HOW TO CHERISH THE CULTURE OF VOLUNTEERING

During the pandemics, volunteering is extremely significant, because in this way, we participate in the development of social solidarity and become active and responsible citizens in the creation of our community and our future. We bring you one of numerous examples of good practice during the state of emergency through the discussion with the volunteers of OPENS, Jelena Karać. She tells us what her volunteering experience on site was and what it felt to be side by side with the Military of Serbia and other heroes of this humanitarian action:

– Volunteering activities on site I coordinate during the state of emergency in Novi Sad are the greatest challenge in the work with volunteers for me. For me, my most significant experience. Some of daily tasks during volunteering were to adequately ensure the safety and protection for 50 volunteers on site and to provide them with the necessary support. It was a great pleasure to work with the Military of Serbia, because I had the chance to learn and understand how the system of the work in military works, but also to try to adjust to volunteering-military management. Through the entire cycle of volunteering, we have learned how discipline is important for the execution of working tasks. After the action with the Military of Serbia, we had the engagement at the warehouse, i.e. drive. While packing the packages from commodity reserves for pensioners, we cooperated with the Office for Commodity Reserves of Novi Sad. That is where we have learned what it looks to work in a factory and to make the monotonous, repetitive jobs interesting.

Every day, we try to colour each volunteering activity on site with youth energy and positive spirit! We regularly work with smile, discussion and music and thereby, I believe that the dose of positivity will reflect to the actors with whom we cooperate, and later on, on the beneficiaries of our volunteering actions. We cherish the cheerful spirit and the culture of volunteering during this crisis and thereby provide support to each other in the fight with daily challenges brought by the state of emergency.