Volunteering is one of the main directions in the work of the BRCK Association. For us, it is not just participation in a separate activity or assistance at an event, but a process of learning, meeting different people, taking responsibility and real inclusion in the life of communities, causes and initiatives.
Over the years, BRCK has developed volunteer activities in Bulgaria and in an international context, mainly through the European Solidarity Corps, Erasmus+, youth initiatives, solidarity projects, cultural and environmental activities, media projects and work with local communities. Volunteers are involved in various formats – long-term and short-term volunteer projects, youth exchanges, trainings, events, campaigns, field work and content creation.
For us, volunteering makes sense when it is connected to a real environment and specific people. It should not remain only within the framework of a project program, schedule or formal result. The important thing is that participants have the opportunity to experience something real — to work with other people, to encounter new situations, to develop skills and to feel that their contribution matters.
European Solidarity Corps
One of the most important programs for the volunteer work of the Bulgarian Red Cross is the European Solidarity Corps. Through it, young people from different countries have the opportunity to participate in volunteer activities related to culture, media, ecology, youth participation, social inclusion, local communities and European values.
The Bulgarian Red Cross has many years of experience in welcoming international volunteers. For more than 13 years, the organization has welcomed over 100 long-term volunteers, as well as numerous participants in short-term volunteer activities. They have been involved in various initiatives — media work, events, activities in small settlements, environmental actions, cultural formats, work with youth, photo and video content, online communication, volunteer camps and local campaigns.
As an organization with the European Solidarity Corps Quality Label, the BRC can participate in volunteering projects as a hosting, supporting and coordinating organization. This means that we can both welcome volunteers in Bulgaria and support young people who want to join volunteering projects in other countries.
What do volunteers do
Volunteers who join the BRCK activities work on various topics and tasks according to the specific project, their interests and the needs of the community. Some of them participate in E-volution Media, where they create video materials, interviews, articles, photos, publications for social networks, musical and cultural content. Others join the Mindya Community, where they work on community events, environmental initiatives, local stories, activities with the community center and development of the website mindya-community.org.
In practical work, volunteers can participate in preparing and conducting events, shooting videos, editing, writing texts, translating, photography, working on websites, organizing meetings, participating in campaigns, sound and technical support, environmental activities, working with local partners and communicating with participants from different countries.
This diversity is important because it gives young people the opportunity to discover their strengths. Some come with an interest in media, others in culture, still others in ecology, working with people, events or international projects. Within the framework of volunteering, they can try out different roles and develop practical skills that remain useful even after the end of the project.
Volunteering and experiential learning
In our work, volunteering is closely related to informal education. This means that learning does not happen only through lectures or ready-made instructions, but through real participation, trying, mistakes, feedback, teamwork and personal reflection.
Volunteers learn to plan their time, communicate with people from different cultures, work with technology, write and edit, organize events, search for information, ask questions and take responsibility. No less important are soft skills – adaptation, patience, independence, confidence, critical thinking and understanding different points of view.
Often the most valuable lessons do not come from the most visible activities. They come from everyday work, from meetings with local people, from living in an unfamiliar environment, from trying to cope with something for the first time, from the need to find a common language with people who think differently. This is precisely what makes volunteering a powerful tool for personal development.
Life outside the comfort zone
Many of the volunteer activities of the BRCK place young people in an environment different from the one they are used to. This could be a small town like Mindia, an international group, fieldwork, participating in a public event, interviewing strangers, an environmental campaign, living with other volunteers, or creating content that will be published publicly.
This step outside of the comfort zone is an important part of the process. It is not only a challenge, but an opportunity to see oneself in a new situation. Volunteers learn to cope with uncertainty, make decisions, be more open to differences and understand both others and themselves better.
For international volunteers, Bulgaria often becomes a place of discovery – a new language, new people, a new culture, a new rhythm of life and different social issues. For local communities, meeting volunteers is also valuable because it brings new energy, new questions and a feeling that small places can be part of a wider European network.
Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges
In addition to volunteer projects, the Bulgarian Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement also works on Erasmus+ youth exchanges. They give young people from different countries the opportunity to meet for a short but intensive period, work on a common topic, exchange experiences and develop skills through non-formal education.
Youth exchanges are particularly valuable because they combine an international environment, group work, cultural exchange and personal experience. Participants do not just travel, but work on topics such as democratic participation, ecology, culture, media, social inclusion, European values, sustainable development, digital skills and intercultural dialogue. They participate in workshops, discussions, presentations, creative tasks, field visits and common activities that help them understand the topic through personal and practical experience.
For BRCK, youth exchanges are a way to connect young people from Bulgaria with peers from other countries and to give them the opportunity to see themselves as part of a wider European conversation. It is especially important for us that these opportunities also reach young people from smaller settlements, who do not always have easy access to international programs.
Trainings and mobilities for youth workers
BRCK also participates in trainings and mobilities for youth workers under Erasmus+. These formats are aimed at people who work with young people – facilitators, trainers, volunteer coordinators, representatives of organizations, youth leaders and active participants in civic initiatives.
The trainings provide an opportunity for the exchange of methods, experience and practices between organizations from different countries. Topics can be related to non-formal education, youth participation, working with groups, social inclusion, ecological and digital transformation, communication, media literacy, working with volunteers, democratic processes and local community development.
For the organization, these trainings are important because they help us develop better quality activities, improve our working methods and build new international partnerships. They enable the team and the young people associated with us to learn from other practices, share their own experiences and return with new ideas that can be implemented in Bulgaria.
Volunteering, media and communities
One of the distinctive directions in the work of the Bulgarian Youth Council is the connection between volunteering and media content. Through E-volution Media, volunteers have the opportunity to create videos, articles, interviews and visual materials that present culture, public issues, local communities and European programs.
This media work gives a voice to volunteers and teaches them to observe the world more carefully. They are not just participants in a project, but people who tell stories about it. This includes responsibility — how to ask a question, how to present a person correctly, how to avoid clichés, how to connect a personal story to a wider context.
Through Mindya Community, volunteering is also connected to local development. Volunteers can participate in events, environmental activities, publications for the website, materials for the Mindya Post, meetings with local people and initiatives that have a real connection to life in the village. This way, volunteering becomes closer to the community, and does not remain only within the framework of project documentation.
Short-term volunteering activities
Short-term volunteering projects are an important part of our work because they allow groups of young people to get involved in a specific cause for a shorter period of time, but with a clearly visible result. Such activities can be related to ecology, culture, community spaces, events, media, outdoor work or support for a local initiative.
This format is suitable for young people who are involved in an international project for the first time or who cannot dedicate a long period to volunteering. At the same time, the intensity of the experience is often very strong – participants live and work together, share tasks, learn from each other and see a concrete result of their joint efforts.
For the BRCK, short-term activities are particularly suitable in the context of Mindya and other local initiatives, where volunteers can contribute with practical work, media coverage, environmental activities or community events.
Support for young people
BRCK does not only work with volunteers who come to Bulgaria. The organization can also support young people from Bulgaria who want to participate in volunteering projects, youth exchanges, trainings or other international activities.
This support can include information about opportunities, preparation before participation, assistance with application, contact.