The online quiz that will gather 80 volunteers from 15 European Countries, as well as members of the Novi Sad Voluntary Service, will be organised on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day. The quiz starts at 4 p.m., via Zoom platform, and it will be available for everyone on the ECoC Volunteer Coordinators Network Facebook page.

International volunteer teams will answer the question about cities – capitals of culture and questions about general knowledge. The team from Novi Sad will consist of 10 volunteers.

The quiz is a result of joint work by members of non-formal network initiated by coordinators of volunteering programmes from 18 former, present and future capitals of culture, which gave the Novi Sad Voluntary Service the European dimension. Previously, two projects were launched within the non-formal network of coordinators – Share Your Story, within which volunteers from different parts of Europe shared they volunteering experience and Discover My City, within which volunteers were guides to their European Capital of Culture.

Novi Sad Voluntary Service, participated in 145 different activities for the first two years of its existence, and played an important role in offering support to our fellow citizens in order to prevent spreading of the COVID-19, thus accomplishing almost 4000 voluntary hours. They won the October Award for their effort and work, and Vojislav Prkosovački, their coordinator, stressed that Novi Sad could be a good example of volunteering management:

‘The example of systematic work in Novi Sad proves that it is possible to improve the quality of working with volunteers, initiate the process of improvement of understanding the role of a volunteer, thus including different organisations, institutions, formal and non-formal groups in work with volunteers and support for their work. In addition to this, we must point to things that haven’t been done so far but are important for further support for volunteer activities. It is necessary to work on changes and amendments to law regulation which defines volunteering in Serbia. It is important to work on networking of organisations that work with volunteers at the local level and constantly work on the promotion of active participation and positive effects of volunteering on individuals and society,’ said Mr Prkosovački and added that we have to show gratitude to the volunteers in the year that is coming to an end, and energy they devoted despite all challenges.

Novi Sad Voluntary Service was launched on the joint initiative of the ‘Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture’ Foundation and European Youth Capital Novi Sad – OPENS in September 2017. There are 1657 registered volunteers today.

International Volunteer Day was mandated by the UN General Assembly and it has been marked since 1985.