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Mine of Volunteering: Youth for Youth

Children and youth Completed
mazowieckie
Warszawa
Regional Volunteer Center, Katowice, Poland
2014-09-01 - 2016-04-30
194 213,34 PLN
169 716,17 PLN
voluntary service, revitalisation
Project description
Recently, there has been a significant increase in Silesia in the number of patients in children’s oncology hospital wards, thus increasing the number of families who need psychological, social and financial support. In 2011, the Foundation provided support to about 300 beneficiaries, whereas in 2013, there were about 500 beneficiaries (patients and their families benefited from various kinds of support). However, the number of young people willing to make long-time commitment to volunteering decreased. According to the research conducted by Klon/Jawor Association in 2013, the commitment duration is the main concern for young people aged 15-26 before getting involved in volunteer work.
The aim of the project was to integrate children and youth during the treatment, rehabilitation and after the treatment was completed with their peers through participating in joint activities and projects.
The project implementation resulted in increasing the feeling of inclusion and decreasing the feeling of social isolation and loneliness among the current and former patients of three Silesian children’s oncology hospitals. Sick and healthy project participants got integrated through joint planning and conducting support activities.
83 volunteers participating in the project organized activities for about 400 beneficiaries. There were 2 big local integrative events, 42 smaller events were organized in hospital wards. 18 training sessions and 64 preparatory meetings were organized. A manual with practical guidelines on how to develop voluntary services addressed to children with cancer was published.
The beneficiaries of the project implementation were children and youth during cancer treatment, rehabilitation and after the treatment was completed in three children’s oncology hospitals in Silesia as well as secondary education students from the Silesian voivodship. The project partner – the Regional Volunteer Centre – provided expertise necessary for recruiting the project participants, ensuring the quality standards for managing voluntary work and for creating a model of cooperation with volunteers within an organization.
We use the grant for capacity building