International volunteerism

Slezská Diakonie joined the European Voluntary Service (EVS) and the Youth in Action programme Youth in Action programme (MLÁDEŽ V AKCI) in summer 2004.

Since then, Slezská Diakonie has been acting as both a hosting and a sending organization. Besides, Slezská Diakonie also coordinates activities of foreign volunteers who are placed in other hosting organizations within the Moravian-Silesian region.

Concerning these activities, Slezská Diakonie has set up the following main objectives:

to support awareness and to inform about long-term international voluntary service,
to organize exchange of volunteers,
to offer possibilities for both long-term and short-term voluntary service in social and educational organizations in European and non-European countries

Slezská Diakonie focuses above all on the personal and spiritual development of volunteers, achieved through their voluntary service in national or international settings.

In order to attain the above-mentioned objectives, Slezská Diakonie has set up the following specific objectives:

providing volunteers with intercultural and ecumenical education ,
enhancing the volunteers’ awareness on social responsibility,
acquainting volunteers with their working environment
developing communication abilities of volunteers, as well as volunteers’ sense of teamwork
offering possibilities to decide on one’s future professional career

Slezská Diakonie intends to attain these objectives through the following means:

1. Sending volunteers to foreign countries

recruitment of young people who want to travel and work abroad as volunteers
support and assistance offered to Czech volunteers before, during and after their volunteer service
trainings focused on volunteers who want to join volunteer projects abroad

2. Hosting volunteers in the Czech Republic

implementing host projects at various facilities of Slezská Diakonie and other cooperating organizations
mediating placement of international volunteers in other non-profit organizations
trainings for host organizations which would like to host international volunteers in their facilities
trainings for volunteers placed within Slezská Diakonie
continuous support and assistance offered to volunteers and host organizations during volunteer projects

3. Supporting quality and innovations:

organizing informal events and educational activities in order to make young people and general public better acquainted with the International Voluntary Service activities in the region
involving young people with limited possibilities (young people with disabilities, young people from socially and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, Roma minority) in volunteerism activities
cooperation with Central and East European partner organizations