Do you feel you need to do more for the greater good in difficult times? Consider volunteering. Symbolically, it brings citizenship to the world’s third most populated country after India and China.
According to the UN, 862.4 million people give their hands or skills every month, which equals almost 15% of humanity. It is also a remarkably productive hypothetical state. The Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project estimated the annual contribution of volunteering in 37 analyzed countries to be 400 billion dollars.
Generous Tennessee
Volunteering is usually defined as unpaid, conscious, and voluntarily performed beneficial activity for other people, organizations, local communities, or society.
The English term volunteer is based on the Latin voluntarius (acting of one’s own will) and originated in the army area in the 16th century. Tennessee, USA, earned the nickname “The Volunteer State” in the 19th century when it sent more than 30,000 volunteers to the Mexican war instead of the required 2,800.
Pro Bono Expertise
Regardless of their selfless involvement, volunteers are rewarded with the sense of being beneficial. They strengthen their self-esteem and confidence, acquire new skills, socialize, and increase their chances of succeeding in their studies or work.
Noble deeds also include expert activities carried out pro bono, for example, in education, legal services, and the arts (Red Noses—Clowndoctors in hospitals). In such cases, professionals altruistically work for free, possibly only to reimburse operating costs or a small part of the standard fee.
Managed and Informal
According to the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic‘s DATAcube, in 2019, a total of 181,769 people volunteered in non-profit organizations. They contributed 13,300,485 hours of work, which is equivalent to 6,000 full-time jobs.
This aligns with data published by the UN. A 2018 study estimated that 109 million full-time volunteer activities were carried out worldwide. In Slovakia, the review indicated that there were 156,739 full-time volunteer positions, with at least 149,102 being informal (direct) and only 7,637 being formal (managed or organized).
Street Cleaning
Pohoda, the multi-genre festival, uses the services of about 500 volunteers every year. About 350 will be in action at the summer European Athletics U18 Championships in Banská Bystrica. An example of the aforementioned unmanaged volunteering is the initiative of activist Matúš Čupka, who in 2015 began to clean and beautify “his” Riazanská Street in Bratislava.
Other types of volunteering include:
- one-time only or regular;
- individual or teamwork;
- exterior or interior;
- intellectual or manual.
Slovakia Above the EU Average
The Eurobarometer reported that 29% of Slovakia’s population volunteers. The EU average is 24%, with the Netherlands (57%) and Poland (9%) on the extremes of the spectrum.
According to a 2003 survey conducted by the Institute for Public Affairs, most volunteers work in the following areas: religious and church activities (13%), community development (12%), sports and recreation, education, training, and science (9% each).
Dobrovolnictvo.com offers an overview of options by region in the Slovak Republic. The Volunteer Centers and Organizations Platform associates regional centers.
Text: Miki Kočan jr., Photo: Unsplash.com (4) and Bee Volunteer (1)
