Implementation of the “Feel good while volunteering” project has begun

Timočki Youth Center TOC with the support of the OSCE Mission in Serbia will implement in the period from August to December 2021, the project Feel good while volunteering.

With this project proposal, the Timočki Youth Center continues to develop and improve the concept of youth safety in local communities.

The goal of the project is to work on improving the conditions for sustainable cooperation and increasing the participation of young people in community life through volunteering in emergency situations. The idea of the project itself is to work on strengthening the network of volunteer centers and encouraging volunteering in emergency situations, with a focus on the psychological safety of volunteers.

Within the project, trainings will be held for youth workers from 9 volunteer centers, after which two brochures will be developed. One brochure will be about volunteer safety and security, while the other will be about volunteer supervision and mentoring. Both guides will serve youth workers and other potentially interested volunteer organizers.

In addition to these mentioned activities, the project also plans to promote volunteer centers in the border region through public events in 9 cities, their importance for local communities as an important resource, as well as the establishment of partnership cooperation between the headquarters for emergency situations in local communities and districts in which volunteer centers are located.

The participants of the project activities will be youth workers from 9 volunteer centers from Serbia, from the border region of Serbia and Bulgaria, namely from Zaječar, Niš, Leskovac, Knjaževac, Bor, Majdanpek, Aleksinac, Vladičin Han and Kuršumlija, who after the training will carry out activities with the current and future volunteers of those volunteer centers.

The Timoč Youth Center has developed a network of 9 volunteer centers in these cities, which were established as part of a cross-border project with Bulgaria. Volunteer centers are civil society organizations from the mentioned cities: People’s Parliament from Leskovac, Center for Creative Development from Knjaževac, Mladi JAZAS Zaječar, Proaktiv from Niš, Red Cross Vladičin Han, Red Cross Majdanpek, Red Cross Aleksinac, Youth Center Bor i Ad Fines Cultus team from Kuršumlija.