Last modified: 2016-09-09
Abstract
Volunteering possibilities for students in Croatia are provided by centres, organizations and associations at universities, and from volunteering centres. One of the examples of university centre is Centre for Volunteering and Humanitarian Work (CVHR). CVHR is one of the research centres at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics in Varaždin, University of Zagreb. CVHR primary goal is creating, implementing and evaluating voluntary projects and activities on local, national and international level.1 Croatia has formed local and regional Volunteering Centres. Regional Centres are placed in Zagreb, Osijek, Rijeka and Split. Together, they also create Croatian Network of Volunteering Centres (HMVC).2 Communication between organizers of volunteering activities and students is mostly based on websites and social networks. In order to bring volunteering closer to students, the cooperation between volunteering centers and universities is crucial. One example of cooperation is the project “Volunteering Symposium – Value of volunteering for students and community” organized by the Student Assembly of Faculty of Health Studies and Association SMART-Volunteering Centre Rijeka. Project has been done as student volunteer action “Volunteers Collecting Smiles” and symposium about volunteering. There are many different types of providing international volunteering activities in Croatia. Examples of organizations which include volunteers into international volunteering activities are: Volunteers’ Centre Zagreb which provide international volunteer exchange or “International volunteer service” which offers database of international camps3 and there is the program of European Committee for long time volunteering as a part of program Erasmus+, provided by European voluntary service. One of the biggest student networks and organizer of volunteering activities is AIESEC.4 In Europe, volunteering for students is promoted by European Youth Portal. Portal offers possibility to find specific volunteering programs or volunteering projects all around European countries.5
The main aim of this poster is popularization of volunteering and dissemination of information about volunteering possibilities in Croatia. Through volunteering students can develop social and professional skills by helping individuals in local and international community.