A lot has already happened: It’s been a year and a half since the OÖNachrichten worked together with the voluntary rescue and safety organizations in the country (including the Red Cross, the Workers’ Samaritan Association, the voluntary fire department, mountain rescue) to develop the “Volunteer Manifesto” – a Catalog of suggestions that would make the work of voluntary organizations easier.
Read more: The manifesto – a success for Upper Austria’s volunteers
For example, the state founded a new “Volunteering” service center, the self-organized “Volunteer Council” was formed and the state’s “Volunteering Days” were expanded and now also take place at the regional level in the districts.
At today’s meeting, the state government will, at the request of Governor Thomas Stelzer (VP), commission the development of a comprehensive volunteer strategy that will better coordinate the various activities and develop new measures. “Upper Austria is a strong country of volunteerism,” Stelzer tells OÖN. “We want to promote this culture even more in the future.”
Voluntary structural funding still open
Work on the volunteer strategy should be completed within a year. There will also need to be further debate about the so-called “volunteer structural support”, a central demand of the voluntary organizations that has not yet been fulfilled. This involves public sector support for full-time employees in the organizations that take care of recruiting, supporting and retaining volunteers in the regions.
