New momentum for volunteering: committed strengths and accompany!

New momentum for volunteering: committed strengths and accompany!

As part of an innovative project, the commitment developers in Saarland strengthen the foundations for volunteering. The figureheads of this initiative are the pastoral officer Carola Fleck, the municipal officer Silvia Pfundstein and the municipal officer Maximilian Schmitt. They work in the pastoral rooms Tholey, Neunkirchen and Saarlouis and are part of the Visitation district of Saarbrücken, which covers a comprehensive area in Saarland. Your goal is clear: strengthening the volunteer and creating optimal framework for voluntary commitment.

The commitment developers were created as a result of a diocese synod that is supposed to give a breath of fresh air to the volunteering. Through their function, they act as a point of contact for people who are looking for new opportunities in commitment or want to change their existing commitment. A central concern of the initiative is the development of common standards, which are intended to promote a quality volunteer culture in areas such as qualification, support and quality assurance. Wochenspiegel online reports that these standards also contain conditions such as a certificate of good conduct and prevention training, especially in child and youth work.

determination of needs and networking

A central element of the development of commitment is the determination of needs, which is carried out by discussions with full-time and volunteers on site. Based on feedback, specific qualification requests are formulated that range from further training for catechists to courses in the voluntary burial line. In addition, there is a network with relevant local actors Como counties, mayors and organizations such as Caritas and Hospizhilfe. These steps should not only promote exchange, but also increase appreciation for volunteering.

The responsible commitment developers are not only available as a contact in conflict situations, but also offer proactive support for groups. An important goal of the initiative is to improve the framework conditions for church volunteering, for example by reimbursing expenses and access to materials and church premises. honorary diocese of trier emphasizes that despite increasing number of committed people, the type of engagement is changing: away from long-term office to project-related and temporary voluntary areas of activity.

professionalization and quality standards

parallel to the developments in Saarland, there is a growing initiative nationwide to professionalize volunteer management. The Society for Volunteer Management describes that the number of people in voluntary management functions has been decreasing for years, while the commitment rate in Germany is increasing. This shows the growing need for professional management of volunteers in clubs, associations and social economy.

The company has formulated extensive quality standards that range from the engagement strategy to transparent review through relevant interest groups. These standards include a participatory development and coordination of the measures with affected groups of people and the provision of necessary resources for their implementation. Dedicated are intended to win and maintain the commitment by target group -specific address and written agreements that promote commitment. All of this aims to strengthen the cooperation between volunteers and specialists and to increase the appreciation for volunteering.

The current initiatives in Saarland and nationally offer extensive approaches to strengthen and professionalize volunteering, which plays a central role in society. The development of common standards and the networking of relevant actors are crucial for the future design of an active and lively volunteering office.