VERA 2024 (Rights & Action)
101140501
2024.04.01-2024.12.10.
In 2024, the Talentum Foundation is actively participating in the VERA programme in connection with the call launched by the European Volunteer Centre (Centre for European Volunteering – CEV). As part of the VERA 2024 (Volunteering, Equality, Rights, Action) project, CEV has received EUR 179,600 in funding for its member organisations. The grant is provided by the European Union through the CERV programme. The overall objective of the project is to build capacity within the volunteering sector in order to promote gender equality and reduce discrimination, with particular attention to target groups with fewer opportunities. Further information is available at: https://www.europeanvolunteercentre.org/vera2024-call-for-proposals
Within the project implemented between 1 April and 10 December 2024, the Talentum Foundation has undertaken activities under the thematic area Rights & Action, committing to support the inclusion of people with disabilities in volunteering through the implementation of volunteer actions. Our 2023 research project entitled Inclusive Volunteering highlighted that communication between civil society organisations and volunteers is not sufficiently effective. In many cases, people with disabilities who wish to engage in voluntary activities encounter difficulties in finding suitable opportunities.
In order to advance this cause, the project has set the following objectives:
- to activate people with disabilities in volunteer activities, enabling them to explore their pathways within different organisations;
- to facilitate connections between organisations and people with disabilities who wish to expand their volunteering opportunities;
- to gain a better understanding of volunteering by people with disabilities in the region, to obtain direct experience through joint activities, and to contribute these experiences to the local volunteering development strategy;
- to increase the visibility of volunteering by people with disabilities through a targeted campaign using modern communication tools, thereby drawing the attention of the general public, professional bodies and civil society organisations;
- to raise awareness within society that people with disabilities are not merely vulnerable or marginalised members of society, but can also be active citizens;
- to contribute the experiences gathered through the project to a potential future Hungarian nomination for the European Volunteering Capital competition.
As part of the project, the following activities are being implemented:
- the organisation of at least five volunteer actions, each involving approximately 20–25 participants, where volunteers with and without disabilities can carry out activities together outside their own organisations in a supportive and safe environment. One of these events will take place on 1 June, Volunteer Day;
- an online storytelling publication presenting the volunteering experiences of people with disabilities through 12 personal stories. The publication will be available in Hungarian and English on the Talentum website and social media platforms;
- a podcast series published in both audio and video formats on the Talentum website and YouTube channel;
- the organisation of a Volunteer Gala in connection with International Volunteer Day, where the achievements of participating volunteers will be presented.
The storytelling publication, entitled The new Shades of Volunteering – Volunteering Through Persons with Disabilities, is available by clicking on the image below. ↓
The podcast series, The new Shades of Volunteering – Volunteering Through Persons with Disabilities, can be accessed via the designated link.
For the implementation of the project, we received a grant of EUR 11,225 under the VERA call for proposals announced by CEV.
