Since the very beginning, JFF Zagreb has promoted volunteering activities and has been recognized by volunteers as a positive example of social inclusion and integration within an interesting and socially valuable project aiming to contribute to the positive changes in society, regardless of one’s nationality, religious beliefs, social and economic status or age.
The organizer noticed that volunteering has been mainly popular among students and younger and unemployed parts of the society on this project but also on other cultural projects in Croatia. With the intention to increase the visibility of volunteering and motivate persons of the third age to join volunteering projects, the 4th edition of the Festival introduced a new practice aiming to develop the intergenerational solidarity through volunteering in culture. The idea has been promoted through the visits to retirement homes where tenants were motivated to get actively involved in the organization and realization of projects because the society as a whole needs to activate senior citizens so that they feel needed and socially valuable.
Since 2010, the project has seen volunteers belonging to all age groups; the youngest volunteer was 12 years old and the oldest was eighty-three. In this way we have proved that the intention and opportunity for senior citizens to volunteer has an enormous importance for both their integration into the society and the Festival itself having in mind the precious life experience senior citizens have. Mutual pleasure and positive experiences motivate us to further improve this segment of the Festival.
We can proudly say that many prominent persons from Croatia and even abroad volunteered at the Festival and contributed with their knowledge and skills to the final quality of the program. The organizer is paying particular attention to those whose work, knowledge and time is appreciated which is the reason why our volunteers keep coming back encouraging others to join us as well. All volunteers have food and drinks provided by the Festival as well as all other things they need in order to create a pleasant working environment and fruitful cooperation. That we are successful in this is best illustrated in the fact that all open calls for volunteers are always closed before the last day for submitting applications.
