Conference on Volunteering and Migration Mapped Out Volunteer Activities for Refugees in Central Europe
A number of representatives of organizations working with migrants, professionals, state officials as well as volunteers helping refugees participated in the conference Volunteering and migration – from good to the best stories took place in Ljublana on 11th and 12th May 2017.
The main aim of the conference was sharing the experience and good practice of working volunteers to provide assistance to refugees and migrants coming to Europe. The participants shared methods of work with volunteers (mentoring, field work) as well as its limits. The parcitipants focused on the period of so-called refugee crisis, which showed that more systemic approach is neccessary to prepare volunteers for the difficult work in the field as well as for possible stressful situations.
The conference was opened with a note of Anica Mikuš Kos, president of the Slovene Philantrophy. Nataša Sip from the Representation of the European Commission introduced a European database of volunteers and introduced a concept how to work with registered volunteers in the European countries. Initiatives from Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary then showed good practices and shared challenges of organizing volunteer work in their countries. A summary of good practices will be an outcome of the conference.
The conference was organized as part of the project “Debating New Phenomena of Refugee Migration in Central Europe” co-funded by the European Union.