We would like to strengthen active citizenship and participation in a small town of our region where is low cohesion. We will create an information centre (info point) that provides many voluntary offers. Citizens obtain opportunities, how they might participate thanks to volunteering. Our idea is involving disadvantaged groups who feel very often needless in society, such as lonely seniors, the unemployed etc. Help is aimed at a group: disadvantaged kids, excluded families, seniors etc.

The project will take place in the town of The Bratislava Self-Governing Region.

According to the recent survey, the trend is new people do not attend voluntary activities in this region. It is the same group that join activities two years ago and before pandemic.Our project will face actual challenges and motivate people to be active, promote possibilities and show them impact in the place where they live. We want to raise awareness of how to participate, where is help needed. Also, various disadvantaged groups can learn that they can make an impact in the region and it matters.Through this project, we want to address possibilities for citizens who wait for the impulse to participate and make an impact on their neighbours. Furthermore, we want to show these opportunities and lead to open dialogue among different groups, who received aid but also who help (volunteers).

Due to involving to voluntary activities, key target groups become active citizens but also gain the new skill and experiences for life which it would be a possible use for a new job and other part of life. It increases the quality of life. Key target groups: disadvantaged groups, excluded families with kids, seniors, students, the unemployed, women and children experiencing domestic violence, victims of domestic violence, low-income families and young people, families with children or members with serious illness, foreigners, mothers on the materninty leave and etc.

The first step is to create an information centre focusing on volunteering in a small town of the region and at the same time, trying to find cooperation between stakeholders, NGOs, institutions, municipalities and explaining how volunteering increase interest in the public. When we open the information centre, we start to promote volunteering opportunities. We give to the opportunity to be part of a volunteering project and be co-creators for. In the new centre, we implement an ongoing and new project in which can participate big groups of volunteers included disadvantaged volunteers. We teach NGOs and minucipalities how to work with volunteers. We support social inclusion among groups.
- students of high school: presenting volunteering programme at high school, focus on students, involve students directly from the small towns
-activities: meeting with seniors in elderly houses, talk, playing parlours games together, dialogues to strengthen intergenerational dialogue, sharing experience, including training for volunteers and ensure safety for clients-seniors
-programme for seniors, how to be active and participate
-kids from excluded families, volunteers help kids with homework, it is positive example
-municipalities: cooperate with municipalities, teach them how they can involve disadvantaged groups in volunteering and support community development and open dialogue

Different groups of people have helped in volunteering activities, learn from each other and support others and stronger dialogue between groups. They will start to participate and continue to be active citizens. It is a positive impact on disadvantaged groups as an important part of society and also other citizens will understand better needs in their town. Many time people might have prejudices because they do not understand the social background of disadvantaged people in this region. The result is that both groups understand each other better, start empathy, support dialogue and support each other. We plan to involve 800 people in volunteering activities including 300 people who come from disadvantaged groups. So they will be also volunteers and help other disadvantaged groups.

Personal experience and participation in the volunteering activities might bring a positive impact, therefore two different groups will meet at the same time: volunteers (also volunteers from a disadvantaged group) a disadvantaged group during a long-term period. Volunteering brings new opportunities for people and society, new skills and experience and comprehension. Thank to the volunteering experience people become more involved in society and can participate and change things. Volunteers (included volunteers from disadvantaged group) have different ideas about how to be active or what active citizenship means and solidarity represents. But they learn together and start to be active.They will be more active in the place where they live and they can influence changes on the local level.

Team BDC works to motivate people for volunteering in this region. All members consider initiatives of civic society as important. We teach other NGOs how to work with volunteers, what is management of volunteers, why is it important etc. We create and coordinate our own volunteering projects. Our main long term goal is to develop volunteering to become a normal part of the life of each citizen.

PUBLIC RELATIONS: 1500 EUR
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: 7000 EUR
REPRESENTATION COSTS: 4000 EUR
TRAVEL COSTS: 1000 EUR
LECTURES AND TRAININGS: 1000 EUR
RENT: 5000 EUR
ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE MANAGEMENT: 7000 EUR
MATERIALS FOR ACTIVITIES: 4500 EUR
SUPPORT OF INFORMATION CENTRE, implementation in the new town: 4000 EUR

Is the idea of the project clear and understandable for you? Could you see a connection between involved groups in the project and effect to civic society? What would you recommend to achieve our vision and goals? Which kind of methods are verified to strengthen participation? Thank you.