Nezaradené

Through implementation of our national and international projects we strive to:

• promote inclusive volunteering (engaging disadvantaged and marginalized people into volunteering)

• recognize volunteering as a tool for informal learning, a tool for acquiring new skills, and an opportunity for personal and professional growth

• support and improve the quality of volunteer management , volunteer coordinators, and volunteer centers

• carry-out cross-border mobilities of volunteers.

ADDRESS:
Platforma dobrovoľníckych centier a organizácií / The Platform of Volunteer Centers and Organizations
Ružová 13
974 01 Banská Bystrica

MAILING ADDRESS / OFFICE
Platforma dobrovoľníckych centier a organizácií
Lazovná 5
974 01 Banská Bystrica

Company registration number: 42257221

PIC no: 940301220 

OID no: E10143098

Quality Label Accreditation Reference: 2018-1-SK02-ESC52-002034 (European Solidarity Corps Quality Label for hosting and supporting)

Bank account: SK35 1100 0000 0029 2390 5018

CONTACTS:

• email: platforma(at)dobrovolnickecentra.sk
• skype: dobrovolnicke_centra
• facebook: Platforma dobrovoľníckych centier a organizácií
• LinkedIn: Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organizations 
• Youtube: Platforma dobrovoľníckych centier a organizácií

Annual Reports

• Annual report 2020

Bylaws

• Bylaws of the Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organizations

• A Leaflet of the Platform (bilingual slovak/english)
• Design manual

Logos:

• colour logo in jpg format
• black-and-white logo in jpg format
• inverse black-and-white logo in jpg format

Our work is supported thanks to the generous support of:

Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic 

IUVENTA - Slovak Youth Institute 

Erasmus+ programme 

The Office of the Plenipotentiary for the Development of the Civil Society

Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic

 companies Gekon, White & Weiss, web portal Kariera.sk, nebotra s.r.o., VICOVÁ & ŠUMICHRAST advokátska kancelária, Triad advertising

We are also very grateful for cooperation with graphic designer and visual artist Mária Čorejová. 

Thank you for your support. 

Centre for European Volunteering

The Platform is a full member of the Centre for European Volunteering (Centre européen du volontariat - CEV), based in Brussels.

The CEV brings together more than 80 national, regional and local volunteer centres and agencies promoting volunteering in Europe. The CEV promotes and supports volunteering through advocacy, knowledge sharing, capacity building and training. Through this network, it has an impact on thousands of volunteers and voluntary organisations seeking support in volunteer centres and brings a European dimension to their work. Together with other European networks active in volunteering, it shares strategies, information and good practice experiences to ensure that the objectives of the European Year of Volunteering 2011 are pursued in an effective and coherent manner. It also does so by implementing the various recommendations summarised in the P.A.V.E (Policy Agenda for Volunteering in Europe). In 2020, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the CEV underwent a transformation linked to a rebranding after in-depth analysis and reflection. 

Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organisations

The Platform is a member of the Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organisations. In the Council it promotes interests in favour of the development of volunteering in Slovakia.

The Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organisations was intensively involved in the preparation of the Concept for the Development of Civil Society approved by the Slovak Government in February 2012.

Members of the Platform worked on the drafting, commenting and amending Act No. 406/2011 Coll. on Volunteering and on Amendments and Additions to Certain Acts and as part of the Government Council on the drafting and commenting of the Act on the Register of NGOs.

Voice of Civil Society Organisations, a nationwide platform of non-profit organisations

Since autumn 2019, we have been members of the Voice of Civil Society Organisations, a platform of civic initiatives and non-governmental non-profit organisations that wants to actively participate in the protection and development of civil society in Slovakia. The principles of its functioning are voluntarism, partnership approach, democratic decision-making, pluralism, personal civic engagement and encouragement to it, solidarity and subsidiarity.

The main objectives are:

1. To promote the positive development of the institutional, legislative and financial framework for the functioning of CSOs.
2. To strengthen the integrity, transparency and coherence of the civil society sector.
3. Create opportunities for cooperation between CSOs and organisations and support their activities.

 For more information see: www.platformahlas.sk.

Global Network of Volunteering Leadership 

Global Network of Volunteering Leadership (GNVL) is a new programme of IAVE that brings together networks from national and regional levels dedicated to promoting, developing and raising awareness of the value of volunteering to work together towards their goals.

Membership of GNVL offers us the opportunity to:

• participate in online meetings, webinars, lectures and discussions dealing with various topics that are current in the world of volunteering,
• apply for grants to develop the organisation's capacity,
• apply for an internship in an organisation's leadership development programme,
• the opportunity to work together to advocate for volunteering and strengthen its recognition by engaging in global initiatives.

International Association for Volunteer Effort

The Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organisations became a member of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) as of April 2020. The latter has been promoting, empowering and celebrating volunteering for 50 years, using the myriad of ways that volunteering takes place in the world.

IAVE has members in more than 70 countries around the world, bringing them together in a global network of volunteer leaders, NGOs, businesses and volunteer centres that share a belief in the power of volunteering to make a meaningful contribution to solving the world's most pressing problems.

By being part of such a network, we have the opportunity to stay up-to-date on the world of volunteering, to be inspired by examples of good practice and to share our expertise. We can also participate in interesting educational events. 

In addition to becoming a member, organisations and individuals can also become a "Global Friend of Volunteering" and strengthen the global volunteering movement, free of charge. For more information on opportunities and benefits, please visit: www.iave.org/join-now.

To learn more about IAVE, visit the organization's website: www.iave.com.

Private and legal entities applying for the membership in the Platform should submit the application. In case of legal entity, the application should be signed by the statutory representative of the applying organization and should consist of:

• the declaration that the organization/institution meets all requirements for the full membership as stated above,
• contact details for the applicant and for a person who will represent the applicant organization in the Platform,
• description of the applicant organization/institution.

The approval of the membership is made by the general assembly of the Platform and is based on the application.

Membership fee is 50 Euro per year.

Who can be a Member?

Any legal entity focused on the development of volunteering can become a member of the Platform, however, it should carry out at least three of the following activities:

• the development of volunteer opportunities within community in the partnership with other organizations,
• strengthening the positive image of volunteering,
• stimulating the interest of wide public for volunteering,
• helping the development of volunteer programs and activities within organizations and organizations and/or communities and supporting the cooperation and networking in this area,
• connecting people willing to volunteer with organizations in need of volunteers,
• focusing on the creation of political strategy leading toward the creation of favourable social climate for volunteering.

Private entity also can become a member of the Platform, however, the minimum age is 18 and he/she should be allied to the idea of the development of volunteering.

Benefits for the Members of the Platform:

• regular information and experience-sharing in the area of volunteering in Slovakia and other countries,
• advocacy on behalf of volunteering and its support on the level of state, municipalities, and other relevant stakeholders,
• discounts and priority participation in events and programs organized by the Platform – such as educational events, supervisions, and consultations,
• opportunity to cooperate on international projects.

The Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organizations associates organizations active at least in three of following areas:

• the development of volunteer opportunities within community in the partnership with other organizations,
• strengthening the positive image of volunteering,
• stimulating the interest of wide public for volunteering,
• helping the development of volunteer programs and activities within organizations and organizations and/or communities and supporting the cooperation and networking in this area,
• connecting people willing to volunteer with organizations in need of volunteers,
• focusing on the creation of political strategy leading toward the creation of favourable social climate for volunteering.

Current Members of the Platform:

Our Staff: 

Alžbeta Brozmanová Gregorová – president, trainer

She works at the Faculty of Education at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica. In her scientific, research, teaching and publishing activities she has long been involved in the issues of volunteering, service-learning, the third sector and NGOs, project creation and management and other topics. From 2002 to 2018 she was the head of the Volunteer Centre in Banská Bystrica and since 2011 she has been a member of the board of directors of the Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organisations. She has coordinated a number of international and national projects in the field of volunteering, such as the project for the development of quality standards for the management of volunteers, research on volunteering in Slovakia, the preparation of the Concept of Education and Training of Children and Youth for Volunteering and others. In practice, she also works as a project assessor, lecturer, consultant and as an accredited supervisor in the social field.

Alžbeta Frimmerová (Mračková) – vice president, project manager, trainer, consultant

She graduated in Sociology at the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava. She has attended courses in volunteer management conducted by the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration in the USA, the National Volunteer Centre Hestia in the Czech Republic and the Association of Supervisors and Social Counsellors in Bratislava. Since 2002, she has been working at DS Vŕba at the St. Elizabeth Cancer Institute in Bratislava as a programme coordinator. Since 2006 she has been working on the development and promotion of volunteering in Slovakia, education and quality in volunteer management, creation of volunteer programmes and establishment and development of volunteer centres in Slovakia and Europe. She worked on the development of the Law on Volunteering. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organisations, the Bratislava Volunteer Centre and initiated the establishment of volunteer centres in Trnava and Trenčín.

Ing. Ida Adolfová (since 02.04.2019) - finance and project manager, European Solidarity Corps coordinator

She studied at the Faculty of Economics at the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica (2002) and during her studies she discovered volunteering, which became part of her life and later her professional practice. A three-month volunteer work in South Africa (2008) and a three-month study at the City University of New York (2013) had a great influence on her life and way of thinking. Since 2003, she has worked at the Healthy City Community Foundation, where she has been involved in the economics and management of the Foundation's projects and programmes. She has experience in volunteering both domestically and internationally, both as a volunteer and as a coordinator of volunteer programmes. She is active in the Volunteer Centre in Banská Bystrica, where she works as a coordinator of foreign volunteers, trainer, project manager of Erasmus+ projects and economist. Since 2018 she has been an economist in our organisation and since April 2019 has decided to spend more time working in the Platform, as she was attracted by the organisation's activities, projects and, last but not least, the people who work in the organisation. She sees it as a challenge and an opportunity to grow professionally and as a person and last but not least she wants to be part of positive changes in the field of volunteering in Slovakia.

Mgr. Dominika Hradiská (since 1.4.2019) - project manager, coordinator of the Heart in the Palm of Your Hand Award

She graduated in Psychology at the Faculty of Arts, University of Prešov. During her studies, she joined OZ Žabky, where she coordinated volunteers working with children and youth. On the basis of this experience and thanks to learning about the state of volunteering in the Košice Region, she became a founding member of the Volunteer Centre of the Košice Region in 2011 and later its chairwoman. In 2017, after her maternity leave, she joined the team of the Prešov Volunteer Centre, which she led for two years. She has experience in sending volunteers abroad and hosting foreign volunteers. During the whole period she participated in the activities of the Platform and monitored its activities as a statutory member of the member organisation. Since April 2019, she has been an active part of the Platform team, working mainly on quality standards for voluntary organisations and participating in current international projects.

Mgr. Jana Šolcová, PhD. - member of the board of directors, trainer

She has been a trainer for our accredited Management of Volunteers training course since 2016 and has worked on several international and national projects as a researcher and team member. She has also worked as a coordinator and trainer of volunteers for over 10 years. In her spare time as well as in her professional life, she focuses on working with children and youth. She participates in a series of educational activities aimed at increasing the competences of professionals, as well as volunteers working with children and youth. She works as a co-worker and committee member in several NGOs focusing on children and youth in various adverse social situations. Currently she is a coordinator in two organisations - Pathfinder Club (a scout type civic association with nationwide scope) and the Volunteer Centre Banská Bystrica with regional scope coordinating the Spojivko programme. Her pedagogical as well as scientific activity is also focused on innovative forms of social skills development, informal education of children and youth, theories of social work through activities at the Department of Social Work of the Faculty of Education of the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica.

Mgr. Gabriela Podmaková - member of the board of directors

She graduated in Ethnology and Extra-European studies at the Faculty of Arts of UCM in Trnava and UNY in Indonesia. She has been volunteering since elementary school and has experienced how volunteering may or may not work. She has worked at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Bratislava, the Office for Slovaks Living Abroad, the School of Communication and Media, and the NGO PDCS. Currently she runs the Bratislava Volunteer Centre.

Mgr. Silvia Cochová, PhD. - member of the board of directors

She graduated in Environmental Education and completed her postgraduate studies in biodiversity conservation at the Technical University in Zvolen. After her PhD, she stayed on at the Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Science as a university lecturer, but eventually decided to work outside academia after maternity leave. Currently, she holds the position of director at the non-profit organisation Volunteer Centre in Banská Bystrica, where her years of experience in the third sector will bear fruit. She is directly involved with volunteering not only in her work, but has been an active volunteer in Slovak Scouting for over 20 years (she served for 6 years on the board of directors at national level).

Mgr. Veronika Kosková - activity coordinator

She graduated in Psychology at the University of Trnava and worked briefly in the field of counselling. She also tried working in the IT sector, where she managed HR processes and was responsible for project management. She lives and works in Banská Bystrica. During her maternity leave she became a part of the Mamina Maternity Centre Civic Association, through which she became more involved in volunteering. As a statutory officer of the Maternity Centre, she coordinated activities, volunteers and provided technical and organisational support. Since 2018, she has been a trainer at the Zippy Civic Association, where she trains teaching and professional staff in programmes to develop social skills in children. She stayed with volunteering after her maternity leave and is currently volunteering professionally at the Volunteer Centre in Banská Bystrica. In the Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organisations she is responsible for the coordination of educational activities and trainings.

Ing. Eva Ščepková, PhD. - PR manager

She graduated in Tourism at the Faculty of Economics at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica and in Personnel Management and Organisational Development at Masaryk University in Brno. During her studies at the university, she founded the EnviroFuture civic association, whose mission is to raise people's environmental awareness, improve public spaces and organise educational events. From 2013 to 2018 she worked at the Ekopolis Foundation, where she was responsible for PR and marketing. In 2016, she founded LINK CoWorking Banská Bystrica, a civic association dedicated to educating and networking entrepreneurial people.  Currently she is also working in the 365.labb community co-working centre in Banská Bystrica.

The Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organizations was established in August 2011 as the result of activities carried out within the European Year of Volunteering 2011 and informal networking activities of volunteer centres which started in Slovakia already in 2009.

The main goal of the Platform is to support the creation of environment favourable for the development of volunteering.

The Platform unites volunteer centres and organizations working with volunteers in Slovakia and fulfils its aims through following activities:

•    Building the infrastructure of volunteering in Slovakia – through establishment of new volunteer centres and increasing the quality of already existing volunteer centres in the cooperation with NGOs, state administration, municipalities, private sector and media, 
•    Advocating for legal and economic support of volunteer centres and volunteer involving organizations, 
•    Enforcing financial support for volunteering, creation of grant programs and other tools for the support of volunteering and volunteer centres by the state, municipalities, NGOs, private sector and individuals, 
•    Incorporating volunteering into legal framework leading towards its support, 
•    Supporting the capacity development and professionalization of those who work with volunteers within NGOs, public institutions, municipalities, church, etc. 
•    Supporting the establishment and the development of a working position of volunteer coordinators within NGOs and public institutions, 
•    Promoting volunteering as a tool for informal education and the support for the introduction of volunteering and community service into formal education, 
•    Enforcing volunteering as a preparation tool for the labour market.