Our activities

Mission of the Foreign Department of Slezská Diakonie consists in enhancing the development of the whole organization through programme activities with international participation. This way, the Foreign Department seeks to support quality improvements of services and creates a trustful image of the organization in regional, national and international context. The Department is focused on professional and personal development of Slezská Diakonie staff members and volunteers, which is ensured through life-long learning within the framework of international teams.

–  Creating project concepts aimed at the development of particular programme activities and ensuring their further evolution at the international, national and regional level
–   Establishing international networks aimed at sustainability and transparency of project activities developed within particular projects
–   Active membership in international umbrella organizations, promoting the image and trustfulness of the whole organization
–   Exchange of knowledge and experience with partner organizations
–   Ensuring lobby activities at the international level
–   Ensuring fundraising focused on programme activities of both the Foreign Department and Slezská Diakonie as a whole

Programme activities:

•    International volunteerism
•    Mobility projects
•    International Academy for Diaconia and Social Action, Central and Eastern Europe (Central European Academy)
•    Public relations
•    Fundraising
•    Lobby

Target states:

•    EU member states
•    EU candidate states
•    Mediterranean states
•    USA

International volunteerism

The international volunteerism programme provides all young people aged 18 – 30 with a unique occasion to experience voluntary service in social and educational institutions/organizations across Europe and in other parts of the world. Exchanges of volunteers take place within the framework of projects run in cooperation with foreign hosting organizations. Slezská Diakonie acts both as an accredited sending organization and as a coordinating hosting organization.

We provide young foreigners with the occasion to volunteer in its own facilities and in facilities which cooperate with Slezská Diakonie. Genuine experience of community work in hosting organizations has a beneficial impact on the personal development of volunteers, on the professional staff of the organization, as well as on the society as a whole.

Mobility projects  

The main objective of Mobility projects consists in supporting the life-long learning of professional staff of Slezská Diakonie. This objective is attained due to visits in facilities of foreign partner organizations, which enhance the qualification of our staff members and the quality of service provision. Exchange stays of professional staff are based on bilateral agreements concluded between Slezská Diakonie (sending organization) and its foreign partner organizations. Mobility projects also try to respond to the needs of the International Academy for Diaconia and Social Action, Central and Eastern Europe which seeks to promote education based especially on participants’ motivation, systematic and long-term acquisition of new knowledge and on the ability to apply creative and efficient methods of teaching. Trainings take place within the framework of international teams. So far, two mobility projects for staff members of Slezská Diakonie were implemented in cooperation with our partner organizations from Germany (Diakonie Martinshof and Diakonie Neuendetelsau).

International Academy for Diaconia and Social Action, Central and Eastern Europe

As an independent legal entity and a successor to the original project of International Academy, the International Academy for Diaconia and Social Action, Central and Eastern Europe was established in December 2008 by Slezská Diakonie and Helsinki Deaconess Institute. For more information on its history and development, see www.interdiac.eu.

Public relations

German and English speaking partner organizations of Slezská Diakonie receive an electronic version of our newsletter (Informátor) in German and English. The newsletter contains information on all important activities and events within the organization and is available on the website of Slezská Diakonie as well.

According to demand and offer, articles on Slezská Diakonie are published in specialized international newspapers (e.g. Martin Luther Bund, Lutherischer Dienst, Gustav-Adolf Blatt or Social Economy).

Fundraising

As far as foreign donors are concerned, fundraising activities are focused above all on gaining financial sources to promote and support investment plans of both Slezská Diakonie headquarters and particular centres of our organization.

Lobby

Considering the above-mentioned programme activities, Slezská Diakonie is member of several European umbrella organizations such as AVSO, EFSCW, Eurodiaconia or SoCareNet. Due to cooperation with these umbrella organizations, Slezská Diakonie is able to comment and influence legislations planned by European legislative institutions. Slezská Diakonie participates actively in international seminars and conferences in order to present finalized projects and outputs of specialized work groups through examples of best practices.