Poland: Volunteers in cyberspace

To any one who is not Polish “Pomagam bo” may sound more like an African delicacy than a call to action. In fact, it isn’t simply a call to action, it is growing national movement. It literally means “I volunteer because …” and is the name of a website which is part Blog, part competition and part awareness raising campaign. Its mission? To promote a culture of volunteering in Poland by providing authentic examples of the positive impact volunteering can have. 

“Volunteering can be the adventure of a lifetime,” explains Aneta Godynia, the campaign coordinator, from the headquarters of the organisation launching the project, the Federation of Regional Associations, in Krakow. “The satisfaction it brings those who engage in it is priceless and can open many doors. It also helps you to see your life from a different perspective which is an invaluable lesson in the personal development of citizens, whatever their age.”

Far from having a traditional approach to volunteering, the Federation, which received a 10 thousand euro grant from the European Commission to fund the project called “Catch up on the network – be a volunteer!”, has opted for a highly digitalised format which relies on Blogging, Facebook and the Internet to reach as many people as possible. A nation-wide volunteering database is also being created.

At the heart of the project is the “Pomagam bo” campaign, with its four volunteer: Anna, a lawyer, Marta, a teacher, Piotr, a retired miner, and Mariusz, who works for an NGO. Selected from a large group of applicants, the four volunteers write about their everyday lives, volunteering experiences and best practices on the Pomagam bo website. Each of their posts can be “liked” by the public: the author with the greatest amount of “likes” will be considered the winner of this volunteering Blog competition and this stimulates the Bloggers to make sure their posts are interesting, relevant and readable.

So far the campaign has been a success, says Godynia. “Unfortunately in Poland social work is still associated with the so called voluntary activities that were obligatory under the pre 1989 political system. This means that key stakeholders have a negative impression of volunteering which is a pity as they are also the potential beneficiaries.”

According to Godynia, surveys carried out under the Polish National Action Plan for the 2011 European Year for Volunteering indicate that the level of involvement of Polish citizens in voluntary activities is considerably lower than the European average of 23 per cent. In fact, only 13 percent of the Polish population volunteered in 2009. “The low level of involvement in voluntary activity in Poland indicates that there are specific barriers which hinder its development. Now is the best time when we, as Polish society, can actually do something,” added Godynia.

If young people today do consider volunteering “cool”, thanks to Pomagam bo there is a chance they soon will.

“Our campaign and bloggers talk about the benefits of volunteering and help to make it fashionable. By using interactive tools and social media we are where young people are. The Internet and social media are incredible tools: why do not use them to encourage young people to do something good?”, concludes Godynia.