The principle of subsidiarity not only has formed many of provisions in the act on Public Benefit and Volunteer Work (particularly those related to social consultations and transferring of public tasks), but is also a directive forming the cooperative habits between the public and non-public sectors. This is a matter of great importance taking into account that the subsidiarity in Poland is not effectively implemented as it could be because of limited autonomy of the self–government and frequently occurring interference of the State. Unfortunately it results in limiting of ability to decide on the type and methods of performing tasks. In addition, financial resources usually are not sufficient. It would be desirable to maintain and develop this course because about 61% of the polish society finds the third sector more effective than the public one. More and more often (43%) the contribution of the non-governmental organisations on solution of local problems is perceived, although still near the half of respondents (48%) doubt that they would have an important impact on the solution of important social problems. There are also real concerns about corruption, other law abuses, or giving priority to private interest instead of communal one

Artykuł przedstawia działalność edukacyjną czeskich aktywistów z ekologicznego ruchu Brontosaurus, którzy od kilkunastu lat budują szkołę w jednej z wiosek w Ladakhu w północnych Indiach. Sami w niej też nauczają – przeważnie miejscowych nauczycieli. Prywatna szkoła pod patronatem czeskiej organizacji wyraźnie poprawiła ofertę edukacyjną wioski Mulbekh i jej okolic. I choć jest dostępna tylko dla części miejscowych dzieci, kształci, używając coraz bardziej nowoczesnych i skutecznych metod edukacyjnych. Czescy wolontariusze zdają sobie sprawę z możliwych zagrożeń wynikających z dystansu kulturowego i dlatego starają się działać zgodnie z precyzyjnie określonymi zasadami, które minimalizują te niebezpieczeństwa.

The aim of the paper is to present the specificity of work of young volunteers in the service of children in the pandemic (types of activities they undertake, problems and benefits they and their pupils experience). The first part of the text presents theoretical assumptions of social and educational support for children. Volunteering in the pandemic in Poland in the third sector has been covered based on the latest research results and the activities of the Dialog Foundation in Białystok. The second part of the text shows methodological assumptions of qualitative research, which was conducted using the method of individual cases in March 2021 among volunteers of the Dialog Foundation. Chosen research results concerning the social and educational support provided to children during the pandemic by young volunteers have been showed. In the light of the results of my research, social and educational support provided to Foundation’s pupils by volunteers is of great importance in their daily functioning during the pandemic, prevents school failures and reduces the feeling of loneliness. The results of the research may hopefully contribute to the development of educational research in regard to the functioning of volunteering in aid of children with educational and social deficits.

What Volunteers Cause Social Change? – Comparative Research of Volunteer Groups Working with the Disabled

The aim of the study was to compare two groups of volunteers who work with people with disabilities: volunteers working in organizations led by social innovators and volunteers who are not affiliated to such organizations. The results show a different picture of both groups in the area of the declared value, objectives and attitudes towards people with disabilities. Volunteers working with social innovators have lower rates of misanthropy, higher individual indicators of social capital, and a higher rate of partnership and innovative attitude. The paper presents guidelines how to work with people with disabilities to maximize their integration into society and create social change.

Legal and Practical Aspects of Voluntary Service in the Activities of Polish Political Parties

Voluntary activity is a form of civic activity, which is an essential part of modern, wellfunctioning democracy, both at the local and national levels. Popular ideas identify volunteering with work in community centers, rehabilitation centers for the disabled, hospices, nursing homes for the elderly, orphanages, and homes for single mothers. Meanwhile, as it was confirmed by the study of the Klon/Jawor and CBOS, voluntary activity is not just purely social and supportive one. Volunteers, as is the case in other countries, support with their work organizations of political nature – movements, committees, and political groups. The use of their support intensifies especially during election campaigns, when volunteers perform different tasks: gather signatures on lists of candidates in the election, organize rallies and campaign trails, lead wide campaigning – handing out leaflets and urging to vote for particular candidates or political parties, prepare handouts, and update web pages, blogs and profiles in social networks. This voluntary, and – what needs to be especially emphasized – also conscious involvement in political activity, is a manifestation of a particular group of civic participation in its political dimension.

Advanced Training for Volunteers: Forms, Goals, and Problems. Theoretical and Practical Implications for the Normative Idea of Voluntary Service

Social participation of citizens in the form of volunteering is an important part of the normative idea of civil society. With the development of volunteering and its systematic support from the government, as well from European institutions, we can observe an increasing number of trainings for volunteers. The purpose of most of these trainings, in addition to the promotion of volunteering, is to reduce the cost of participation by increasing the resources of the course participants needed to implement projects. However, from a theoretical point of view, we can assume that there is social selectivity in such trainings which results from inequalities in the social system. In particular, in the educational systems and unequal access to the structures of mobilization. Based on the data gathered during the evaluation (pre- and post-test) of training for young volunteers in Switzerland (treib.stoff Academy), we tested the hypotheses about unequal access to trainings, egoistic motivation to participate, and social selectivity of gains in skills and knowledge. The results showed i.e. that informal recruitment has a positive impact on access of trainees with a migrant background. In addition, we discussed the practical implications of the issues outlined in the normative idea of volunteering.

The Russian attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022 triggered the beginning of the biggest humanitarian crisis in modern Europe since the end of World War 2. Within the first six days of the war, more than four million refugees crossed the Ukrainian border, and most of them arrived in Poland. In response to this crisis, non-governmental organizations and volunteers in Poland played a crucial role in providing support to Ukrainian refugees. Their efforts included providing basic necessities such as food and shelter, as well as assisting with legal and administrative matters. This may be dubbed an example of civil society in action, where citizens take initiative to help those in need here and now, without waiting for the state to introduce specific legal acts. This article aims to describe the historical background of civil activities in Poland as well as the response of both volunteers and the government to the refugee crisis in the first period of the war.

The paper focuses on the quite original and not much discussed subject of the relationship between volunteerism and community sense, whose support in Czech society has great potential for the development and functioning of a humane-oriented civil society. First, the paper depicts both concepts and capacity of volunteering utilization in the development of the community sense. Then it emphasizes two promising ways of volunteering support that take into account the educational and developmental context. These are the development of prosocial values and positive shaping of youth happiness. As the presented findings indicate, the individual happiness impacts on both the individual’s prosocial orientation and willingness to volunteer that is enhanced also by prosocial values.

Messages directed to potential volunteers via Polish-language websites. An example of voluntary work in African countries

Internet communication is widely used by Polish NGOs in communicating with the public. It is also used by foundations and associations that organize volunteering in Africa. The purpose of this article is to characterize the communications concerning participation in volunteering in the African area, which have been posted on the Polish-language Internet by the aforementioned NGOs. This article presents theoretical issues relating to the Internet as a tool of communication in NGOs, the image of the Other in Polish society (in relation to Africa and the inhabitants of the continent) and volunteering in Polish NGOs. It presents the results of the author’s own qualitative research conducted using an analytical technique, the content analysis method. Messages posted on the websites of NGOs focus on the person of the volunteer experiencing exotic adventures and gathering attractive experiences, at the expense of presenting the beneficiaries of the volunteer’s activities. The described communications present reality in a way that perpetuates stereotypes, while conveying information about the professional, ethical and intelligent nature of the activities of foundations and associations.

The paper focuses on selected aspects of volunteering as part of university education of social work and social pedagogy students. It presents theoretical starting points and empirical findings concerning the relationship between volunteer experience and attitudes of social work and social pedagogy students toward the target groups of their study. In this context it points to the possibility of the formative function of volunteering as a form of professional practice.