In this section of our site, you will find useful information on what does it mean to volunteer, and how volunteering impacts individuals, communities and societies.

• What is volunteering?

• Benefits of volunteering?

• What volunteers do?

• Legal framework for volunteering in BiH

What is volunteering?
It may seem redundant to explain what volunteering is, but studies show that the general public has many misconceptions about volunteering. A recent study on social dimension of volunteerism in Bosnia and Herzegovina found that here too there is significant lack of understanding or misunderstanding as to what is considered volunteering. So, let us immediately clarify: volunteering is not every unpaid job or apprenticeship, and it certainly is not forced free labour.

What IS volunteering?

Volunteerism is an expression of a core principle of most cultures, as well as of the United Nations system: that by working together on a voluntary basis, everyone can participate in, and benefit from, social development. Volunteerism can include mutual aid and self-help, service delivery, campaigning and advocacy, as well as other forms of civic participation.

Throughout history, volunteerism has been a part of almost every society, particularly in addressing communal needs - such as planting and harvesting, coping with disasters and conflict, overcoming poverty and enhancing a spirit of solidarity within the community. Although its value is not always recognized, volunteerism is a fundamental source of community strength and resilience.

Volunteering has common roots, but manifests itself through an enormous diversity. This ranges from the highly organized global operations of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, around the world aimed at improving the conditions of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity, to the self-help voluntary activities of community burial.

Some key universal principles of volunteerism are:

• Actions are carried out freely and without coercion

• Financial gain is not the main motivating principle

• There is a beneficiary other than the volunteer

Volunteering can be carried out by everyone. It is reciprocal in nature: the benefits of volunteering accrue to both beneficiary and volunteer alike.

Benefits of volunteering
In these fast-paced, busy and economically difficult times, it can be hard to think about finding time to volunteer. However, do not be discouraged by the challenges, the benefits of volunteering are enormous for everyone – you, your family and your community. Volunteering makes a great contribution in efforts to reduce poverty in your community, strengthens social connections and serves to develop a more humane and secure society. On more individual level, it can help you make new friends, reach out to the community, develop new skills and even boost your career.

Volunteerism fosters governance
Volunteerism delivers impressive social benefits. Through voluntary action, people create groupings that can cement social norms and inculcate a sense of civic responsibility and belonging. The participatory aspect of volunteerism can also contribute to a heightened understanding of the forces which shape governments and societies, leading to greater transparency, accountability and improved governance.

Volunteerism connects communities
Volunteering fosters opportunities for participation by people from diverse backgrounds and from a very wide range of circumstances. A recent study on volunteerism in Bosnia and Herzegovina showed that volunteering has significant influence on overcoming social divisions and distances, and reducing prejudices. For example, it has been found that volunteers are more inclined to interact with groups of different ethnic origin and across communities.

Volunteering has important economic impact
Volunteering also has the potential to contribute to economic growth at the community and national level. Studies undertaken by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Civil Society have estimated the economic value of the overall non-profit sector at an average of 5% of a country’s Gross Domestic Product. On an individual level, volunteerism contributes to capacity building processes by helping the individual volunteer to develop marketable skills, providing access to workplace networks and boosting confidence and self-esteem.

Volunteering is good for the mind, body and soul
Volunteering is a brilliant way to get life experience. Fundamentally, it is about giving your time, energy and skills freely. Unlike many things in life there is choice involved in volunteering. As a volunteer you have made a decision to help on your own accord, free from pressure to act from others. Volunteers predominantly express a sense of achievement and motivation, and this is ultimately generated from a desire and enthusiasm to help. Not only it is good for your self-confidence, but it also helps you stay physically healthy.

Volunteering can boost your career
Volunteering is the perfect vehicle to discover something you are really good at and develop a new skills. If you are thinking of a career change, then volunteering is a perfect way to expand your work portfolio in your current field and/or explore new fields while gaining new insights and experiences.

Volunteering increases your employability, as it allows you to gain practical knowledge and practice in a particular field. It also offers an incredible networking opportunity. Not only will you develop lasting personal and professional relationships, but it is also a great way to learn about people from all walks of life, different environments, and new industries.

What volunteers do?
Volunteers can do almost anything! From helping elderly neighbours with their shopping, to providing legal advice for a local charity, volunteers make a vital contribution to all aspects of community life.

Across the world, UN Volunteers engage with development partners and local communities in working towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Achieving these universal goals by 2015 will require the ingenuity, solidarity, creativity and sense of responsibility of millions of ordinary people through voluntary action.

MDG efforts on the part of national governments, supported by the international community, can only complement the involvement of people and civil society worldwide. Six billion people have something to contribute to their societies!

• Volunteering for development

• Volunteering for the MDGs in BiH

• Online volunteering

Volunteer for development
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is inspired by the conviction that volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges worldwide. Everyone can contribute their time, skills and knowledge through volunteer action, and their combined efforts can be a significant force for achieving peace and development.

The concept of volunteerism for development centers on optimizing volunteerism’s impact on peace and development. Achieving this requires the cooperation and commitment of the public sector, civil society and the private sector with support from the United Nations system and the world community. Individual citizens also have an important role to play through volunteering.

Volunteerism for development enhances the capacity of people to exercise choices to set and achieve their own development objectives, which can result in real improvements that benefit others as well as themselves. If development is to be effective and sustainable, the people affected by it must take ownership of, and give relevance to, its processes and drive them forward through civic engagement.

Every day, individuals are engaged in development initiatives through volunteer actions both large and small in an effort to improve conditions for others and themselves. Volunteerism by many millions of people is critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Volunteerism strengthens—and is strengthened by—trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism is purposeful, creating opportunities for citizens to participate in development. Through volunteerism, more people participate in development, and at all levels of society, which empowers them and gives them a personal stake in their country’s future.

In this way, volunteerism fosters secure and stable environments conducive to the peaceful resolution of conflict. UNV strengthens the capacities of national partners, enabling local ownership of peace and development processes and encouraging recognition of volunteers and their cohesive engagement for peacebuilding.

UNV contributes to volunteerism for development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging the integration of volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers. The UNV programme advocates for environments in which volunteerism can flourish and people have the ability and the right to participate in the development process. We promote the integration of volunteering into the objectives and activities of partners such as governments and development organizations, and we do so to facilitate national ownership of development processes. UNV also mobilizes, and supports others to mobilize, large numbers of people to volunteer in pursuit of human development.

Volunteering for MDGs in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 30 national and international United Nations Volunteer work with other UN agencies and local stakeholders towards achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals.

MDG Achievement Fund Youth Employability and Retention Programme
Bosnia and Herzegovina has one of the highest unemployment rates in entire Europe, and the most affected group are young people: recent survey indicates that youth unemployment is about 57.5%. In addition, the education system in the country is not fully adjusted to meet market needs. When they leave school, youth find that they are not able to find jobs, leading to discouragement, apathy and social exclusion. The Youth Employability and Retention Programme aims to respond to high youth unemployment and prevent the drain of valuable resources from the country.

UNV is one of five implementing agencies (UNDP, UNV, UNICEF, UNFPA, IOM) of the 3 year joint MDG Achievement Fund YERP programme which commenced on 1 January 2010. Implemented in partnership with local institutions, this programme seeks to enhance the capacities of the public employment services and civil society to develop and deliver an integrated package of youth employability measures; increase the capacity of the education system to improve youth employability; and minimize the negative impacts of youth out migration.

About 20 of our volunteers serve as the Youth Employment Counselor-Advisors in the newly created Youth Employment Centres helping youth increase their employability by offering information on job opportunities at the market, education and employment opportunities, organizing skills workshops and training, and providing individual counsel. All centers are also equipped with computers and internet access to enable young people to search for jobs.

To learn more about this program or learn about the CISO nearby you, visit www.un.ba or look for YERP on Facebook.

MDG Achievement Fund Environment and Climate Change Programme
UNV is one of five implementing agencies (UNDP, UNV, UNESCO, UNEP, FAO) of the 3 year joint MDG Achievement Fund Environment and Climate Change programme which commenced on 1 January 2010. Implemented in cooperation with the domestic institutions and civil society organizations, the MDG-F Environment programme aims to improve local level environmental management through developing effective local participatory environmental planning and service delivery and raising awareness and local actions in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) goals.

Interventions centre on providing capacity and support for developing Local Environmental Action Plans in partner municipalities providing conditions for implementing local environmental management and service delivery priorities, raising the awareness and national level support for environmental action through an environmental financing, and developing effective systems for capturing environmental data. In total, 7 UN Volunteers are involved in the development of local environmental actions plans.

To learn more about this program, visit www.un.ba

Online Volunteering
If you have access to a computer and the Internet coupled with the right skills then you should consider volunteering online. There are many organizations that are tapping into this method. Your roles as online volunteer can range from giving free legal advice to NGOs in developing countries to building nonprofit websites.

Your skills could be a programming knowledge, good writing ability, experience in project management, knowledge of another language, expertise in law or education or another profession, or simply the time to offer expert advice or answer email for the host organization. Online volunteering is perfect if you have limited time or no transportation, and also opens up exciting opportunities for disabled volunteers.

Online volunteers undertake a variety of assignments for organizations: translations, research, web design, data analysis, database construction, proposal writing, editing articles, online mentoring, publication design, moderating an online discussion group, or any other services that can be done through computer networks.

Last but not least, online volunteering allows Bosnian and Herzegovinian expatriates and Diaspora to reconnect with their native country in a way that triggers further development and self-sustainability of the region.

If you are interested in volunteering online, your first stop should be UNV's Online Volunteering service at www.onlinevolunteering.org which connects development organizations and volunteers over the Internet and supports their effective online collaboration.

A steadily increasing number of civil society organizations, governmental institutions and United Nations organizations recognize the value of online volunteering. The figures speak for themselves: 10,000 online volunteers engaged in development projects through the UNV Online Volunteering service in 2010 and carried out 15,000 assignments.

Online volunteering gives development organizations access to a broader pool of knowledge and resources to enhance their capacities, while it offers individuals worldwide additional opportunities to volunteer for development and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Legal Framework
Volunteering in Bosnia and Herzegovina is only partially regulated by law.

Civil society sector in the country has implemented a number of outreach and advocacy activities in a period from 2004 to 2008 with a goal to raise public awareness on a necessity to provide legal framework for volunteering. In 2008, due to the efforts of young activist and volunteers, the (Entity) Government of Republika Srpska formally adopted a Law on Volunteering. However, despite this success, the engagement of volunteers and civil society organizations on the issue continues as challenges still remain in regards to the Law’s implementation.

At the State level (BiH) and the Entity of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH) , civil society and government actors continue their efforts to secure legislation that would formally recognize and protect volunteers and volunteering. A working group of representatives of UNV, national and international organizations, and government actors have developed draft legislation. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, no significant progress has been achieved to date in terms of ensuring a parliamentary endorsement for this law at the State or FBIH level.

Why We Need Law On Volunteering
Volunteering is not a particularly popular or well understood concept in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as reflected in the low rate of formal volunteering – which in 2009 was found to be only 4.5% of the population. This situation is due to various reasons ranging from the heritage of the old communist regime in which ‘forced unpaid labor’ was often defined as volunteerism to a fragile economy and high employment rates ranking among the highest in Europe. In such environment, it is difficult to expect a significant increase in volunteering without greater social and legal recognition of the importance of volunteering.

Legislation on volunteering therefore helps to form the basis of a secure social environment conducive to development of volunteerism; prevent possible abuses and exploitation of volunteers and/or organizers of volunteering opportunities; and to define rights and obligations of all persons and entities taking part in organized volunteering activities.

Without a law on volunteering in both entities and at the state level, there is no common definition of what volunteering is. Such discrepancies provide opportunities for misunderstanding of volunteerism, and possible abuses of volunteers or the status of being a volunteer, depending on where they live or volunteer in Bosnia and Herzegovina.