Description
lthough Neamt never had a Volunteers’ Center, the youth's interest for volunteering has been raising substantially in the last years. The project follows 3 general objectives: The creation of a Volunteers’ Center in Piatra-Neamt which should ensure volunteers of all ages from Neamt with a constant and consistent volunteering program; the context for know-how exchange and models of good practice for 42 persons of the Center of Volunteer-Neamt and Center of Local Development-Ciumarna; increased access to volunteering resources for NGOs and public institutions from Neamt. The project will involve 122 volunteers in diverse activities: creation workshops, forum-theatre, festival of non-formal methods, personal development. 10 NGO and 5 schools will benefit from this Center of Resources, in which they will enroll activities in the volunteer calendar of the district. Also, they will benefit from the exchange system of resources through the online platform created on the project website.
Summary of project results
The project “Neamt Volunteering Centre” started with the need to create opportunities for involvement in voluntary activities of young people especially in the city of Piatra Neamt. With the creation of the Centre, young people who were searching for volunteering programmes had a diverse offer of activities that met their interests (almost 200 volunteers were involved in creative activities and skills development, forum theatre, leadership and organisational development, sports and recreation, nonformal education), but also the possibility to integrate into an associative structure involving volunteers. The programme of the Volunteering Centre included activities permanently held at a pre-set frequency, as well as specific activities targeting direct involvement of volunteers as organisers: streetball contests, urban festivals, a nonformal methods festival called „Something Else Festival”, a treasure hunt activity called “Urban Jungle”, forum theatre performances, flash mobs, and photo voice sessions. During the project, within the volunteering centre were organised workshops on project management and on leadership and communication, aiming to develop the entrepreneurial abilities of the volunteers. An exchange of experience activity was organised with the volunteers from Centre for Development Ciumarna, which involved a visit at the two centres and a joint activity in Piatra - Neamt: Urban Jungle 2016. The counselling and mentoring expert from Petrodava partner supported volunteers in developing healthy social relations, by giving them advice and organising mentoring sessions. To ensure the cohesion of the group for future activities, the Promoter organised a teambuilding in the last month of the project, for the most active volunteers. By the end of the project, the promoter succeeded to develop partnerships with different institutions aiming at organising volunteering programmes in partnership, such as: activities for institutionalised children, different sports activities, involvement in the promotion campaign for the Fighting against Corruption Day etc.
Summary of bilateral results