Organizing volunteers under the coronavirus pandemic - Experiences of the
Józsefváros Office of Community Participation
Kata Balázs-Piri - Dóra Hegyi - Ádám Horváth - Tessza Udvarhelyi - Jo Urban
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic has presented all of us involved in the organizing and building of communities with great challenges. It felt as if we had lost all our previous tools to build relationships among people. Fortunately, this did not end up being the case in reality as there have been opportunities to work together for causes that are important for all of us while building of communities even at the time of social distancing. In our article we summarize the experiences we have gathered as staff members and volunteers of the Office of Community Participation at the municipality of the 8th district of Budapest under the coronavirus pandemic while organizing volunteers to support local residents in need of help. In the article we elaborate on the practical details of recruiting, involving, supporting volunteers and of the organization of their work, which data will hopefully be useful in our lives beyond the pandemic for municipalities, civil organizations, and informal communities.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, volunteering, Józsefváros's Office of Community Participation, recruitment of volunteers, organizing volunteer activity,