Beschreibung der Einrichtung

Volunteers' Centre Zagreb (VCZ) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation which promotes volunteering through mediation, education and counselling for volunteers and volunteer organisers. VCZ is actively involved in promoting and applying the Law on Volunteering and informing citizens on the volunteer possibilities in Zagreb, Croatia and abroad. VCZ promotes volunteering through a hands on approach, initiating, coordinating and organising short-term and long-term volunteer projects in the City of Zagreb, organising international volunteer work camps of diverse thematic in various parts of Croatia and coordinating short term and long term international exchange of volunteers. In addition to that, we are periodically publishing works covering the field of volunteerism.Volunteers' Centre Zagreb has its roots in a 1996. Croatian Anti-war Campaign project started up with the help of Service Civil International (SCI) and was officially registered in 1998. Through SCI, first foreign volunteers came to the town of Pakrac in mid-1990s to help rebuild war-devastated areas. This was the project which initiated our International Volunteers’ Exchange programme, which marked the first decade of our organisation. We became associate member of SCI in 2001, and went on to become a branch of this global network in 2007.In 2001, the International Year of Volunteers, we implemented the ‘2001 volunteer’ project – our first project which focused mainly on the development of local volunteering. Since the beginning of the new millennium, and more intensively since 2006, we have continued working on different projects intended for the development of local volunteering which were the bases of our programmes dedicated to development of volunteering within the borders of Croatia, with a special focus placed on the city of Zagreb and region of central Croatia.In 2001, the International Year of Volunteers, Croatian Government awarded VCZ with Award for contribution to development of voluntary work in the Republic of Croatia. VCZ is recognized as resource centre for volunteering in Croatia by Croatian Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth.The organization has the staff of 5 people full time, 2 part time, 3 interns, 15 regular volunteers and 29 members. We have broad experience with the YOUTH / Youth in Action / Erasmus+ programme and different pre-accession funds. VCZ is a member of Service Civil International, Croatian Network of Volunteer Centers and partner with many other organizations and networks, such as South East European Youth Network.