Volunteering in Poland. The government is making changes to the bill and wants to strengthen NGOs

Poles are eager to engage in aid during crises, but they are much little likely to act as volunteers in NGOs. The government is preparing changes to the Public Benefit and Voluntary Activities Act to facilitate the functioning of the NGO, increase the participation of volunteers in public projects and make conditions for the improvement of civilian society. Experts emphasize that the possible for social engagement in Poland is enormous, but requires better organisation and support – Newseria Biznes informs.

Volunteering in Poland most frequently develops during crises

2026 was announced by the United Nations General Assembly on the global Year of Volunteering for Sustainable Development. In Poland, coordination of celebrations National Institute of Freedom – Centre for the improvement of civilian Society (NIW-CRSO).

This symbolic discrimination is intended to item the importance of volunteering for building a strong civilian society. The last years have shown that Poles can rapidly mobilise to help, especially in crisis situations.

The COVID-19 pandemic, the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the flood in the south-west of Poland or local infrastructure failures have shown that thousands of people are spontaneously engaged in relief activities.

– This is simply a bow to those who devote their time, cognition and experience to others for free, but above all, to the importance of volunteering. We have seen this during, for example, fresh crises: pandemics, wars in Ukraine, but besides local floods or power shortages. That's erstwhile local leaders get active in helping others. It is besides a reminder to local authorities that there is immense possible – people who engage voluntarily and free of charge for their communities – says Adriana Porowska, State Secretary at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

CUS and NIW-CRSO report: Poles are more likely to choose informal volunteering

The study "Volunteership and Social Activity in Poland 2020-2024", prepared for NIW-CRSO on the basis of GUS investigation and analyses of another public institutions and investigation centres, shows that informal volunteering remains the dominant form of commitment.

The CSO data show that in the first 4th of 2022 on average 28.4% of Polish residents aged 15 to 89 years were engaged in voluntary activity at least erstwhile a month. After the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, this percent increased to 37.1%, which shows that crisis situations importantly increase Poles' readiness to help.

However, individual aid is much more frequently chosen on a regular basis than activities carried out through NGOs. Informal volunteering declares 26.5% of respondents, while only about 5 percent of the population are active in organisations and institutions.

The authors of the study point out that Poland achieves higher than the EU average in the field of informal volunteering, but in terms of activity in social organisations it remains clearly below the OECD average. This can indicate both the preference for spontaneous forms of assistance and the inactive underdeveloped culture of organizational volunteering.

Such data show that the possible for social engagement is very high, but requires better usage by NGOs and public institutions.

Changes to the Voluntary Act. Government wants to make it easier for NGOs

The government is preparing 2 amendments to the Public Benefit Act and the Voluntary Service Act. Their aim is both to increase the importance of volunteering in Poland and to simplify the functioning of NGOs carrying out public tasks.

One amendment has already been adopted by Parliament and is waiting for the president to sign. The fresh rules are intended to reduce the formalities for applying for public backing and to facilitate the implementation of projects by organisations.

One of the most crucial changes will be the anticipation of including volunteer work as an own contribution to projects financed from public funds. In practice, this means that non-governmental organisations will not gotta supply financial contributions in many cases – adequate individual contributions, i.e. volunteer work, or in-kind contributions will be sufficient.

The second amendment provides, on the another hand, for a clear definition of volunteering to be introduced into the law.

– We are working on any legislative changes, including the Public Benefit Act. We want to show that volunteering is simply a free, voluntary work to make it a definition – points out Adriana Porowska..

In parallel, work is being carried out on a strategy for developing volunteering. As government officials point out, civic activity is increasingly crucial in building social resilience and state security. Those active in actions for the common good strengthen local communities and increase their capacity to respond to crisis situations.

Why do Poles engage in volunteering? The top barrier remains the deficiency of time

Research shows that people who decide on social activity are primarily motivated by their desire to aid others. Equally crucial are the sense of work done, individual satisfaction and the anticipation of building relationships and belonging to the community.

However, the NIW-CRSO study besides points to barriers to the improvement of volunteering. No time is frequently exchanged, especially by young people. Respondents besides point to deficiency of interest, reluctance to engage systematically, erstwhile negative experiences and insufficient cognition of the possibilities of social activity.

Many respondents besides declare that they have never received a proposal to engage in voluntary activities. This shows that the problem is not always deficiency of desire, but frequently deficiency of information and appropriate organisation.

According to Adriana Porowska Coordinators should play a key function in developing volunteering.

– Today, volunteering surely needs coordinators, i.e. people who engage in it to tell people how they can engage. These coordinators will support civilian society organisations operating on circumstantial topics – he explains.

Volunteers frequently aid neighbors, seniors and local communities

CSO data show that volunteering in Poland is primarily of a local nature. Most people are active in helping friends, friends and neighbors. This activity is declared by 22% of respondents. Aid to strangers is provided by 5.8% of respondents, while action to support local communities is undertaken by 1.9%.

The most common is simple work to facilitate the regular functioning of people in need. Volunteers shop, buy out drugs, aid pay bills, clean up, clear snow, or keep order around their place of residence.

Nearly a 4th of volunteers are besides active in organizing sporting, cultural and educational events. A akin percent helps children, aged people, and sick people, providing various types of care support.

Volunteering supports seniors, youth and environmental measures

Volunteering in Poland covers many different areas – from helping older people and children, through supporting people in a intellectual crisis, to animal and nature protection measures. As experts indicate, all form of volunteering has its own specificity and attracts people curious in circumstantial topics.

Volunteering to older people is peculiarly important. Its goal is not only to supply assistance in everyday life, but besides to combat loneliness and activate seniors.

"Volunteership, regardless of whether it deals with the subject of aged people or young people, with intellectual disorders, or animals or nature, has its specificity and a group of people join it. Volunteering towards the aged is to counter loneliness by activating them so that they can proceed to usage their cognition and experience for the benefit of others. This is an highly crucial form of activating these people," he says. Adriana Porowska.

The improvement of volunteering can become an crucial component in strengthening civilian society. According to representatives of the public administration, greater usage of the possible of volunteers will let better consequence to both local problems and crisis situations.

Source: Newseries Business.