In almost all areas, volunteerism and volunteers play an extremely important role. This is no different in the preparation and implementation of sports events. On the occasion of International Volunteer Day on December 5, we summarize the activities and experiences of the “ Future volunteers – Key to our success is Generation – Z (K2S-GenZ)” project.
The small-scale cooperation partnership project involves three organisations from two countries – Sports Club of Miskolc University (MEAFC) and Hungarian University Sports Federation (HUSF/MEFS) from Hungary and the EUSA Institute from Slovenia. The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
As part of the K2S-GenZ project, project partners recruited and delegated 10 volunteers to the four-day MEFOB Festival in Miskolc, Hungary in May, and then to the multisport event of European Universities Games (EUG) 2022 in July in Lodz, Poland (4,459 athletes from 422 universities in 38 countries). In addition to having to stand up in an international environment and get to know the unique atmosphere of EUG and the European university sport, they performed responsible tasks in the areas of accreditation, transfer and information, accommodation and catering, protocol and educational events, media, sports, result management and venue management. After that, the participants evaluated their experiences of the domestic and international event with the help of questionnaires and interviews, and six of them were able to undertake to participate in a five-session communication training during October-December, which already foresees the continuation of the joint work.
The active participation of the students involved in the implementation of the project contributes to the fact that the project partners supplement the knowledge acquired in field of volunteer management through experience, specifically focusing on the habits and needs of the volunteers of Generation Z. The aim of the project is to compile a methodology and a concept for a future project in the field of sports volunteering.
It is important to note that the 10 involved volunteers are students of the Budapest University of Technology, Budapest Corvinus University, Budapest Business School, Eötvös Loránd University, University of Miskolc, Semmelwies University, University of Szeged and Szent György College of Media and Informatics, three of them are international students.
The coordinator of the project would also like to thank the project partners – EUSA, MEFS, MEAFC – and of course the ten volunteer students working with them, whose activity and enthusiasm prove that student involvement represents a high value for the individual and the community.
As the project nears its end, the partners are already thinking about continuing it, as they want to open up the opportunities of volunteering to more students, such as personal development, community building, and gaining experience. As evidence that they are on the right track, here are some quotes from the volunteers’ experiences:
„I learned a lot through educational events and sports activities. I believe that I have developed the personal skills to communicate with people from other cultural backgrounds and to participate and work in activities that are new to me. I’m an introvert, but volunteering has helped me build relationships with others with similar and different interests, so thank you very much for this opportunity!”
„I learned that even in the most difficult situations, persistence and humility are what get you ahead. I learned that you always have to be on your feet, because there are points that even the organizers can’t plan in advance. I learned that these situations require a lot of patience and creativity.”
„Even after my previous volunteerings and EUG 2022, I realized that a lot of people’s personality is shaped unintentionally when they are in such an open and great environment. In such cases, a completely new world opens up and I notice the opportunities in front of me much more easily, and I also become more open. Since in the future I want to work in the world of sports and continue my studies in this field, such events give me a kind of motivational boost and an opportunity for professional experience and insight, not to mention the extraordinary relationship capital”
