2.7 Social inclusion through volunteering
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Support to young volunteers
The Slovenia Volunteering Act (Zakon o prostovoljstvu) covers general volunteering regardless of target groups and supports equal opportunities for all volunteers. Currently, there is no policy, legislation, or government-led initiative for promoting the inclusion of youth volunteers, including those with fewer opportunities. Consequently, there is no support to facilitate the involvement of young people from vulnerable target groups in volunteering activities. Initiatives are mainly stimulated through the EU programs, including the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programme.
Community building
There are no top-level policy measures or initiatives for developing and strengthening social cohesion and inclusion in the communities where volunteering projects occur.
Youth volunteering is supported only through EU programmes, especially the European Solidarity Corps, managed in Slovenia by the National Agency MOVIT. The agency promotes the programme and supports the organizations implementing the activities. It also promotes European Solidarity Network (EuSN) and Europeers.
EuSN is a relevantly young community from the spring of 2019, united through a shared interest and vision to create a European network in which everybody works together to improve the experience of young ESC participants (European Youth Portal).
EuroPeers are young people who have gained European experience under the EU's youth programmes and want to share them with their peers.
They are ambassadors for the Erasmus+ Youth program, the European Solidarity Corps, and the other national schemes that help young people move around Europe to work and learn. They both organize their own events and are invited to speak by schools, youth welfare offices, or cultural centers on a voluntary basis.
On a national level, Slovene Philanthropy, an NGO, is the leading organization promoting volunteering in Slovenia. Among their core activities, they include helping individuals get in touch with organizations needing volunteers, training volunteers, and supporting civic organizations.
Since 2004, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities has supported the programme “Development and Promotion of volunteering in Slovenia”. The programme is implemented by Slovene Philanthropy and is also verified by the Social Chamber of Slovenia. The programme aims to provide professional support for quality volunteering, encourage recognition of volunteering, develop new forms of volunteering with regards to society needs and enhance professionalization of mentors and organisers of voluntary activities.
For people in need, this programme offers support to find suitable help from volunteers and it also helps voluntary organisations to find volunteers. Moreover, with professionalization and recognition of volunteering, the programme particularly helps humanitarian and social protection organisations which run voluntary activities. At the same time the programme offers citizens an opportunity to be actively involved in social activities, provides greater social inclusion of individuals, in particular of vulnerable groups, promotes solidarity and empowers an individual who gains new skills and experiences through voluntary engagement.
Tackling societal challenges
No specific top-level measures, initiatives, or programs support young volunteers to engage in projects that contribute to solving societal challenges. All the initiatives are led by the NGOs active in the field of volunteering activities. Several NGOs exist, such as Slovene Philanthropy, Voluntariat, and Sloga.