Volunteers' Centre Zagreb (VCZ) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization which promotes volunteering through initiating, coordinating and organizing short-term and long-term volunteer projects in the City of Zagreb.

VCZ is organizing international volunteer work camps of diverse themes in various parts of Croatia and coordinating short term and long term international exchanges of volunteers. We also provide education and counseling for volunteers and volunteer organizers. VCZ is actively involved in promoting and applying the Law on volunteerism and other acts governing volunteering in Croatia, as well as informing citizens on the volunteer possibilities in Zagreb, Croatia and abroad. In addition to that, we are periodically publishing works covering the field of volunteerism.

Volunteers' Centre Zagreb was founded in 1998 but has its roots the Croatian Anti-war Campaign project started up in 1996. with the help of Service Civil International (SCI), through which the first foreign volunteers came to the town of Pakrac to help rebuild war-devastated areas. This was the project which initiated our International Volunteers’ Service program, which marked the first decade of our organization. We became an associate member of SCI in 2001, and went on to become a branch of this global network which promotes peace & co-operation through voluntary work in 2007.
In 2001, the International Year of Volunteers, we implemented the ‘2001 volunteer’ project – our first project focused mainly on the development of local volunteering. In the last nine years, and more intensively since 2006, we have continued working on different projects intended for the development of local volunteering which became the basis of our second main program – Zagreb Volunteer Service.

Aside from SCI, VCZ a member of other international networks such as SEEYN (South East European Youth Network) and UNITED. On the  national level VCZ is one of the founding members of the Croatian Volunteer Centers Network (CVCN) and of Croatian Youth Network.

Our mission:
VCZ aims to solve problems, satisfy needs and develop progress of individuals, community and society in general. This is achieved by promoting voluntarism and its values, and by making voluntary work possible to all citizens.
Our vision is a society in which voluntary work is a daily way of individual’s progress and of raising social consciousness. The society in which voluntary work is an opportunity for solving problems and satisfying needs of the community and the whole society. The society in which basic values are peace and love, solidarity, tolerance, interculturalism, equality of sexes/genders, non-violent communication and environmental protection.
Aims of the organizations are promoting human rights, peace, community consciousness, protecting the environment, solidarity, interculturality, civil society, stimulating individual development and strengthening the youth initiatives through voluntary work and promoting the same.

Activities:
1. Organizing  of international voluntary workcamps
2. Coordinating the exchange of volunteer for short and long term international project
3. Matching volunteers’ profile and voluntary position
4. Organizing short and long term voluntary activities at local level
5. Promoting voluntary values
6. Providing education and counseling for  volunteers and volunteer organizers
7. Publishing handbooks about volunteering
8. Informing citizens about the possibilities they have to volunteer
9. Developing partnership with organizations at national and international level which promote the same values

Contacts:
Volunteers’ Centre Zagreb
Ilica 29, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Tel.: +385 1 3013 058
Fax: +385 1 3013 736
Contact person: Jela Tomanjik

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www.vcz.hr