Volunteering in Romania

During the communist regime, many of the civil society structures were affected and those remaining were placed under the control of the totalitarian administration. Following the collapse of the communist regime in 1989, the voluntary sector re- emerged in Romania.

Volunteer involvement by sectors There is no precise data available on the levels of volunteering in each sector of activity. Table 1 shows that the main fields of activity in which Romanians perform voluntary work are the following (in descending order): Religion: 6% of Romania’s adult population (the study run by ARC, 2003 found a much higher percentage for this category: 16%); Social services for disadvantaged groups (elderly, poor and disabled): 3%; Environment, ecology and animal rights: 3%; Education, music and culture: 2%; Sport and leisure activities: 2%; Trade unions: 2%; Politics: 2%; Community actions (targeting poverty, unemployment, housing, inequality): 1%; Human rights and developing countries: 1%; Professional associations: 1%; Youth: 1%; Women's associations: 1%; Health: 1%. Volunteering in Romania

Main challenges Engaging volunteers – Overall, the level of volunteering has increased. The main difficulties seem to be related to the changes that are affecting the nature of voluntary engagement, as well as a mismatch between the needs of voluntary organisations and the aspirations of the new generations of volunteers, rather than a drop in the number of volunteers. Factors include the inadequate knowledge of the needs of organisations, the difficulty in matching volunteers with appropriate organisations, preference for short rather than long-term voluntary commitments Professionalisation of the voluntary sector – The increasingly professional nature of staff in the voluntary sector means new challenges in terms of management of human resources within organisations engaging volunteers. Volunteering in Romania

Lack of monitoring and information – The need for more accurate and detailed data on volunteering Sustainable funding – Findings indicate that funding issues are a key concern of the voluntary sector. Lack of recognition – Recognising voluntary activities and volunteering can play a big part in rewarding existing volunteers for their participation in voluntary activities and in attracting new volunteers. Perceptions and prejudices – This was identified as a key challenge in struggling with stereotypes and negative connotations and trust in civil society organisations is rather low. Lack of a clear strategy and a fragmented political landscape – without a national strategy for volunteering, the policy aims and objectives for volunteering are implicit within a wide range of broad policy discourses. Volunteering in Romania

Key benefits for volunteers and the community Volunteers A recent survey of 427 volunteers in Romania shows that volunteers reported that they benefited from a variety of benefits by taking part in voluntary activities: Professional experience 51.1% Helping others 51.1% Making friends 49.4% Implementing ideas 40.7% Making the individual’s CV more attractive 38.2% Trying out a potential career 32.3% Travelling abroad and discovering new cultures 8.2% Source: Rigman, 2009 Volunteering in Romania

Community Communities can benefit from volunteering in a number of different ways, depending on the community itself and the voluntary activities taking place Participation in voluntary activities also gives individuals to opportunity to help local authorities to develop innovative and timely solutions to problems encountered by local communities – solutions, which can then be transferred to regional and national level where appropriate. NGOs can offer: better time resources; specific expertise; experience in engaging with hard-to-reach groups in society; and a better knowledge of the needs of the local community and greater adaptability Volunteering in Romania Sources: - VOLUNTEERING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION Educational, Audiovisual & Culture Executive Agency (EAC-EA), Directorate General Education and Culture (DG EAC) - Study of Volunteering in the European Union, Country Report Romania

Examples of projects to promote volunteering at international level: Volunteering in Romania

Project financed with support from European Commission through Youth in Action Programme May 2010 Touristic complex “Bradul” Iasi, Romania International participants: Greece, Turkey, Italy, Moldova, Ucraine, Serbia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Romania Applicative techniques and solutions in combating unemployment and social marginalization of youth European Training conducted by Kasta Morrely Association

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT LEADERS European Training conducted by Kasta Morrely Association Project financed with support from European Commission through Youth in Action Programme International participants: Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Romania, Greece, Danemark, Germany, Portugal Investing in young people as leaders, leaders of the global millennium development is a solution of effective support and multiplication to fulfill the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals

Volunteering School for Social Success European Training conducted by Kasta Morrely Association International participants: Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Spain The training supported the formation of youth leaders able to promote the value and importance of Volunteering as a form of active engagement in the society. 20 th of May- 29 th of May 2011, Iasi, Romania Project financed with support from European Commission through Youth in Action Programme