Volunteer Programme
2006-10-18
Bojana Miloševic, Group 484 volunteer
In the past ten year, Group 484 has realised around 300 projects. None of them would be successfully carried out without the help of volunteers.
Group 484 Volunteer Network was launched from various youth projects, where they were learning about human rights, being trained for the engagement in human rights realisation, especially of socially vulnerable groups, like refugees and the displaced, minority communities, women and children, the sick and the elderly. Many beneficiaries of Group 484 projects became its volunteers, willing to dedicate their time and convey their knowledge and experience to others.
Group 484 volunteers are of various ethnic, religious, cultural and political identities. The majority of them are young people, mainly high school and university students who believe that diversity makes us richer and who are open for numerous contacts in the local community, country and the world.
Learning for the civil society also implies a constant improvement of the techniques and methods of action in the local community. The culture of dialogue, communication and teamwork skills, the issues of human rights, tolerance, prejudices, campaign leading skills, are only some of the special knowledge the volunteers have been adopting gradually, from action to action, through seminars, debates, panel discussions, summer schools and camps.
Renata Davidović, Group 484 volunteer
Group 484 is proud to have a network of more than 300 unselfish, self-sacrificing and caring people throughout the country, willing to help those in need, those who are dependant on other people’s help. At the same time, Group 484 volunteers learn something new about themselves, obtaining also their personal benefit – confidence in public addressing, ability to plan, skills of conceiving special programmes and actions.
Young people in Serbia have many topics in common, and in its work with the youth Group 484 focuses on the common things, also respecting diversity.
Through seminars and workshops, Group 484 instigates the youth to choose the problem they can solve, without waiting for other people’s help. Whether it is about student-teacher relationship, ecology issues, organising humanitarian actions, Group 484 experiences point to the fact that the youth have managed to change considerably the life of their school and their town.
Group 484 Volunteer Network covers the following towns: Novi Sad, Sremski Karlovci, Pančevo, Novi Bečej, Kikinda, Subotica, Bačka Palanka, Bela Crkva, Sombor, Zrenjanin, Nova Varoš, Sremska Mitrovica, Šabac, Gornji Milanovac, Čačak, Ivanjica, Kragujevac, Užice, Negotin, Aleksinac, Kruševac, Vršac, Prokuplje, Prijepolje, Sjenica, Priboj, Niš, Vranje, Leskovac, Novi Pazar, Tutin, Raška, Preševo, Belgrade.
A large number of high school students throughout Serbia, coming to study in Belgrade remain Group 484 volunteers. They are already experienced and skilled associates and Group 484 has long-term plans with them. Some of the volunteers have decided to study social work, law, sociology and pedagogy with the idea to work in Group 484 or a similar organisation.
