides services to help others.
Volunteers can be anyone who has reached the age of 18, as well as teenagers over the age of 14 (with the written consent of parents or persons who replace them).
Volunteers who provide assistance on the basis of an organization or institution can obtain a volunteer certificate and sign a contract in writing on the implementation of volunteer activities or provide assistance without such a contract.
If a person has reached the age of 18, he signs the contract himself. Children over 14 years of age can enter into contracts with the written consent of their parents (adoptive parents), adoptive parents, foster parents, guardians/custodians.
Volunteer rights
- get all the necessary information and equipment for volunteering;
- receive reimbursement for expenses related to volunteering (for phone calls related to volunteering, tickets, food and accommodation, etc.);
- crediting time to practice, if it corresponds to the received specialty;
- choose the type of activity that corresponds to his interests and preferences;
- make proposals during the discussion of forms and methods of providing volunteer assistance;
- receive recognition and appreciation for their work;
- refuse to perform volunteer activities for objective reasons;
- stop volunteering at your own will;
- other rights that are written in the contract.
Duties of a volunteer:
- conscientiously and timely fulfill their duties;
- prevent actions and deeds that may negatively affect the reputation
- volunteer, organization or institution;
- comply with the legislation of Ukraine in their activities;
- undergo a medical examination and provide a health certificate (if necessary);
- undergo training, training or retraining;
- to compensate for damages caused by him during the implementation of volunteer activities, in accordance with the law
People of different ages, professional experience, interests and preferences can volunteer, individually or in groups.
A volunteer group is a small community of people acting on a voluntary basis, united by a specific charitable activity, formed under a governmental or non-governmental organization, or functioning as an informal initiative group.
The purpose of the program
To form a systematic approach to the development and implementation of the volunteer movement and the development of the culture of volunteering.
Principles of volunteering (signs of volunteering)
- voluntariness (independent and voluntary decision-making to "be a volunteer");
- inclusion in projects, events, activities (teamwork);
- gratuity (the volunteer's work is not paid, but the volunteer's expenses related to his activities may be compensated);
- conscientiousness (the volunteer must finish the work he has undertaken to do);
- legality (the activity of the volunteer must not contradict the adopted legislation of Ukraine);
- compliance with the goals of the organization (the volunteer supports and popularizes the mission of the organization, shares and does not deny its principles);
- social orientation (volunteer activity is aimed at achieving general goals and bringing benefits from work to both a specific person and society in general).
Areas of volunteering:
- Social Protection;
- health care;
- education and training;
- environmental protection;
- dispute and tourism, culture and youth movement;
- human rights activities;
- support of the defense capability of the state.
Forms of volunteering
- social volunteering;
- ecological;
- sports;
- cultural;
- event volunteering (participation of volunteers in various events: conferences, festivals, promotions, etc.);
- corporate volunteering (participation of organization members in the implementation of their various external social programs);
- media/information volunteering (participation of volunteers in the advertising of events/projects/programs and popularization of the volunteer movement in the media space);
- e-volunteering (volunteering via the Internet, also called virtual volunteering, online volunteering, cyber volunteering or digital volunteering).