Volunteer exchanges and work camps can be useful in filling the gap of experience between lack of labour experience and actual access to the labour market by enabling youth to participate, gain personal experience, competences and social awareness. At the same time, the volunteer exchange programme and work camps is still an important tool in confronting prejudices as well as strengthening a regional youth identity in SEE.
Volunteerism – Youth mobility
Not all youth who wish to volunteer have the opportunity to do so. Identifying and providing youth with greater opportunities to participate, enables both the communities and the youth to benefit from social awareness, community service and youth employment.
It is crucial to develop the capacity of youth to create sustainable livelihoods – as skilled and empowered youth will have greater access to information, tools for managing conflicts and access to the labour market. Volunteerism will also contribute towards embarking upon the grave problem related to lack of participation, social exclusion and access to labour experience among youth.
In other words, volunteerism can be seen as an initial step bridging the gab between youths who do not have proper contacts, skills and experience to enter the labour market – and engagement in building up a civil society. Perceived in this way, volunteerism is also a motivating factor that encourages youths to participate and co-operate in favour of a more inclusive and democratic society in SEE.
When suggesting volunteerism we are also proposing programmes that include strategies for training, as well as the technological and economic support needed for promoting them. The mission of volunteerism thus goes beyond promoting “free labour”, as its intention is to work in favour of a new type of social management based on co-operation and exchange of successful experiences.
Work camps can facilitate a platform for intercultural co-operation and mutual learning processes between volunteers from different and shared ethnic backgrounds and nationalities.
Work camps will be treated as a tool for involving youth in their local communities or neighbouring communities to participate in development processes and become active citizens. Active citizenships and awareness of basic human rights, social obligations as well as varying local needs can be well promoted in this way – especially as the participants consist of a mixture of local, regional and international participants.
Another type of activity SEEYN work relied upon in the previous years was placement of long-term regional and international volunteers in member organizations as help to their everyday work. So far, this had proven to be a very good formula, both for its practical and cultural value. Volunteers from SEE countries or Europe this way gain an opportunity to meet societies they knew little about, but at the same time hosting organizations found use of volunteers from other countries very useful, but also very inspiring experience.
This type of cooperation has brought many benefits to particular organizations and individuals, but also to a network as a whole. Individuals who cross cultural borders for longer periods of time contribute to deeper understanding of regional problems. In the case of volunteers from Europe, the cultural gap is even bigger, so the efforts of these young people are even more valuable. SEEYN is a network dedicated to bringing people of all ethnic origins to work together on achieving the same goals. Volunteer exchange program has truly contributed to realization of this ambitious task.
Priorities
The intention is to organize work camps with specific themes locally as well as regionally that will be in line with SEEYN main objectives. Involvement of local communities is crucial in incoming phases. Community driven development supported through volunteerism is expected.
The emphasis is on equipping youth with work experience through giving them the chance to volunteer in organizations or participating in specific work camps. Decreasing unemployment among youth is long-term expectation.
The programme will ensure – and challenge where it is lacking - the cross-ethnic and cross-border mobility for and contacts between young people in the region through priorities to regional volunteer exchange and focus on difficult exchanges (conflict area and marginalized groups).
SEEYN will also work on a renewed regional medium/long-term volunteer exchange programme and training between organizations, combining the experiences of the network with the practice of other similar European programmes in order to strengthen capacities of its members.
Until know SEEYN has organized more than 60 work camps and more than 60 medium/long term volunteers’ exchanges!
Volunteer Infrastructure
Programme 