Completion of the project “VOLUNTEER for NATURE, VOLUNTEER for YOURSELF!”

In August 2019, the two-year project “VOLUNTEER for NATURE, VOLUNTEER for YOURSELF” ended. – school volunteer programs in nature protected areas”.

The project promoted and encouraged the implementation of school volunteering programs in protected nature areas, as well as work on the development of young people’s social skills.

We are proud to present the results of the project, achieved through the cooperation of the project partners Association Sunce , the League for the Prevention of Addiction, the Craft Technical School Split, the Ivan Lucić High School – Trogir, the Center for Community Services Split, the Public Institution “Biokovo Nature Park”, the Public Institution “Krka National Park”, Public Institution “Vransko Lake Nature Park” and Public Institution “Telašćica Nature Park”.

Naslovna stranica metodloškog priručnika

Achieved results:

  • through training and practice, 20 new volunteer coordinators from partner organizations were educated and empowered with skills for working with volunteers
  • 18 informative workshops were organized in partner schools and the Center through which 379 young people were informed about volunteering opportunities within the project
  • 18 educational workshops were held through which 88 young people in partner schools and the Center were educated about what volunteering is, as well as about environmental protection, the parks they will visit and the volunteer actions they will carry out
  • strengthened communication and social skills of the participants
  • six new volunteer programs developed for volunteering of school volunteers in the protected areas of NP Krka, PP Telašćica, PP Vransko jezero and PP Biokovo
  • a total of two two-day and two one-day volunteer campaigns were conducted in the protected areas of NP Krka, PP Telašćica, PP Vransko jezero and PP Biokovo
  • a total of six days of volunteering were carried out, which included 70 school volunteers who performed 1570 volunteer hours, an additional four volunteers accompanied the project during the entire implementation and achieved 368.5 hours
  • the total value of volunteer work on the project expressed in kuna is 1938.5 h * 33 kn = 63,970.5 kn


Accomplished volunteer programs:

  • volunteer program “Youth in drywall restoration” – Krka National Park – at the entrance to Lozovac, one hundred meters of drywall was restored
  • volunteer program “Youth in the restoration of drywall and footpaths” – Biokovo Nature Park – in the Kotišina Botanical Garden, 15 meters of dry wall, two footpaths, an educational board and a wall with a bench for resting were restored
  • volunteer programs “Young guardians of plant balance” and “Young editors of visitor equipment” – Vrana Lake Nature Park – the color of the observation deck and the bridge by the lake, as well as the tables and benches for park visitors, have been renewed. Undesirable plant species were removed from the area of the Prosika canal
  • volunteer program “Marine Eco Patrol” – Telašćica Nature Park – collected 149 kilograms of waste, of which 130 kg of plastic, 14 kg of glass, and slightly less rubber, metal and textile waste

Internal achieved results:

  • conducted a systematic evaluation of the impact of the volunteering experience on school volunteers and the satisfaction of participating in the project
  • an internal evaluation of the project’s success was carried out, and a plan for the sustainability of volunteer programs was drawn up
  • created promotional materials of the project that strengthened the visibility of the project, but also played an important role in strengthening the sense of community during volunteer actions
  • project activities regularly promoted in the media and on social networks, and eight radio shows were broadcast in partnership with Radio Sunce, in which volunteers were also guests, and youth, volunteerism and environmental protection were discussed
  • a two-day “Conference on school volunteer programs in nature protected areas” was held – the final conference of the project “VOLUNTEER FOR NATURE, VOLUNTEER FOR YOURSELF” where the results of the project were presented and national and international experiences about school volunteering in nature were exchanged
  • 55 representatives of protected areas, educational institutions and civil society organizations participated in the conference
  • created and distributed “Manual for the development of school volunteering in nature protected areas – “VOLUNTEER for NATURE, VOLUNTEER for YOURSELF”

Anyone interested can download the manual in pdf format from the link below.

A printed copy of the manual can be downloaded from the office of the Association, after reporting to the inbox of the official page of the Association Sunce Split.